Category Archives: Music and musicology

St John Passion variant for Bach Festival Finale

Posted on June 2, 2025 by barczablog

Sometimes I’m a little compulsive about dates and details. Sunday I attended the 3:00 pm performance of the St John Passion, to close the 2025 Bach Festival at Eastminster United Church. Maybe it doesn’t matter which version they present when … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Beethoven’s Eroica and Goodyear’s Callaloo: TSO’s triumph

Posted on May 29, 2025 by barczablog

Tonight the Toronto Symphony continue their winning streak, another wonderful program of diverse musical compositions, played brilliantly. A key contributor to our enjoyment was guest conductor Kristiina Poska. We heard three pieces tonight after the obligatory Oh Canada performance. Speaking … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Inside the Cabinet Full of Curiosities 2, to be randomly presented by Apocryphonia

Posted on May 29, 2025 by barczablog

June 8th Apocryphonia will present a concert at Heliconian Hall titled “A Cabinet Full of Curiosities 2”. As the program says “an eclectic mix of classical music from around the world performed entirely at random!” Alex Cappellazzo, and his Apocryphonia … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Press Releases and Announcements | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Adam Sherkin investigates the queer canon in upcoming Piano Lunaire concert COMPOSERS IN PLAY XVI.

Posted on May 12, 2025 by barczablog

Thursday night at 7:30 pm May 15th, at the Arts and Letters Club, Piano Lunaire will present COMPOSERS IN PLAY XVI, a concert subtitled “Sounding the Queer Canon”. I asked Piano Lunaire founder Adam Sherkin a few questions about the … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Music and musicology, Press Releases and Announcements | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique from the Toronto Symphony

Posted on May 8, 2025 by barczablog

Tonight was entirely an orchestral night for the Toronto Symphony. No concerti, no soloists, just the virtuoso players of the TSO in two big works, one a world premiere. As Gustavo Gimeno suggested in his program note, tonight’s pieces “examine … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Scarborough Philharmonic season finale

Posted on May 4, 2025 by barczablog

Tonight’s concluding concert of Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2024-25 season is like a perfect mirror, as I reflect on questions of nationalism, artistic leadership and approaches to programming. This concert was the concluding evening of Linda Rogers’ tenure as the Executive … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Soundstreams’ Garden of Vanished Pleasures on a dark Toronto weekend

Posted on April 27, 2025 by barczablog

In 2021 the COVID pandemic disrupted the plans by Soundstreams to present their original production Garden of Vanished Pleasures, a music-theatre work about Derek Jarman, the gay activist, film-maker & poet who died of AIDS related complications in 1994, devised … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Celebración hispana from Gimeno, Gomyo & TSO

Posted on April 26, 2025 by barczablog

Tonight is the first of three voyages into the heart of the hispanic as imagined in music, guided by Toronto Symphony Music Director Gustavo Gimeno, a program to be repeated Saturday and Sunday that feels like a genuine celebration. While … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Yuja Wang plays Tchaikovsky with the Toronto Symphony

Posted on April 17, 2025 by barczablog

I have never seen Roy Thomson Hall as full as it was tonight, Wednesday April 16th. They had a cop directing the cars out of the underground parking garage: because so many people came to see Yuja Wang play the … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Missa Solemnis from Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony

Posted on April 5, 2025 by barczablog

Friday April 4th the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir conducted by Jean-Sébastien Vallée presented Beethoven’s glorious Missa Solemnis to a partially – full Roy Thomson Hall. The Missa Solemnis is a perfect showcase for JS and his impeccable baton work leading this … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, My mother, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments