Category Archives: Opera

Questions for Johannes Debus: busy baton

Posted on January 21, 2016 by barczablog

The Canadian Opera Company’s winter season begins soon, featuring two long operas led by the same maestro, namely Johannes Debus. Siegfried, the penultimate of the Wagner operas in the Ring Cycle premieres January 23rd, while Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro follows … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Opera | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

At last: #COC1617 is the most Canadian season yet 

Posted on January 14, 2016 by barczablog

Tonight’s Canadian Opera Company announcement of the coming season’s operas gave us reason to be proud, a genuine celebration of the sesquicentennial of Canada’s confederation. We checked in with the key components of the COC: Alexander Neef & Johannes Debus … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Press Releases and Announcements | 4 Comments

TSO Announcement: good days for Canadian composers

Posted on January 12, 2016 by barczablog

The official announcements are still to come.  It’s a great year, or will be a great year to be Canadian, as we celebrate 150 years of Confederation in 2017. Anticipation is a big part of the fun. On Wednesday the … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Press Releases and Announcements | Leave a comment

Questions for Brahm Goldhamer: playing Schubert

Posted on January 2, 2016 by barczablog

I know Brahm Goldhamer as a collaborative pianist of exceptional sensitivity. Of all the Toronto pianists I’ve heard in the concert-opera mode—where piano must stand in for all the instruments of the orchestra—his performance in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande in … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Music and musicology, Opera | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Pollyanna looks back at 2015

Posted on December 28, 2015 by barczablog

The year isn’t quite over yet, but already we’re looking back at 2015 as 2016 draws closer.   When we remember Pollyanna’s credo –“if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”—no wonder we look back.  As the dollar … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Politics | Leave a comment

Donald Trump: crossover artist

Posted on December 22, 2015 by barczablog

What is the rationale behind crossover and why is it attractive? Sometimes it’s an escape, no longer being required to follow the rules of your old realm, as you visit a new one. Sometimes it’s the insight, the expertise in … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Politics | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Andrew Davis’ big beautiful Messiah

Posted on December 21, 2015 by barczablog

Today I was fortunate to attend the last of the Toronto Symphony’s annual performances of the Messiah with the Mendelssohn Choir, employing Andrew Davis’ new (2010) orchestration. I missed it when they offered it last time but hope that Jeff … Continue reading →

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2 Natural experiments with audience

Posted on December 12, 2015 by barczablog

Every performance is an experiment, or so said Joyce Wilkinson, a wonderful professor I encountered at OISE a number of years ago.  Performance is a kind of proposition (and you can take that both ways). When you think about that, … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Psychology and perception | Leave a comment

An Electric Messiah comes to Messiahville

Posted on December 9, 2015 by barczablog

We may as well be living in Messiahville. There are so many performances of this work in Toronto, it’s amazing that they don’t play excerpts on the organ at hockey games (but then again, there’s been so little cause for … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Popular music & culture, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Sondra Radvanovsky: Beneath The Lights Of Home

Posted on December 5, 2015 by barczablog

There’s a song Deanna Durbin once sang that seemed particularly apt tonight as one of the encores coming after Sondra Radvanovsky’s recital at Koerner Hall with Anthony Manoli piano. I can see the lights of home Shining brightly o’er the … Continue reading →

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