Category Archives: Cinema, video & DVDs

Shore’s new leitmotiv

Posted on February 18, 2021 by barczablog

Erika & I watched A Dangerous Method (2011) tonight. Have you seen it? It’s a fascinating film directed by David Cronenberg starring Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender & Keira Knightley, all three in fine form portraying, respectively, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung … Continue reading →

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François Girard’s Flying Dutchman

Posted on January 30, 2021 by barczablog

François Girard’s production of Richard Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman is tonight’s free opera on the Metropolitan Opera website, available also tomorrow until the early evening when Rigoletto takes over. It’s new as in, having premiered in 2020. I heard & … Continue reading →

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Zappa

Posted on January 13, 2021 by barczablog

2020 ended with a pair of Z’s that could just as easily be seen as the start of 2021. After Fareed Zakaria’s book, it’s Zappa, a documentary released late in 2020. Where Fareed is analyzing historical trends with an eye … Continue reading →

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Wagner, Mendelssohn, Korngold & beyond with Sam

Posted on December 29, 2020 by barczablog

Sam appears to be feeling a lot better. Last week began with her staggering weakly, doing a scary impersonation of a carcass (lying on her side so forlorn in appearance that a couple of times I was asked to check … Continue reading →

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Looking back, aka Alex Ross’s Wagnerism: Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music

Posted on December 28, 2020 by barczablog

I’m ending 2020 with a pair of complementary book reviews. No they’re not in any way similar in their topics, yet they frame the transition to a new year rather well. Fareed Zakaria’s Ten Lessons for a Post-pandemic World, (the … Continue reading →

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Messiah / Complex

Posted on December 20, 2020 by barczablog

There’s nothing simple about Messiah/Complex, a new film that’s currently available for streaming from the Against the Grain Theatre website until January 7th. Complex? It’s an adaptation of Handel’s popular oratorio, a co-production of Against the Grain Theatre and Against … Continue reading →

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Beethoven 250: 2020 vision

Posted on December 15, 2020 by barczablog

It’s an oxymoron of a year, this 2020 that is a little over two weeks from its conclusion. Social butterflies (those of us who self-identify as extroverts & are therefore energized by other people) have no choice but to go … Continue reading →

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Beethoven 250: Immortal Beloved

Posted on December 15, 2020 by barczablog

Immortal Beloved (1994)  is one of my favorite films.  While I’ve been told by a Beethoven scholar that the facts aren’t correct in the film, that doesn’t stop me from liking it. How could it be otherwise? Spoiler alert #1: … Continue reading →

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Masterful Rituaels film-concert from collectif9

Posted on December 8, 2020 by barczablog

After seeing a preview, I recommend Rituaels, a new film-concert from collectif9 especially to anyone who is missing live performance, wanting the experience of live music in their home setting, and especially to any artists intrigued by the challenges and … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, domestic & wild, Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays, Popular music & culture, Reviews, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Beethoven 250: ethnic music

Posted on December 2, 2020 by barczablog

This blog expands on something I proposed November 20th when I talked about Beethoven’s multiple incarnations. Everyone has dimensions or facets to their personality. I hope that’s not a radical idea. There are things we proudly show off, other things … Continue reading →

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