Category Archives: Opera

TSO: Sir Andrew Davis Conducts Wagner

Posted on February 1, 2019 by barczablog

If you’re a fan of the music of Richard Wagner chances are you’re fully aware that the Toronto Symphony are showcasing some of his best known music this week, in a concert tonight that repeats Saturday Feb 2nd. After three … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Tagged Andrew Davis, Brindley Sherratt, Die Walkure, Lise Davidsen, Richard Wagner, Simon O’Neill, Toronto Symphony Orchestra | 16 Comments

Elektra-fying

Posted on January 27, 2019 by barczablog

There’s a moment in Richard Strauss’s adaptation of Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s libretto for Elektra that tells you everything you need to know. This is the same family constellation we know from the aftermath of the Trojan War. Agamemmnon is dead, … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Opera | Tagged Canadian Opera Company, Christine Goerke, Erin Wall, Expressionism, Four Seasons Centre, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, James Robinson, Johannes Debus, Michael Schade, Richard Strauss, Susan Bullock | 3 Comments

The Harlequin Salon

Posted on January 19, 2019 by barczablog

In a week juxtaposing new (21C festival) and old (the Toronto Symphony playing Mozart with Pinchas Zukerman), I came finally to see The Harlequin Salon by Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, including a great deal of theatricality to complement their music. While … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Tagged castrati, commedia dell'arte, Dino Gonçalves, Domenico Pietropaolo, Elisa Citterio, Farinelli, Faustina Bordoni, Felix Deak, Giovanni Bononcini, Guillaume Bernardi, lazzo, Marco Cera, Pergolesi, Pier Leone Ghezzi, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, The Harlequin Salon, Vivaldi | Leave a comment

Julie Tepperman & Chris Thornborrow: Hook Up

Posted on January 18, 2019 by barczablog

How do people meet, and what’s involved in making connections? I keep asking this question about the arts because in case you haven’t noticed, you can’t do it alone. Yes there are people like Beethoven who work in solitude, people … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Popular music & culture, University life | Tagged Chris Thornborrow, Hook Up, Julie Tepperman, LibLab, Richard Greenblatt, Tapestry Opera, Theatre Passe Muraille | 1 Comment

Kiviuq Returns: truly an Inuit Epic

Posted on January 14, 2019 by barczablog

I came out of the matinee of Kiviuq Returns: An Inuit Epic in an altered state of reality. It’s new but it’s old, it soothes you even as it challenges you. They set the bar very high for what’s to come … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged Inuktitut, Kiviuq Returns: An Inuit Epic, Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory, Qaggiavuut, Tarragon Theatre | 1 Comment

Pollyanna and the lessons of 2018

Posted on January 5, 2019 by barczablog

In past years my annual review was out in December, but this time it’s later than usual: because I’ve had a real holiday this year, more sleep and more silence than usual, dodging the viruses & germs pursuing other members … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Politics, Reviews, University life | 3 Comments

Sing-Along Messiah 2018

Posted on December 23, 2018 by barczablog

You can change the location but the song remains the same. Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra & Chamber Choir led by Herr Handel himself gave us their annual sing-along Messiah. The previous 37 have been at Massey Hall, but this time renovation … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Reviews, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged Charles Daniels, Drew Santini, George Frideric Handel, Ivars Taurins, Kristina Szabó, Messiah, Roy Rogers, Roy Thomson Hall, Sherezade Panthaki, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Tafelmusik Chamber Choir, Tom Thomson | Leave a comment

Verbotenlieder subculture

Posted on December 20, 2018 by barczablog

This is not a review. I had the exquisite pleasure of going to Lula Lounge tonight for Verbotenlieder, Tongue in Cheek Productions’s latest extravaganza. The premise as I understood it from my recent interview with TiC co-founders Aaron Durand & … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Reviews | Tagged Aaron Durand, Michael Nyby, Tongue In Cheek Productions, Verbotenlieder, Winterreise | 5 Comments

No Forbidden Questions as Aaron & Michael talk about Verbotenlieder

Posted on December 6, 2018 by barczablog

Aaron Durand + Michael Nyby = Tongue in Cheek Productions. No that’s not a formula but come to think of it there is a curious creative chemistry, a tendency to energize. I find it exciting to talk to them, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews, Music and musicology, Opera | Tagged Aaron Durand, Allison Walmsley, Beste Kalender, Gena van Oosten, Jennifer Taverner, Michael Nyby, Natalya Gennadi, Peter Barcza, Tongue In Cheek Productions, Verbotenlieder, Winterreise | 2 Comments

Who do you love?

Posted on December 1, 2018 by barczablog

When the phrase popped into my head (spoken), I was thinking of Tchaikovsky. But immediately I heard Ronnie Hawkins’ song in my head. When I heard this near the start of The Last Waltz, and come to think of it, closer … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Popular music & culture, Press Releases and Announcements | Tagged Lula Lounge, Natalya Gennadi, Ronnie Hawkins, Tchaikovsky, Verbotenlieder | Leave a comment