Category Archives: Cinema, video & DVDs

Florence Foster Jenkins, everywoman

Posted on August 21, 2016 by barczablog

When I was a child I was introduced to the singing of Florence Foster Jenkins, on a record called “The Glory (??) of the Human Voice”. There was a kind of illicit pleasure in listening to her singing, because She … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays | 5 Comments

Finding Dory and the symbolists

Posted on July 24, 2016 by barczablog

These days I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by emotions. I’ve had a death in the family (not a tragedy, when someone lives to a ripe old age, but still, it has stirred up a lot of feelings for me … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Cinema, video & DVDs, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Reviews | Leave a comment

Popular genius: John Williams as seen by Steven Reineke

Posted on May 18, 2016 by barczablog

It shouldn’t surprise anyone to hear that tonight’s season-concluding Toronto Symphony Pops Concert, featuring the film music of John Williams conducted by Steven Reineke, played to a full house clamoring for more. And yet I was surprised.  Film music is … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Music and musicology, Reviews | 1 Comment

Questions for Steven Reineke: the film music of John Williams at the TSO

Posted on May 15, 2016 by barczablog

Steven Reineke is a pops conductor, an arranger, a composer, and very busy all over North America, as Music Director of The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, Principal Pops Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Interviews, Music and musicology | Leave a comment

Who’s that girl: Laura, Stella, Iris or Betsy

Posted on April 5, 2016 by barczablog

Bernard Herrmann died on Christmas Eve 1975 the day after he had finished recording the score to Taxi Driver. I can’t help thinking of the score as a natural conclusion to one of the big issues of his life. Back … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Music and musicology | Leave a comment

TSO’s happy midweek memorials

Posted on March 11, 2016 by barczablog

The second of the New Creations concerts by the Toronto Symphony Wednesday at Roy Thomson Hall was a wildly diversified program as Festival curator Brett Dean put a collaborative work by two Canadians between works by two Australian composers. Each … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Cinema, video & DVDs, Music and musicology, Popular music & culture, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The history of film music = the history of film

Posted on March 9, 2016 by barczablog

A friend of mine asked me to suggest a way to begin studying film music, knowing that I teach a course at the Royal Conservatory called Cinematic Music: How We Hear Film.  The course begins later in March. As a … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Music and musicology | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Amy’s Requiem, in the season of mourning

Posted on January 16, 2016 by barczablog

Ahead? the return of Bernard Labadie, who was sick and is getting better. Saturday he’ll conduct the first of the Mozart @ 260 concerts with the TSO, next week conducting their adventurous staging of the Mozart Requiem. Behind? A week … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays, Reviews | Tagged | Leave a comment

Bus nostalgia: a top ten list

Posted on January 11, 2016 by barczablog

I’m all sentimental about bus trips after spending much of the past few days riding around Florida with the Toronto Symphony.  Here’s a list of movies that show us different aspects of life on the road, presented in reverse order … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Pollyanna looks back at 2015

Posted on December 28, 2015 by barczablog

The year isn’t quite over yet, but already we’re looking back at 2015 as 2016 draws closer.   When we remember Pollyanna’s credo –“if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”—no wonder we look back.  As the dollar … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Politics | Leave a comment