Category Archives: Books & Literature

Woolf at the door, Orlando in your head

Posted on October 31, 2026 by barczablog

Thursday night I experienced Orlando: Ema Nikolovska with Sean Shibe. A good concert shows us how and why. How to curate, assemble, share, perform. And why we do this at all, the community of listeners & watchers observing. I felt … Continue reading →

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Ema Nikolovska talks about Orlando, her upcoming concert with Sean Shibe

Posted on October 27, 2026 by barczablog

A good concert program is an invitation, encouraging you to think and feel in response to the combination of materials & performances. That’s what I felt when I heard about Orlando: Ema Nikolovska with Sean Shibe, this Thursday, October 29, … Continue reading →

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Triumphant premiere of new adaptation of A Fine Balance at Crow’s Theatre

Posted on September 10, 2026 by barczablog

I loved it and the audience were vocal in their adoration. In reviewing the September 9th premiere performance of A Fine Balance at Crow’s Theatre, I want to look at what’s so special about Anosh Irani’s new adaptation & the … Continue reading →

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Witnessing the birth of romanticism with young Werther

Posted on May 10, 2026 by barczablog

Excuse me as I gush. I love the new Canadian Opera Company production of Werther, featuring some of the best singing we’ve heard in years. I want people to come see this opera, so that the COC decides to do … Continue reading →

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Norman Lebrecht vs Yuja Wang using Lebrecht’s own quote against him

Posted on February 27, 2026 by barczablog

Here I am posting something that at first glance will look like gossip. Norman Lebrecht thrives on gossip in Slipped Disc but karma seems to be slapping him right in his lumbar region. Speaking of which I have a bone … Continue reading →

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Falling for Sky Gilbert’s Shakespeare Lied and other bardish books

Posted on August 17, 2025 by barczablog

I want to explain where I’m coming from, as I review the second of three books from Sky Gilbert about William Shakespeare. Shakespeare Lied appeared in 2024, while Shakespeare Beyond Science came out in 2020. My response this time (over … Continue reading →

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Heratio premieres at the Guild Festival Theatre

Posted on August 11, 2025 by barczablog

I’ve just seen Genevieve Adam’s Heratio, a new play that picks up from where Hamlet ended. It’s another of the scripts that build on Shakespeare, with much of the fun coming if you know the original, as in Stoppard’s Rosenkrantz … Continue reading →

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Asking Ardra Shephard about her Fallosophy

Posted on May 8, 2025 by barczablog

I dashed through Ardra Shephard’s memoir Fallosophy in a day, unable to put it down and laughing out loud regularly, the most entertaining book I have read in a long time. I am such a lucky guy that I get … Continue reading →

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Ardra Shephard’s surprising Fallosophy

Posted on March 31, 2025 by barczablog

I have just roared through Ardra Shephard’s memoir, a book that I loved from start to finish, wishing it wouldn’t end. I did not expect such a fun book. If I call Ardra a multiple sclerosis activist it could make … Continue reading →

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Year(s) of Czech Music at the piano

Posted on December 17, 2024 by barczablog

2024 is the year of Czech Music, a celebration that’s held every decade in the year ending in 4. Speaking of ending, this year’s instalment is swiftly coming to a close, a year that saw the Canadian Opera Company present … Continue reading →

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