Author Archives: barczablog

Good news COC Traviata

Posted on May 8, 2022 by barczablog

When Perryn Leech the Canadian Opera Company general director came out before the performance of La Traviata last night, it was the first time I’d seen him in person, after several messages in the virtual world. He spoke briefly to … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Opera, Reviews | Tagged Arin Arbus, Cait O'Connor, Canadian Opera Company, Giuseppe Verdi, Johannes Debus, Perryn Leech | Leave a comment

Virtual Bach

Posted on May 7, 2022 by barczablog

While I hoped to go to Tafelmusik’s presentation of the Bach B-minor Mass Thursday night in Massey Hall it was not to be. I was still testing positive for COVID. Instead Friday night I chose to watch a live concert … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged Joanne Lunn, Jonathan Adams, JS Bach, Masaaki Suzuki, Massey Hall, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Tafelmusik Chamber Choir, Thomas Hobbs, Tim Mead | Leave a comment

TIFT: How about a shave?

Posted on May 2, 2022 by barczablog

TIFT to open tonsorial parlour in June. After a three-week pop-up appearance in London, UK, in 2018, TIFT is bringing their steady hands and sharp razors to cheeks and necks in need in Toronto in June. Located discreetly within the … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Press Releases and Announcements | Tagged Stephen Sondheim, Sweeney Todd, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Talk is Free Theatre, TIFT | 1 Comment

News, positive and negative

Posted on April 28, 2022 by barczablog

It’s been a hard week so far. I’m heart-broken with the news in my inbox, that Elisa Citterio is leaving Tafelmusik. I can’t help but wonder about the subtexts for this change. Perhaps it’s just the pandemic and its deadly … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Food, Health and Nutrition, Music and musicology, Opera, Press Releases and Announcements | Tagged Amanda Hale, Carmen, Elisa Citterio, Flying Dutchman, Georges Bizet, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Kye Marshall, Macbeth, Marriage of Figaro, Pomegranate, Quinn Kelsey, Richard Wagner, Sondra Radvanovsky, Tosca | 2 Comments

Kyle McDonald talks about Conan and Mightier Productions

Posted on April 27, 2022 by barczablog

Kyle McDonald and Mightier Productions premiere a new opera on May 5th, titled Conan and the Stone of Kelior. I asked Kyle a few questions. BB: When I look at your website, I see a commercial venture: (hopefully you recognize … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews, Music and musicology, Opera, Popular music & culture | Tagged Alumnae Theatre, Conan, Conan and the Stone of Kelior, Corey Arnold, Diana DiMauro, Fraggle Rock, Geoffrey Davis, Guillermo Silva-Marin, Jim Smagata, Kristi Ann Holt, Kyle McDonald, Mark Rehkopf, Mightier Productions, pasticcio, Robert de Vrij | Leave a comment

Italian Mime Preview

Posted on April 22, 2022 by barczablog

I was at the preview of Italian Mime Suicide from Bad New Days, co-directed by Kari Pederson and Adam Paolozza. It’s short but intense, part lecture, part performance, sometimes serious sometimes funny. No question about it, I’m out of practice, … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, domestic & wild, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Popular music & culture, Reviews | Tagged Adam Paolozza, Arif Mirabdolbaghi, Bad New Days, CAMH, Cheldon Paterson, Domenick Argento, Electric Messiah, Ericka Leobrera, Federico Fellini, Georges Melies, Italian Mime Suicide, Mime, mimesis, My Favorite Year, Nicholas Eddie, Postcard from Morocco, Rob Feetham, SlowPitchSound, Wim Wenders, Wings of Desire | Leave a comment

Adam Paolozza explains Italian Mime Suicide

Posted on April 19, 2022 by barczablog

Adam Paolozza and theatre ensemble Bad New Days are coming back to Toronto with the provocative genre-bending piece ITALIAN MIME SUICIDE at The Theatre Centre (Franco Boni Theatre) beginning April 21 to May 1 (opening night April 23). Inspired by … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews | Tagged Adam Paolozza, Albrecht Durer, Antonin Artaud, Bad New Days, commedia dell'arte, Italian Mime Suicide, lazzo, Melancholia, Melancholiac, Mime, Scott Walker, Susan Sontag, Under the Sign of Saturn, Walter Benjamin | Leave a comment

Ecology of Being –Duo Concertante

Posted on April 16, 2022 by barczablog

In childhood I heard musicians and performers protesting the Vietnam War or advocating as part of the Civil Rights Movement. Ever since I’ve admired activist artists. Music, film, satire, humour, painting, can all be powerful voices advocating change, moving emotions, … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Politics, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged Anthropocene, anthropogenic global warming, Bekah Sims, Carmen Braden, Clara Steeves, Dawn Avery, Duo Concertante, Ian Cusson, Melissa Hui, Nancy Dahn, Randolph Peters, Timothy Steeves | Leave a comment

No words

Posted on April 10, 2022 by barczablog

I need to properly acknowledge a beautiful moment in my life, even as I struggle to find the words. As I glance at the time, I immediately think about Sam’s schedule. At 5:28 my viscera know automatically whether she should … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, domestic & wild, Personal ruminations & essays, Psychology and perception | Tagged Midtown Mobile veterinary hospice services, Quality of Life Scale | 12 Comments

Truth in our Time—NACO

Posted on March 31, 2022 by barczablog

It’s an ambitious package, this National Arts Centre Orchestra Tour. There’s a world premiere of a Philip Glass symphony, commissioned by the family of newsman Peter Jennings, and three other works collected around the idea of “truth in our time”, … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Tagged Alexander Shelley, Blake Pouliot, Dimitri Shostakovich, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Nicole Lizée, Peter Jennings, Philip Glass, Roy Thomson Hall, Zeiss After Dark | 2 Comments