Category Archives: Music and musicology

Gentle Dafne

Posted on February 26, 2014 by barczablog

The Dafne I refer to is not that of Jacopo Peri from 1598, and considered the first opera (for those who might want to make that kind of statement), but Marco da Gagliano’s 1608 setting, also using Ottavio Rinuccini’s libretto. … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

ATMA Orlando

Posted on February 23, 2014 by barczablog

I’ve been listening to a recording that deserves recognition.  It’s an ATMA Classics recording of Handel’s Orlando.  Is anyone anywhere recording operas anymore?  Perhaps the question sounds a bit silly, but the health of the classical music industry has been … Continue reading →

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

Saul

Posted on February 22, 2014 by barczablog

The biblical story of Saul is one of the most psychologically complex stories in the Old Testament.  Young David is a humble shepherd brought to soothe the troubled spirit of King Saul with his harp-playing.  Later David surprises everyone by … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

10 Questions for Leslie Ann Bradley

Posted on January 8, 2014 by barczablog

Canadian “Soprano Leslie Ann Bradley brings the stage to life whenever she sets foot into the spotlight” (Toronto Star).  Praised as a “vocal and dramatic powerhouse”, her 2013/14 season is filled with debuts and return engagements.  Her winter/spring is infused … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Music and musicology, Opera | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

10 questions for Stephen Lord

Posted on December 31, 2013 by barczablog

Identified by Opera News as one of the “25 Most Powerful Names in US Opera”, Stephen Lord is a conductor known for his sensitive handling of singers.  In my review of April’s Canadian Opera Company production of Lucia di Lammermoor … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Music and musicology, Opera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Born on December 22nd

Posted on December 21, 2013 by barczablog

If you’re a child born on December 22nd you might grow up perpetually frustrated because of the proximity of your birthday to Christmas.  There you are, early in the sign of Capricorn, and everybody’s celebrating someone else’s birth instead of … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays | Leave a comment

Singing the Earth: The Old & The New

Posted on December 6, 2013 by barczablog

Today is a day of contrasts.  The morning paper brought more revelations about Toronto’s Mayor, while this afternoon’s social media story was the passing of Nelson Mandela.  While Mandela seems to embody the possibilities for heroic activism nothing suggests that  … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Politics, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

And after Rota

Posted on December 4, 2013 by barczablog

The concert was titled “The Unknown Chamber Music of Nino Rota”. How could I resist, being already a fan of Rota’s film compositions?  This is the man who gave us the iconic Godfather music.  My favourite is his score for … Continue reading →

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

The great Canadian opera

Posted on December 3, 2013 by barczablog

It’s such a funky headline, almost an oxymoron.  The book of Canadian operas is a slim volume indeed, but the list of great Canadian operas?  Hm, are there any? Even one? I have two names bouncing in my head right … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays | 14 Comments

Beatriz Boizán: Pasión

Posted on November 19, 2013 by barczablog

Sometimes artists show two or more sides.  The different roles played in a concert hall or in a recording studio bring out different aspects of a creative personality, at least as masks if not as divergent personalities. That’s how I’m … Continue reading →

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