Category Archives: Opera

An Evening with the Ensemble Studio

Posted on February 24, 2017 by barczablog

Institutions are like buildings. They have structures.  They’re solid, which means they resist change, and offer shelter to those who rely upon them. A change in an institution may be bewildering and hard to understand, but is ultimately inevitable, even … Continue reading →

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Kindred Spirits in Markham

Posted on February 12, 2017 by barczablog

At the risk of saying something really obvious: there’s a great deal of music going on in Toronto, and all around the city too.  I ventured just north of the city to one of several community venues, the charming 527 … Continue reading →

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Remembering Nicolai Gedda

Posted on February 11, 2017 by barczablog

The passing of tenor Nicolai Gedda will elicit testimonials and remembrances of the artist, of the person, of performances & great moments. I’m just sharing this because I think it’s important to do so, arguably all that we have.  Drama … Continue reading →

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Götterdämmerung

Posted on February 3, 2017 by barczablog

When I did my year-end review of the highlights of 2016, I cited the Canadian Opera Company’s production of Wagner’s Siegfried in January. Here we are beginning 2017 and once again I’ve experienced something that will be hard to beat. … Continue reading →

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

Questions for Eric Weimer: coaching Götterdämmerung for COC

Posted on January 30, 2017 by barczablog

A veteran of over 30 years at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Eric Weimer has coached over 100 Lyric productions, as well as an additional 100 productions in other international houses, including the Metropolitan Opera and the Bayreuth Festival. Renowned particularly … Continue reading →

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Opera Atelier’s 2017-2018 Season

Posted on January 26, 2017 by barczablog

Announcing Opera Atelier’s 2017-2018 Season: Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaroand Monteverdi’s The Return of Ulysses FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (January 25, 2017): Toronto, ON – Opera Atelier’s founding co-artistic directors Marshall Pynkoski and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg today announced the company’s 2017-2018 season, … Continue reading →

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Feminist Flute Opens

Posted on January 20, 2017 by barczablog

The Canadian Opera Company opened their revival of Diane Paulus’s interpretation of Mozart’s Magic Flute tonight directed for this incarnation by Ashlie Corcoran. Forgive me for a simplistic headline, but if I had to find one word for Paulus’s reading, … Continue reading →

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TOT Pirates

Posted on January 1, 2017 by barczablog

I said a festive goodbye to 2016 with the help of the last Pirates of Penzance of the year from Toronto Operetta Theatre (TOT). They’re taking a well-deserved break for the holiday (and Happy New Year to you too), before … Continue reading →

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Naomi’s Road leads to Toronto

Posted on November 17, 2016 by barczablog

Tonight I saw Naomi’s Road, an opera with libretto by Ann Hodges & music composed by Ramona Luengen, based on a novel by Joy Kogawa, to open Tapestry Opera’s 2016-17 season. Tapestry Artistic Director explained before the show’s presentation at … Continue reading →

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The truth about James Bond

Posted on November 13, 2016 by barczablog

I saw the premiere performance of James Bond: A Convenient Lie (Opera in Pasticcio), a collaboration between Malfi Productions and Manosinistra Lyric Workshops.  I don’t know either group, only that I shared a press release on this blog a little while … Continue reading →

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