Author Archives: barczablog

Darkly Comic Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo

Posted on October 17, 2022 by barczablog

I’ve just come from the matinee of Rajiv Joseph’s play Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, presented by Crow’s Theatre in co-production with Modern Times Stage Company. The title tells you the basic premise, a tiger is caged in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Reviews, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged Ahmed Moneka, Ali Kazmi, Andrew Chown, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Christopher Allen, Crow’s Theatre, John Gzowski, Kristen Thomson, Lorenzo Savoini, Mahsa Ershadifar, Modern Times Stage Company, Rajiv Joseph, Rouvan Silogix, Sara Jaffri | 1 Comment

COC Carmen Opens

Posted on October 15, 2022 by barczablog

I saw and heard opening night of the Canadian Opera Company’s Carmen tonight at the Four Seasons Centre, a revival of Joel Ivany’s 2016 production. It’s a wonderful take on a well-known work with a very original approach to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | Tagged Alain Coulombe, Canadian Opera Company, Carmen, Flying Dutchman, Four Seasons Centre, Georges Bizet, Jacques Lacombe, J’Nai Bridges, Joel Ivany, Joyce El-Khoury, Lucas Meachem, Marcelo Puente | Leave a comment

Gimeno prepares the taste-buds for Bronfman’s Beethoven

Posted on October 13, 2022 by barczablog

It was a unique Toronto Symphony concert. Conductor Gustavo Gimeno said he had never conducted six items on a program before. It was pretty radical for me too, although I was fortunate. I noticed the unorthodox program and wrote about … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged Atmosphères, Daniel Barenboim, Franz Josef Haydn, Gustavo Gimeno, Gyorgy Ligeti, Lohengrin, Ludwig van Beethoven, Otto Klemperer, Richard Wagner, Roy Thomson Hall, sturm und drang, subito con forza, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Unsuk Chin, Yefim Bronfman | 1 Comment

Ernesto and Luciano: similar yet different

Posted on October 8, 2022 by barczablog

It was forty years ago. I was in New York on my honeymoon, seeking a ticket to see the Metropolitan Opera (even a scalper if necessary). But I found tickets at the box office, 7th row (if my memory doesn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Press Releases and Announcements | Tagged Ernesto Ramirez, Luciano Pavarotti, Metropolitan Opera, Opera by Request, Roberto Devereux | Leave a comment

COC Flying Dutchman Opens

Posted on October 8, 2022 by barczablog

I saw and heard opening night of the Canadian Opera Company’s Flying Dutchman tonight at the Four Seasons Centre, a revival of a Christopher Alden production directed for this revival by Marilyn Gronsdal. I liked it a lot. The COC … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | Tagged Canadian Opera Company, Christopher Ventris, Franz-Josef Selig, Johan Reuter, Johannes Debus, Marilyn Gronsdal, Marjorie Owens, Richard Wagner, The Flying Dutchman | 3 Comments

Provocative TSO program: a glimpse of Gimeno

Posted on October 5, 2022 by barczablog

It’s fun getting to know the new music director of the Toronto Symphony, Gustavo Gimeno. I’m excited both by the programming and the performances. Assembling concerts involves a curating process, picking & choosing pieces for performance. Forgive me for repeating … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Cinema, video & DVDs, Music and musicology, Opera | Tagged 2001: A Space Odyssey, Atmosphères, Charles Baudelaire, Christina Volpini, Claude Debussy, Franz Josef Haydn, Godfather, Gustavo Gimeno, Gyorgy Ligeti, Lohengrin, Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Wagner, Sarah Polley, Stanley Kubrick, sturm und drang, subito con forza, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Unsuk Chin, Yefim Bronfman | 2 Comments

Sarah Polley – Run Towards the Danger

Posted on October 4, 2022 by barczablog

I have just finished reading Sarah Polley’s Run Towards the Danger, a book like none I’ve ever read before. It might be the most authentic autobiography I’ve ever encountered. Except that it’s not an autobiography. I notice too that while … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Food, Health and Nutrition, Popular music & culture, Reviews | Tagged concussion, Jian Ghomeshi, Lewis Carroll, Molly Shannon, Run Towards the Danger, Sarah Polley, William Wordsworth | Leave a comment

Tear-drop garden

Posted on September 30, 2022 by barczablog

Of all the photos on my iphone, half are pictures of Sam, the dog whose life ended in the spring. When I look at her I feel connected to her even if she’s gone. No wonder I hesitate to delete … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, domestic & wild | 3 Comments

Gemma New, Kerson Leong and the TSO: “allez grand ou rentrez chez vous”

Posted on September 30, 2022 by barczablog

Last night I heard the first of the Toronto Symphony’s weekend of romantic works, responding passionately to their guest conductor, the New Zealand-born Gemma New. I noticed her intense display of commitment, yet so respectful of every collaborator in this … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged Camille Saint-Saens, Felix Mendelssohn, Gemma New, Hebrides Overture, Jean-Willy Kunz, Jonathan Crow, Kerson Leong, Otto Klemperer, Poeme, Richard Strauss, Samy Moussa, Symbolist, Toronto Symphony Orchestra | Leave a comment

Questions for Marilyn Gronsdal

Posted on September 27, 2022 by barczablog

Marilyn Gronsdal is an opera director whose work we’ve seen with the Canadian Opera Company, reviving productions premiered in earlier seasons. In 2019 the COC brought back Atom Egoyan’s 2015 Cosi fan tutte. I liked that 2019 version much better … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Opera | Tagged Canadian Opera Company, Christopher Alden, Four Seasons Centre, Marilyn Gronsdal, Robert Lepage, The Flying Dutchman | Leave a comment