Category Archives: Music and musicology

Admiring Alexander’s Feast

Posted on February 24, 2018 by barczablog

It was a happy celebration of the birthday of George Frideric Handel at Koerner Hall tonight, feasting on the bounty that is Alexander’s Feast, one of the Dryden odes for St Cecilia’s Day, celebrating the power of music.  Thank goodness … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | 2 Comments

Know Thyself, a lesson from Jane Archibald

Posted on February 21, 2018 by barczablog

Today I sat in a very good seat to hear Jane Archibald sing and she sang very well.  I am a very lucky guy. She doesn’t need my review to validate her (ha, but then does any artist?). This is … Continue reading →

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

The Wizard of Oz live with the TSO

Posted on February 18, 2018 by barczablog

For the past few years the Toronto Symphony have given us opportunities to see well-known movies with live orchestral accompaniment: Vertigo Psycho Back to the Future The Fellowship of the Ring I don’t pretend to understand how all the necessary … Continue reading →

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

Aeris Chordas

Posted on February 17, 2018 by barczablog

“Aeris Chordas” is the name for the concert I saw tonight, chamber music from four artists: Christina Raphaëlle Haldane, soprano Carl Philippe Gionet, piano Michelle Jacot, clarinet Marc Labranche, cello The four composers I saw on the program: Johannes Brahms … Continue reading →

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Questions for Maxim Lando: Lang Lang’s protégé

Posted on February 16, 2018 by barczablog

Maxim Lando is a 15 year old American pianist. In 2017 at the age of fourteen, Maxim performed Rachmaninoff 3rd Concerto with the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra in Saint Petersburg,  receiving rave commentary on the popular Russian TV Kultura program Tzar’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Music and musicology | 1 Comment

Planets via Storgårds and TSO

Posted on January 27, 2018 by barczablog

There are many possible ways to interpret great pieces of music.  I was struck tonight, listening to the Toronto Symphony led by John Storgårds at Roy Thomson Hall, that sometimes there are more important considerations than the interpretation. I say that … Continue reading →

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Safe Haven Mackay’s best yet

Posted on January 20, 2018 by barczablog

The headline is meant to convey an enthusiastic response to something I’ll attempt to analyze.  I liked it. Alison Mackay has grown from her role playing violone & double bass with Tafelmusik into their programmer extraordinaire, creating a series of … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | 1 Comment

Film music as lens: another way to study cinema

Posted on January 3, 2018 by barczablog

It’s the same for Episode VIII as in IV, V, VI, as it was in I, II, III and more recently in VII. No this isn’t a spoiler. No I won’t give anything away. I just saw the most recent … Continue reading →

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Questions for Derek Bate

Posted on December 19, 2017 by barczablog

Derek Bate has impacted different aspects of the musical life of Toronto, known both for music-theatre & opera. A one time Chorus Master of the Canadian Opera Company, Derek was in the pit for the original Toronto Production of Les … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews, Music and musicology, Opera | 1 Comment

Singalong Messiah

Posted on December 18, 2017 by barczablog

I took advantage of the free fares on the TTC (celebrating the extension on Line 1) to ride downtown to Massey Hall for my first Tafelmusik Singalong Messiah in 20 years or more. And it’s the last one for awhile … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays | 1 Comment