Category Archives: Opera

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 →

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

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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Ayre: An Evening of Osvaldo Golijov

Posted on November 11, 2016 by barczablog

When the organizational wizards of Against the Grain Theatre decided to present Ayre: An Evening of Osvaldo Golijov beginning November 10th I doubt that anyone recognized the significance of the date.  Had the American electorate made their expected repudiation of … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Reviews | 1 Comment

Ayre: counter-discursive affirmations

Posted on November 10, 2016 by barczablog

I needed that. Ayre, the piece I saw/heard just now in its noon-hour incarnation at the Canadian Opera Company’s free concert series, will be presented tonight in a fuller version by Against the Grain Theatre , but I doubt they’ll … Continue reading →

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Farewell Norma

Posted on November 6, 2016 by barczablog

I had another look at the Canadian Opera Company’s Norma tonight, the closing performance of their fall season. It was both a chance to get a closer look as well as to see a slightly different cast. Elza van den … Continue reading →

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COC Centre Stage 2016

Posted on November 4, 2016 by barczablog

Tonight was the annual Centre Stage event at the Four Seasons Centre, a combination of competition and gala celebration.  It was wonderful seeing so many familiar & famous faces in an audience including Stephen Lord, Gunta Dreifelds, Bruce Ubukata and … Continue reading →

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Naomi’s Road: an opera about a shameful moment in Canada’s history

Posted on November 1, 2016 by barczablog

Michael Mori, Artistic director of Tapestry Opera posted the following on Facebook (the press release follows immediately below): When we started planning Naomi’s Road, a show deals with the shameful treatment of Japanese-Canadians during WWII, it was well before Trump’s … Continue reading →

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