Category Archives: Opera

#2021COC

Posted on February 11, 2020 by barczablog

I was just getting accustomed to 2020. But uh-oh now I’ve got a new number to mess up right in the hashtag #2021COC. Luckily we can hide in 2020 for at least a few months. The Canadian Opera Company announced … Continue reading →

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#COCgingerbread: Joel Ivany softens a Grimm tale of cruelty

Posted on February 9, 2020 by barczablog

It’s called “Hansel and Gretel”, not “kill the witch”. And in the original the witch isn’t even the nastiest character. You may already know that the new Canadian Opera Company production of Humperdinck’s Hansel & Gretel modernizes the setting to … Continue reading →

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Vittorio Ghielmi dreaming Jupiter

Posted on February 8, 2020 by barczablog

“Dreaming Jupiter” is the name of the concert program this week from Tafelmusik at Jeanne Lamon Hall, that might epitomize everything about their approach to making music. Where the Toronto Symphony are lately the place you go hear the pieces … Continue reading →

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TBA

Posted on February 7, 2020 by barczablog

On Monday February 10th the Canadian Opera Company will tell us what they’re producing next season aka  their “Season Reveal” aka #2021COC.  It’s a celebratory moment, and can feel a bit like Christmas morning as we unpack the goodies, for those of … Continue reading →

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Make-believe Hansel and Gretel

Posted on February 7, 2020 by barczablog

Oh to be a child again. I saw the opening night of the Canadian Opera Company’s new Hansel and Gretel tonight before a delighted sell-out crowd at the Four Seasons Centre. While there were children present both in the show … Continue reading →

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Joker reminds me of….

Posted on February 4, 2020 by barczablog

Resonance is a function of history, right? You’ll pick up allusions and associations depending on what you usually see. So of course it’s no wonder Todd Phillips’ 2019 film Joker reminds me of Wozzeck as someone who’s more likely to … Continue reading →

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Brilliantly Problematic Porgy & Bess

Posted on February 2, 2020 by barczablog

Don’t let the headline fool you. When you see that the Metropolitan Opera are producing The Gershwins’ Porgy & Bess for the first time in almost thirty years, seemingly selling every ticket to every performance, you might well ask them: … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Parenthood, poverty, Hansel & Gretel: a conversation with Joel Ivany

Posted on January 26, 2020 by barczablog

In a few days Joel Ivany, Artistic Director of Against the Grain Theatre, will be premiering his new Hansel and Gretel at the Four Seasons Centre, in a Canadian Opera Company production. Singled out for last year’s Against the Grain … Continue reading →

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Scappucci’s show: a Better Barber

Posted on January 20, 2020 by barczablog

The Canadian Opera Company have revived their production of Rossini’s Barber of Seville.  We saw it in 2015, a creation of the Spanish theatre troupe Els Comediants led by the team of director Joan Font & set/costume designer Joan Guillén. … Continue reading →

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To New York with Gershwin

Posted on January 14, 2020 by barczablog

Sometimes I have a fear of flying. I usually love the takeoff & normally sit by the window but when there’s turbulence I like to distract myself. On a trip to New York what better subject could one find than … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Music and musicology, Opera, Popular music & culture, Reviews, University life | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment