Category Archives: Opera

10 Questions for Stu and Jess

Posted on May 3, 2015 by barczablog

The time is short.  Stu &Jess Productions will be presenting Ravel’s wonderful L’Heure Espagnole in Montreal the weekend of May 7-9. Stu and Jess are Stuart Martin and Jessica Derventzis. Conductor and pianist Stuart Martin received his Bachelors of Music at University … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Opera | Leave a comment

A Musical, The Importance of Being

Posted on May 2, 2015 by barczablog

I’ve just seen & heard the Toronto Operetta Theatre’s production of Earnest, The Importance of Being, a recent adaptation of Wilde’s play of (almost) the same name.  It was premiered in 2008 by TOT, music by Victor Davies and book … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Opera, Reviews | 4 Comments

Towards a new theatre vocabulary: Lepage, Cavalia and the legitimacy of aerials

Posted on May 1, 2015 by barczablog

It’s aerial week in Toronto: Robert Lepage’s pair of brief operas (Bluebeard’s Castle / Erwartung) for the Canadian Opera Company open May 6th at the Four Seasons Centre, including moments when you can’t tell which way is up Robert Lepage’s Needles … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, domestic & wild, Art, Architecture & Design, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays | 5 Comments

Barber @ RBA: voice trumps schtick

Posted on April 28, 2015 by barczablog

Today’s noon-hour presentation at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre was a teaser, sampling Act I of the upcoming Ensemble Studio performance of Rossini’s Barber of Seville.  These concerts are usually less than an hour including announcements, but today’s was a very … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | 1 Comment

Fearless Metro Youth Opera Béatrice et Bénédict

Posted on April 27, 2015 by barczablog

We live in a funny time. On the one hand it’s the era of director’s theatre, when operas can be a departure point for elaborate adventures so extreme that the composer’s work becomes mere background music for interpretations of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | 1 Comment

Ten Questions for Wendy Nielsen

Posted on April 21, 2015 by barczablog

Wendy Nielsen is one of the most influential people in Canada’s opera community. After an international career as a soprano that has included starring appearances at the Metropolitan Opera, Nielsen went on to create a private voice studio. Nielsen is … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, University life | Leave a comment

“Location location location”

Posted on April 18, 2015 by barczablog

The saying goes like this: “‘There are three things that matter in property: location, location, location.’” It’s also true in theatre. I have a subscription to the Canadian Opera Company, a pair of seats in the second row. When I … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Psychology and perception | 2 Comments

10 Questions for Krisztina Szabó

Posted on April 13, 2015 by barczablog

My stereotype of Krisztina Szabó is inaccurate of course. My questions may have made her laugh, even though she’s too polite to send me packing. In cobbling together a few questions –concerning a pair of 20th century compositions—I was far … Continue reading →

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

Graceful Orpheus will move you

Posted on April 12, 2015 by barczablog

I can’t think of a performing arts troupe with a more recognizable style than Opera Atelier. For the first twenty years of their existence (give or take a few seasons), they straight-jacketed themselves with the idea of authenticity, portraying themselves … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

10 Questions for Alek Shrader

Posted on April 9, 2015 by barczablog

It can be embarrassing when you don’t realize you’ve already seen / heard an artist before.  I didn’t realize I’d seen Alek Shrader before, in his impressive turn as Ferdinand in Adès’s Tempest at the Metropolitan Opera. So in other … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Opera | 1 Comment