Category Archives: Opera

Forbidden Music

Posted on August 18, 2014 by barczablog

Although my luggage for the trip to the cottage included a pile of books on diverse subjects –popular culture, a novel, psychology, and a few musicology books—the one that seized my imagination was the darkest of the group. How could … Continue reading →

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

My eyes are bigger than my stomach

Posted on August 9, 2014 by barczablog

I have reading to do. Do you ever go to a bookstore and get carried away with what you see? Of course with a bookstore there’s no time-limit. You can buy books that you read this week, or this year, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Cinema, video & DVDs, Music and musicology, Opera, Popular music & culture, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Ten Questions for Greg Finney

Posted on August 7, 2014 by barczablog

Who is Gregory Finney?  As he puts it in one of his biographies, he’s “a predominantly Comedic Baritone with Tenoristic leanings and background”.  This is an artist who is a bit of a chamelon, able to sing high or low, play … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Music and musicology, Opera | Leave a comment

Radvanovsky: Humble Servant

Posted on August 1, 2014 by barczablog

Tonight at Koerner Hall, Sondra Radvanovsky offered a self-portrait in her recital as part of Toronto Summer Music Festival. It’s not just a huge coup for TSM & Artistic Director Douglas McNabney, the highest profile artist to appear there this … Continue reading →

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

BOP Program B

Posted on July 26, 2014 by barczablog

My trip to Stratford is over, but the cycling singers of the Bicycle Opera Project are still there. By the time I post this they’ll have finished Saturday afternoon’s show. A pair of performances remain Sunday at Revel Caffè presented under the auspices … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | 1 Comment

Bicycle Opera: Program A

Posted on July 25, 2014 by barczablog

Sometimes the writer recognizes that words are limited, that in the end “you had to be there” especially for something that’s more of an event or happening, than merely a conventional performance. It was never truer than this morning as … Continue reading →

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

Emerson String Quartet’s Modern Age

Posted on July 23, 2014 by barczablog

The Emerson String Quartet kicked off Toronto Summer Music with a concert tonight. I’m sure some people were there to hear Beethoven’s Op 95 quartet, many more to hear Schubert’s “Death & the Maiden” quartet, while comparatively few were there … Continue reading →

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Late night reading

Posted on July 15, 2014 by barczablog

Whether it was a virus, a cold or summertime allergies isn’t the point. I’ve been awake at night, coughing, sneezing, blowing my nose, and otherwise trying not to be a nuisance to anyone unlucky enough to be under the same … Continue reading →

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

Confessions of an Operatic Mute

Posted on July 10, 2014 by barczablog

Briane Nasimok and I go way back. He rode with me in the ambulance that took me to hospital (can’t recall which one) when I fell and split my head open. By then I was of legal drinking age (which … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Ten Questions for Adam Scime

Posted on July 9, 2014 by barczablog

Adam Scime is a young composer and performer living in Toronto, whose work has received many awards including The SOCAN Young Composer’s Competition, and The Karen Keiser Prize in Canadian Music, The Esprit Young Composer Competition, and the Electro-Acoustic Composer’s … Continue reading →

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