Category Archives: Opera

TOT Land of Smiles

Posted on December 28, 2013 by barczablog

Every work is really several possibilities, depending on the emphases in the interpretation.  There are several operas inside each opera, several musicals inside each musical.  And this is particularly so when we speak of operetta, a form that can seem … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Born on December 22nd

Posted on December 21, 2013 by barczablog

If you’re a child born on December 22nd you might grow up perpetually frustrated because of the proximity of your birthday to Christmas.  There you are, early in the sign of Capricorn, and everybody’s celebrating someone else’s birth instead of … Continue reading →

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

Thinking about snobs, with Baz Luhrmann and Jay Gatsby

Posted on December 8, 2013 by barczablog

I’m thinking about two competing narratives lately, as I alluded at the beginning of my review of Singing the Earth.  Is transcendent activism possible? Nelson Mandela seems to say yes.  Rob Ford would agree, although he sees himself as an … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Politics, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Singing the Earth: The Old & The New

Posted on December 6, 2013 by barczablog

Today is a day of contrasts.  The morning paper brought more revelations about Toronto’s Mayor, while this afternoon’s social media story was the passing of Nelson Mandela.  While Mandela seems to embody the possibilities for heroic activism nothing suggests that  … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Politics, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The great Canadian opera

Posted on December 3, 2013 by barczablog

It’s such a funky headline, almost an oxymoron.  The book of Canadian operas is a slim volume indeed, but the list of great Canadian operas?  Hm, are there any? Even one? I have two names bouncing in my head right … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays | 14 Comments

10 Questions for Joel Ivany

Posted on November 27, 2013 by barczablog

Joel Ivany’s career seems to be taking off.  His work with Against the Grain Theatre here in Toronto is impressive enough, but in addition he directed the recent World premiere of Gavin Bryars chamber opera Marilyn Forever with the Aventa … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews, Opera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Centre Stage: COC Ensemble Studio Competition Gala

Posted on November 27, 2013 by barczablog

Two years ago the Canadian Opera Company began experimenting with a public singing competition as the final part of the selection process for membership in the Ensemble Studio.  In 2011 & 2012 the contests were held in the Richard Bradshaw … Continue reading →

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

Gloriana

Posted on November 25, 2013 by barczablog

It’s such a privilege to see a rare work.  Whatever else I might say about the Voicebox/Opera in Concert presentation of Benjamin Britten’s Gloriana on the occasion of the composer’s centennial, I’m thankful for this encounter with the score. This … Continue reading →

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

Tcherniakov’s Serendipitous Trovatore

Posted on November 11, 2013 by barczablog

Having seen a small local production of Verdi’s Il trovatore in Richmond Hill Saturday night, the tunes & situations were very fresh in my head tonight for a broadcast of a 2012 production of the very same opera with big … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Opera York: True to Verdi

Posted on November 10, 2013 by barczablog

It’s exciting when you get a chance to test an offbeat theory, and even more exciting when you prove it. Giuseppe Verdi’s Il trovatore was at one time –perhaps at the end of the 19th century—the most popular opera in … Continue reading →

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