Category Archives: Opera

Cakes and Puppets/Buchty a Loutky: La Calisto

Posted on February 11, 2016 by barczablog

The Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies at University of Toronto are in the midst of a residency by Cakes and Puppets, a Czech puppetry company.  Who are they and what are they presenting in this brief visit? Cakes … Continue reading →

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Salieri’s Falstaff: first time in Canada

Posted on February 8, 2016 by barczablog

To most people Antonio Salieri is unknown except as the older composer associated with Mozart in Amadeus, perhaps best captured in this little clip from Milos Forman’s 1983 film. Of course the way that story is told is a cruel … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Alexander Neef’s Pre-performance speech from February 4th

Posted on February 6, 2016 by barczablog

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen, I am Alexander Neef, the General Director of the Canadian Opera Company. Don’t worry, all our performers are fine. But I do want to take a moment to speak to you before we start tonight’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Press Releases and Announcements | 1 Comment

COC Figaro: memories of Don JianGhomeshi

Posted on February 5, 2016 by barczablog

The media have brutalized us the past few weeks. It’s not enough to be watching Dumb and Dumber, aka the GOP’s epic displays of bigotry. And if they aren’t reporting on the cop who emptied his gun into a deranged … Continue reading →

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COC Siegfried: Love on the rocks in white PJs

Posted on January 31, 2016 by barczablog

Of the four operas in Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle the closest thing to a comedy is Siegfried. Yes we do have a couple of deaths and a couple of would-be rulers of the world thwarted but it’s got a happy ending, … Continue reading →

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Questions for Jordan de Souza

Posted on January 28, 2016 by barczablog

Jordan de Souza, “the fast-rising young Canadian maestro with a busy international career” (Ottawa Citizen), is currently a Guest Conductor, Assistant Conductor, and Cover Conductor at the Canadian Opera Company, the National Ballet of Canada, and the Bregenz Festival (Austria), and is the newly appointed Resident Conductor for Tapestry Opera, … Continue reading →

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Tafelmusik: Season Launch 16/17

Posted on January 27, 2016 by barczablog

Tis the season. At a time of year when it can be so cold that one prefers to dream of next year (even if it’s been unseasonably warm to begin 2016), the major classical music organizations make their big announcements. … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Press Releases and Announcements | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

TSO Stage Mozart Requiem

Posted on January 24, 2016 by barczablog

We were all invested with a sense of community. As I sat making notes afterwards, Joseph Johnson’s solo cello kept playing away, as though he didn’t want to go home. I think it’s fair to say that so far Jeff … Continue reading →

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The Harvester: an operatic workshop

Posted on January 23, 2016 by barczablog

The Harvester is a play by Paul van Dyck, identified as an intriguing story for adaptation into an opera by soprano Stacie Dunlop, who was looking for a new piece to share the bill with Erwartung (a work she was … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera | 2 Comments

La bonne chanson @ RBA

Posted on January 21, 2016 by barczablog

Today’s noon-hour concert at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre was the first collaboration between the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio and the COC Orchestra Academy.  As I so often do I’ll begin with a preamble, one that corresponds to the gap … Continue reading →

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