Category Archives: Opera

Operatic alchemy

Posted on January 19, 2012 by barczablog

The Canadian Opera Company announced its 2012-2013 season today, January 18th, a combination of works old and new.  I don’t pretend to understand how an opera company chooses their repertoire, although I think I understand some of the issues involved.  … Continue reading →

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What’s under the tree?

Posted on January 18, 2012 by barczablog

The recent High Definition Metropolitan Opera broadcast of Philip Glass’s Satyagraha offered another look at one of the most popular operas of the past few decades.  I am posting this the night before the Canadian Opera Company announces their 2012-2013 … Continue reading →

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The Descent of Psycho

Posted on January 11, 2012 by barczablog

I don’t know very much about Charles Darwin, but have always been fascinated by the profound reverberations set off in my head by the title The Descent of Man.  I am not a naturalist.  I understood that Darwin meant “descent” … Continue reading →

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L’Amour de loin DVD

Posted on January 4, 2012 by barczablog

As the Canada Opera Company’s February production of Kaija Saariaho’s Love From Afar gets closer my curiosity grows.  I’ve seen several new operas in my time, both the ones that vanished, and the ones that have stayed in the repertoire. … Continue reading →

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Boheme Against the Grain again

Posted on December 2, 2011 by barczablog

You can only be shocked that way once. When I attended the opening night of Against the Grain’s La bohème in June, it was thrilling to experience a modern adaptation of this well-worn opera in a downtown Toronto bar, in … Continue reading →

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10 Questions for Christopher Mokrzewski

Posted on November 29, 2011 by barczablog

Canadian pianist Christopher (“Topher”) Mokrzewski is a former member of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio, participant in the preparation for COC’s recent Rigoletto and Opera Atelier’s 2011 La clemenza di Tito. But he’s also an accomplished soloist & chamber … Continue reading →

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Rusalka in Montréal

Posted on November 21, 2011 by barczablog

I was fortunate to see Rusalka in its final performance November 19th.at Opéra de Montréal, a co-production of Minnesota Opera & Boston Lyric Opera originally directed by Eric Simonson, remounted on this occasion by Bill Murray. The production had at … Continue reading →

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Satyagraha and Wall Street

Posted on November 18, 2011 by barczablog

Of all the operas being presented in the Metropolitan Opera’s High Definition series of broadcasts, Philip Glass’s opera Satyagraha is the first to seem genuinely relevant. As I type this, I am listening to the latest news concerning the various … Continue reading →

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Chérubin

Posted on November 13, 2011 by barczablog

Essential Opera is a relative newcomer to the Toronto scene.  I watched their presentation of Massenet’s Chérubin tonight, a logical sequel considering that their debut earlier in 2011 (that I missed by the way) was Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro. Massenet’s … Continue reading →

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Lepage’s Siegfried

Posted on November 6, 2011 by barczablog

I watched the latest instalment of Robert Lepage’s Ring cycle at the Metropolitan Opera in a high definition broadcast. The celebrated machine that is the star of the production continues to amuse and delight.  In the latest episode we see … Continue reading →

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