Category Archives: Music and musicology

Sing-Along Messiah 2018

Posted on December 23, 2018 by barczablog

You can change the location but the song remains the same. Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra & Chamber Choir led by Herr Handel himself gave us their annual sing-along Messiah. The previous 37 have been at Massey Hall, but this time renovation … Continue reading →

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Verbotenlieder subculture

Posted on December 20, 2018 by barczablog

This is not a review. I had the exquisite pleasure of going to Lula Lounge tonight for Verbotenlieder, Tongue in Cheek Productions’s latest extravaganza. The premise as I understood it from my recent interview with TiC co-founders Aaron Durand & … Continue reading →

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Toronto Symphony–Mendelssohn Choir Messiah

Posted on December 19, 2018 by barczablog

Toronto is Messiah town, as I’ve joked before. Handel’s most popular Biblical oratorio is everywhere at this time of year. Tonight I took in the second of six offered this week by the Toronto Symphony, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and … Continue reading →

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No Forbidden Questions as Aaron & Michael talk about Verbotenlieder

Posted on December 6, 2018 by barczablog

Aaron Durand + Michael Nyby = Tongue in Cheek Productions. No that’s not a formula but come to think of it there is a curious creative chemistry, a tendency to energize. I find it exciting to talk to them, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews, Music and musicology, Opera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Who do you love?

Posted on December 1, 2018 by barczablog

When the phrase popped into my head (spoken), I was thinking of Tchaikovsky. But immediately I heard Ronnie Hawkins’ song in my head. When I heard this near the start of The Last Waltz, and come to think of it, closer … Continue reading →

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Opera 5 –Open Chambers

Posted on December 1, 2018 by barczablog

Walter Pater famously said “all art constantly aspires to the condition of music”.  But did anyone bother to ask “what then does music aspire to”?  Does music seek to be something more, or should it perhaps be content to be … Continue reading →

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Steffani: more devotion than drama

Posted on November 9, 2018 by barczablog

I am grateful for the gift of a new voice, a new composer introduced to me by Tafelmusik, Ivars Taurins, and Krisztina Szabo. It’s truly a magical thing. I was pondering the experience of classical music, how so much of … Continue reading →

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Remembering Kristallnacht

Posted on November 8, 2018 by barczablog

Today’s concert at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre as part of the Canadian Opera Company’s noon-hour series was a special program titled “Remembering Kristallnacht”,  presented in partnership with the German Consulate of Toronto and the Neuberger’s 2018 Holocaust Education Week. It’s … Continue reading →

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Centre Stage 2018: a Night of Voices

Posted on November 2, 2018 by barczablog

There are several ways to watch the annual Centre Stage competition, when young singers vie for a series of awards while seeking places in the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio. You can watch & listen to the competitors, eight young … Continue reading →

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A Recipe for Resilience: Yiddish Glory

Posted on October 30, 2018 by barczablog

Do you have any DVDs or books or CDs that you use to cheer yourself up or chase away the blues? I’ve had several I relied upon over the years. And I’ve discovered a special new one. I’m very lucky, … Continue reading →

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