Author Archives: barczablog

Quality of Life and Playing God

Posted on November 3, 2021 by barczablog

Pet-owners often make profound decisions about their dog or cat, given that the law treats animals as property, ours to dispose of as we wish. I shudder when I think about it, ashamed of the time 32 years ago when … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, domestic & wild, Food, Health and Nutrition, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Odin Quartet’s Journey Through Night CD launch Nov 6th

Posted on November 2, 2021 by barczablog

Does music tell stories? I’ve been listening to the CD “Journey Through Night” by Odin Quartet. Here’s how they describe themselves on one of the sites I found extolling their virtues: Passionate about chamber music, the Toronto-based Odin Quartet represents … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Music and musicology, Press Releases and Announcements, Reviews, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Be Not Too Bold: COC Schicchi

Posted on November 1, 2021 by barczablog

The headline is the inevitable result of a weekend watching and comparing two different virtual offerings from two opera companies, one much bolder than the other. Yesterday’s Opera Atelier headline aims to praise what’s praiseworthy, so I used the word … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Bold Angel from Opera Atelier

Posted on October 31, 2021 by barczablog

Opera Atelier’s new film of Angel –fully-staged and filmed at St. Lawrence Hall—will be streaming until Friday, November 12. Angel is a bold experiment. I’m not sure how to describe the work, an interesting mixture of styles and idioms that … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

ARC Ensemble –Dmitri Klebanov Chamber Works

Posted on October 26, 2021 by barczablog

Exile doesn’t just occur when you’re distant from your homeland. What about artists ignored or silenced inside their country? I never thought of it that way before reading Simon Wynberg’s excellent essay in the liner notes to ARC Ensemble’s new … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Politics, Reviews, University life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Levity in Longevity  

Posted on October 23, 2021 by barczablog

I’m not a philosopher although I do enjoy asking questions. “Longevity” has nine letters, including the six letters of “levity”.  Is a sense of humour the secret to a long life? All I know right now is that I’m confronted … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, domestic & wild, My mother, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Kaeja d’Dance presents: Laneway ART-ery Dances

Posted on October 16, 2021 by barczablog

Kaeja d’Dance presents: Laneway ART-ery Dances, a site-specific interactive digital installation. As part of ArtworxTO: Toronto’s Year of Public Art 2021-2022, two of Toronto’s alleyways will be animated with thought provoking contemporary dance. Launching on September 22, 2021 for a … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Press Releases and Announcements | Leave a comment

Cliff Cardinal’s Shakespearean musings

Posted on October 16, 2021 by barczablog

I’ve just been to “a Radical Retelling” of As You Like it by Cree actor and playwright Cliff Cardinal at Crow’s Theatre.   A story about someone banished into the forest after his property is stolen from him by his brother … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Zorana Sadiq talks about MixTape

Posted on October 14, 2021 by barczablog

A Dora-award winning multidisciplinary artist of Pakistani descent, Zorana Sadiq creates work that is wide ranging and spans different types of performance, including theatre, television, chamber music, contemporary music, and opera. Zorana is currently a Creator in Residence at Crow’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews, Music and musicology, Popular music & culture | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Russell, Tamara, Johannes and Perryn take us for a test-drive

Posted on October 3, 2021 by barczablog

If asked to identify the two most reliable performers for the Canadian Opera Company over the past decade, you might well come up with the singers chosen to launch the COC’s “season like no other”. I remember Russell Braun’s Chou … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Press Releases and Announcements | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments