Author Archives: barczablog

Service or Business? the election selection

Posted on August 29, 2020 by barczablog

We’re helpless in the face of a mystery virus. It seems that everywhere you turn in the media, conspiracies are all around us. The gentler word is “hoax”, that stops short of the kind of thing one sees with ideas … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Politics, Popular music & culture | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Question on the radio

Posted on August 26, 2020 by barczablog

I was listening to a Chopin Waltz played on the radio as it came to its brilliant conclusion. The host said something under her breath, not entirely complimentary. “Why” she asked “does it build to that big loud bang at … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged | Leave a comment

What’s shaking in Scarborough

Posted on August 25, 2020 by barczablog

I’m no geologist. But I can’t help connecting two phenomena. The first one is simply the Scarborough Bluffs. They’re a beautiful formation, a tourist attraction. They’re made of sand. Are they strong? Yes and no. Sometimes big chunks of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged | 2 Comments

TSO Thais: via Massenet & Anatole France

Posted on August 12, 2020 by barczablog

The Toronto Symphony concert performance of Thaïs, recently released on Chandos, has me wishing we could see & hear more from Jules Massenet, the opera’s composer.  I begin to understand why the late Stuart Hamilton in his time with Opera … Continue reading →

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

Mary Trump’s Too Much and Never Enough

Posted on July 29, 2020 by barczablog

I read Mary Trump’s book yesterday. I couldn’t put it down, and no that’s not just a figure of speech. I confess it did take me past midnight, reading 200+ pages, skipping nothing, re-reading a few key passages. We bought … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Personal ruminations & essays, Politics, Psychology and perception | Tagged , | Leave a comment

An omen

Posted on July 29, 2020 by barczablog

On my visit today my mother asked me to bring her a book from another room, which she was going to read later.  And then she pulled out something else and started to read to me in Hungarian, asking me … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, My mother, Personal ruminations & essays | 2 Comments

Walking the University of Toronto Campus Guide

Posted on July 27, 2020 by barczablog

I shouldn’t have needed a book to wake me up to the nuances & subtleties of my many connections to the University of Toronto. But it’s a bit like a family album, these beautiful pictures of loved ones to remind … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Books & Literature, Personal ruminations & essays, Reviews, University life | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The last three

Posted on July 27, 2020 by barczablog

When we speak of old films we’re usually looking at images of performers who died long ago. Some died young like Marilyn Monroe or James Dean. Some had long full lives like Jimmy Stewart or Ginger Rogers. There was a … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Beethoven discovery, aided by my dog

Posted on July 22, 2020 by barczablog

I’m framing this analysis around Sam my dog. She’s a 13+ year old rescue, and in my opinion amazingly well-behaved. Sometimes she’ll occupy the ottoman beside the piano, allowing her to read along with me if she so desires (no … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, domestic & wild, Books & Literature, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

An agnostic musing about leadership & talent

Posted on July 22, 2020 by barczablog

As I was tidying my office today, I fell into a book. You know how it is. You open it and are seduced or abducted, suddenly lost to yourself, deep in the book. While Jim Fisher’s The Thoughtful Leader: A … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Psychology and perception, University life | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment