Category Archives: Opera

The ambiguous virtuosity of La Maupin

Posted on April 30, 2026 by barczablog

La Maupin is the title of a new opera produced on film concerning a mythological person of ambiguous gender who may have existed. The historical figure is so interesting, you’d have to invent someone like this if she were not … Continue reading →

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Benevolence Opera Project & Redwood Theatre Present Don Giovanni Benefit Supporting Redwood Women’s Shelter

Posted on April 17, 2026 by barczablog

Benevolence Opera Project & Redwood Theatre Present Don Giovanni A One-Night-Only Opera Event Supporting the Redwood Women’s Shelter, Toronto. Benevolence Opera Project and Redwood Theatre are proud to present a special, one-night-only one-of-a-kind performance of Don Giovanni, featuring Canadian Baritone … Continue reading →

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Opera Atelier present their new Pelléas et Mélisande

Posted on April 16, 2026 by barczablog

Wednesday night saw the premiere of Pelléas et Mélisande in a new orchestration by Christopher Bagan, conducted by David Fallis at Koerner Hall. Opera Atelier commissioned Bagan to reduce the scope of Debussy’s opera from a post-Wagnerian orchestra (70 + … Continue reading →

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Anticipating David James Brock’s upcoming Room of Keys: an interview

Posted on April 2, 2026 by barczablog

Room of Keys is David James Brock’s one act play, created with Adam Sherkin of Piano Lunaire, inspired by Béla Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle (1918). It’s natural that a mysterious symbolist play invites exploration. As with the piano paraphrases of La … Continue reading →

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Ugly crying at Yuval Sharon’s brilliant Tristan und Isolde from the Metropolitan Opera

Posted on March 23, 2026 by barczablog

Saturday March 21st I was among the viewers in a Scarborough Cineplex watching and listening to the Metropolitan Opera high definition broadcast of Tristan und Isolde directed by Yuval Sharon, conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin. At least as far as the … Continue reading →

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Christopher Bagan, busy keyboardist & scholar talks about his new orchestration of Pelléas et Mélisande

Posted on March 14, 2026 by barczablog

Christopher Bagan wears a lot of hats, as keyboardist, conductor, professor at University of Toronto, chamber musician, basso continuo specialist, coach & repetiteur. In the immediate future: Christopher joins Toronto Mendelssohn Choir’s presentations of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion March 24th-25th. … Continue reading →

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Interviewing soprano Sarah Dufresne

Posted on March 5, 2026 by barczablog

Reviewers work after the fact, which means that sometimes we only notice stars when the show is over, especially when we are seeing the artist for the first time. So here I am belatedly interviewing Sarah Dufresne, long after her … Continue reading →

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A closer look at the COC’s zany Barber of Seville

Posted on February 22, 2026 by barczablog

Your tickets to the opera really are a case of “location location location”. When I saw the Canadian Opera Company’s Barber of Seville two weeks ago seated in the middle of the downstairs at the Four Seasons Centre, yes I … Continue reading →

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A last Rigoletto on the cusp of a regime change

Posted on February 15, 2026 by barczablog

For Valentine’s Day 2026 this subscriber attended the Canadian Opera Company’s last performance of Rigoletto in their winter season at the Four Seasons Centre, in Christopher Alden’s rather un-romantic production. The rose petals fall from above as the young girl … Continue reading →

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COC Barber in 2026

Posted on February 7, 2026 by barczablog

At first glance the two operas being presented by the Canadian Opera Company represent a contrasting pair. Last week I reviewed the dark Christopher Alden Rigoletto, being offered in a revival with a strong cast. Tonight I saw the COC’s … Continue reading →

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