Category Archives: Opera

A Tale for Two Cities: the Battle of Alberta

Posted on December 19, 2023 by barczablog

It’s not the first time I’m jealous of Alberta. The Leafs never win The Cup, while Calgary and Edmonton have each had their moments. Joel Ivany has relocated out west, Miriam Khalil singing and teaching alongside him as they raise … Continue reading →

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Mahler, Berg and more at the EJB Library

Posted on November 26, 2023 by barczablog

Thursday Nov 23rd felt like a Thanksgiving celebration. I found a free parking spot on Bernard for one hour. The first 15 minutes were spent walking down Bedford Rd & then Philosopher’s Walk to the Edward Johnson Building for my … Continue reading →

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Mahler’s Fifth and Berg’s early songs

Posted on November 24, 2023 by barczablog

The Toronto Symphony’s program for this week is a surprisingly powerful combination. We open with 17 minutes of passionate singing by mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo, seven songs composed by Alban Berg (1885-1935) between 1905 and 1908. After intermission we settle in … Continue reading →

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Powerhouse Tristan und Isolde

Posted on October 30, 2023 by barczablog

Last night Powerhouse Opera presented an abridged version of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde at Jeanne Lamon Hall. Powerhouse Opera is a new company begun by soprano Susan Tsagkaris in March 2022, aiming to showcase dramatic / large sized voices with … Continue reading →

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Varieties of inclusivity in COC Boheme

Posted on October 29, 2023 by barczablog

Erika and I watched the Canadian Opera Company’s la bohème today at the Four Seasons Centre using our subscription tickets, a revival of John Caird’s production that we saw in 2013 and again in 2019. As it was the closing … Continue reading →

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Questions for Andrew Ager about New Opera Lyra, The Gothic Trilogy and The Mummy

Posted on October 23, 2023 by barczablog

New Opera Lyra (NOL) completes The Gothic Trilogy with the world premiere of Andrew Ager’s The Mummy on October 27th. This follows the premieres of Frankenstein in 2019 and Dracula last season. Andrew is co-artistic director of NOL, where his … Continue reading →

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TOT Pirates

Posted on October 20, 2023 by barczablog

When you’re watching your dog prowling in the back-yard and the phrase “with cat-like tread” pops into your head, you know Gilbert and Sullivan must be on your mind. Of course I knew I was going to attend the Toronto … Continue reading →

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An all-female Magic Flute from OperOttawa

Posted on October 15, 2023 by barczablog

I heard that OperOttawa are presenting Mozart’s The Magic Flute, an opera I’ve heard called misogynistic, in November with a cast that’s 100% female! I had to ask their their artistic director Norman E Brown about it. Barczablog: Do the … Continue reading →

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Apocryphonia: GinasterAmirov

Posted on October 2, 2023 by barczablog

When I interviewed Alex Cappellazzo a few weeks ago I asked: what does “Apocryphonia” mean? But tonight I found myself thinking about another question (and seeing the answer before me), namely what do we understand by “authenticity?” It came up … Continue reading →

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A post-truth Fidelio

Posted on September 30, 2023 by barczablog

Last night the Canadian Opera Company had their opening night of Fidelio in a recent San Francisco Opera production directed by Matthew Ozawa, with set and projections designed by Alexander Nichols and costumes by Jessica Jahn. Their design concept is … Continue reading →

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