Author Archives: barczablog

Boisterously brilliant Bigre

Posted on April 12, 2019 by barczablog

Watching people tortured can be funny. Bigre, a Compagnie le fils du Grand Réseau Production, presented by Canadian Stage in collaboration with Théâtre Francaise de Toronto, opened tonight at the Berkeley St Theatre. In our modern gentrified cities, the impossibly … Continue reading →

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Questions for Sky Gilbert: Shakespeare’s Criminal

Posted on April 8, 2019 by barczablog

I’m a great admirer of Sky Gilbert, the playwright, performer, professor, and activist: and I didn’t nearly cover it all. You can read his Guelph university bio here …where they list him as an expert in Canadian theatre, Creative writing, … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Music and musicology, Opera, Politics, Popular music & culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Against the Grain: Vivier’s Kopernikus

Posted on April 6, 2019 by barczablog

Claude Vivier’s Kopernikus has been promoted on social media as “Canada’s most famous unknown opera.” And Joel Ivany is quoted saying “I think this is Canada’s greatest opera ever written.” After seeing what Against the Grain did with Vivier I’m … Continue reading →

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Idomeneo: Marshall Law

Posted on April 5, 2019 by barczablog

The question running through my head as I watched tonight’s opening of Opera Atelier’s Idomeneo at the Ed Mirvish Theatre was: “who is the star?” In this their first performance in a new venue I could say “it’s the space”.  … Continue reading →

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887: a quest for redemption for Robert Lepage

Posted on April 2, 2019 by barczablog

There is some irony that Canadian Stage are bringing back Robert Lepage’s 887, both because it’s a powerful piece of theatre that you must see if at all possible, but also as an exploration of memory. Throughout the work Lepage is … Continue reading →

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TCO Traviata

Posted on March 29, 2019 by barczablog

Toronto City Opera? While the name is new to me, reading the history I see the lineage, going back over forty years to the legacy of Giuseppe Macina’s Toronto Opera Repertoire. You can read more of their history here. This … Continue reading →

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The Woods are Dark and Deep: is good

Posted on March 25, 2019 by barczablog

You will laugh, you will cry, and you will certainly enjoy The Woods are Dark and Deep, a new work I have just seen today at the Factory Theatre, from Pulse Theatre. When you go see a new work performed … Continue reading →

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Musique 3 Femmes – Next Wave Workshop

Posted on March 24, 2019 by barczablog

The Wednesday March 20th noon-hour sample of Next Wave was a small sample of the riches we encountered in tonight’s Workshop, presented with the support of Tapestry Opera & hosted at their Ernest Balmer Studio. And there was a social … Continue reading →

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The Empire Strikes Bach?

Posted on March 23, 2019 by barczablog

I didn’t get enough sleep last night.  I got home from the epic St Matthew Passion I wrote about from March 21st aka Bach’s birthday at roughly 11:30 pm, had some vino & pizza with the Mrs and only finished … Continue reading →

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St Matthew Passion: Bach at 334

Posted on March 22, 2019 by barczablog

Tonight was the first of four performances of the St Matthew Passion from Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Tafelmusik Chamber Choir, with members of the Toronto Children’s Chorus, all led by Masaaki Suzuki. By coincidence it was JS Bach’s 334th birthday. While … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments