Category Archives: Opera

The wit and wisdom of Eldritch Theatre’s Doctor Wuthergloom

Posted on October 11, 2015 by barczablog

Praetorius Wuthergloom is a 142 year-old widower, an itinerant mediciner of supernatural blight & exorcist–the titles he gives himself—whose most recent extravaganza ended tonight, alas, with the closing performance of his show at the Red Sandcastle Theatre. Be not afeared, … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

COC traviata and the three faces of Violetta

Posted on October 9, 2015 by barczablog

I witnessed something rare and wonderful at the opening of the Canadian Opera Company’s la traviata at the Four Seasons Centre tonight. It’s almost impossible to do justice to the role of Violetta that Verdi created in his adaptation of … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | 6 Comments

Soundstreams: Beyond the Aria but not beyond Virtuosity

Posted on September 30, 2015 by barczablog

Tonight in a Soundstreams concert titled “Adrianne Pieczonka: Beyond the Aria” we saw and heard two great operatic artists go beyond their usual boundaries, using their instruments in unexpected ways.  Soprano Pieczonka was joined by mezzo-soprano Kristina Szabó in a … Continue reading →

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

Love Shards of Sappho at RBA

Posted on September 29, 2015 by barczablog

Today’s free noon-hour concert in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre (the upper lobby of the Four Seasons Centre) offered a rich pairing of matched works, presented by the Array Ensemble & a pair of sopranos.  Today feels especially like a preparation … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

10 questions for Phillip Addis: Pyramus and Thisbe

Posted on September 29, 2015 by barczablog

Canadian Baritone Phillip Addis “is praised for his creamy, bright, smooth voice as much as for his spell-binding, daring, yet sensitive interpretations. A rising star on the international stage, Addis has performed in opera, concerts and recitals throughout Canada, the United … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Opera | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Tafelmusik ask the forbidden question

Posted on September 18, 2015 by barczablog

If tonight’s Tafelmusik concert at Jeanne Lamon Hall (Trinity –St Paul’s Centre), with Mireille Lebel mezzo-soprano, and led by violinist Rodolfo Richter is any indication, I think we’ll see a lot more of him in future concerts. Richter doesn’t just … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | 5 Comments

10 Questions for Adrianne Pieczonka: beyond the aria

Posted on September 15, 2015 by barczablog

Adrianne Pieczonka is one of Toronto’s treasures, a fabulous ambassador for Canada when she sings abroad. I first encountered her in Atom Egoyan’s Die Walkure with the Canadian Opera Company, a vocal and dramatic interpretation so compelling that it was as though … Continue reading →

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

Bicycle Opera: Shadow Box at Curbside Cycle

Posted on September 5, 2015 by barczablog

The Bicycle Opera Project are now in season four, cycling around from venue to venue, putting on opera. They carry their set, costumes & instruments along (except perhaps the piano…) in trailers pulled behind their cycles. I first encountered them … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | 1 Comment

Scary music in Theatres of Terror

Posted on August 25, 2015 by barczablog

Halloween is still several weeks away but already terror is more than a gleam in the eye of some. Opera By Request are presenting Carl Maria von Weber’s gothic masterpiece Der Freischutz on Friday Sept 18th.  There will be no … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera | 3 Comments

Karita Mattila at Koerner Hall: personalities on parade

Posted on August 8, 2015 by barczablog

There was more drama in this recital than any recital I can ever recall.  Karita Mattila assumed several roles, in several distinct voices in her concert tonight at Koerner Hall in Toronto as part of the Toronto Summer Music Festival. … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Reviews | 2 Comments