Category Archives: Opera

Philip Glass: The Complete Piano Etudes

Posted on September 9, 2022 by barczablog

Do you compartmentalize? I ask because it’s common, a given in a modern life. Whether we’re speaking of the things we do for work-life balance, as part of an artistic discipline or simply to get through a busy day, it’s … Continue reading →

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Sarah Polley & Terry Gilliam, The Torturer’s Apprentice

Posted on August 31, 2022 by barczablog

Violence is everywhere these days. Excuse me for stating the obvious. I’ve recently seen an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus that plays with our imaginations, encouraging us to feel for the people getting hurt in the play. Sometimes it’s much … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Opera, Psychology and perception | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Tanya’s Secret

Posted on August 27, 2022 by barczablog

Tanya’s Secret, a queer-trans Onegin, is a new adaptation of Eugene Onegin by Opéra Queens, that opened tonight at the Betty Oliphant Theatre. Let’s begin by remembering Tchaikovsky’s original: a piece full of beautiful melodies, a few wonderful arias, several … Continue reading →

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Interviewing Mike Fan | 范祖铭 (they) aka Tanya Smania (she): probing Tatyana’s Secret

Posted on August 25, 2022 by barczablog

I’m intrigued by the upcoming production of Tanya’s Secret produced by Opera Queens, an adaptation of Eugene Onegin, a work that seems to invite questions. Mike Fan | 范祖铭 (they) aka Tanya Smania (she) is the artistic director and driving … Continue reading →

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Bas-Sheve: Yiddish opera at Ashkenaz Festival

Posted on August 19, 2022 by barczablog

An Opera in Yiddish by Henekh Kon, Libretto by Moishe BroderzonAugust 31, September 1, September 2 Ashkenaz 2022 will feature the North American premiere of Henekh Kon’s “Bas-Sheve,” the only known pre-Holocaust Yiddish opera. Never performed after its 1924 premiere … Continue reading →

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Competing icons at the RCM: Gould, Liszt and others

Posted on August 10, 2022 by barczablog

It’s a branding exercise to give a building a name. Roy Thomson has his hall. Both Rogers and Four Seasons have Centres. They already have The Glenn Gould School in the Royal Conservatory of Music. So why not also give … Continue reading →

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Gould’s Wall

Posted on August 6, 2022 by barczablog

Tapestry Opera have premiered Brian Current’s new site-specific work Gould’s Wall, an event that adds another layer to the association between the Royal Conservatory of Music and one of their most distinguished alumni Glenn Gould. I like it more than … Continue reading →

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Immortal Glenn Gould

Posted on July 29, 2022 by barczablog

I want to write something about Glenn Gould. Who is he, what is his legacy in 2022? I’m thinking about what GG means to me as I anticipate Tapestry Opera’s premiere of Gould’s Wall, a new site-specific opera opening August … Continue reading →

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Thinking of Diefenbaker for Canada Day

Posted on July 1, 2022 by barczablog

A good performance can change how you understand a piece. I stumbled upon a YouTube recording that I keep listening to over and over, a piece I thought I knew. There are two contrasting tenor arias in Mendelssohn’s oratorio Elijah. … Continue reading →

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TOT: A Waltz Dream

Posted on June 20, 2022 by barczablog

Insights sometimes sneak up on you. I was blind-sided by one today watching the Toronto Operetta Theatre Canadian premiere production of Oscar Straus’ A Waltz Dream at St Lawrence Centre. TOT play an important role offering local artists a place … Continue reading →

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