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Category Archives: Personal ruminations & essays
Cathartic tears on November 11th
With every Remembrance Day, I wonder how best to respond to the implications of November 11th, a day when we are encouraged to honour those who gave their lives in wars, in service to the nation. I went to a … Continue reading
Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Personal ruminations & essays
Tagged ankylosing spondylitis, Benjamin Britten, Derek Jarman, history, In Flanders Fields, iritis, John McRae, Laurence Olivier, poetry, Ray Charles, Remembrance Day, Reveille, Stuart Bull, The Last Post, Tilda Swinton, UTS, uveitis, War Requiem, Wilfred Owen
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Alexander Hajek talks about the upcoming La Boheme On Tap
La Boheme is being presented at the Redwood Theatre on Friday September19th 8:00 p.m., a co-production with The Redwood Theatre in Support of Daily Bread Food Bank. I talked to Alexander Hajek who sings the role of Marcello the painter. … Continue reading
Asking Genevieve Adam about her newest play Heratio
On August 8th Guild Festival Theatre will be giving the world premiere performance of Heratio, a re-imagining of Hamlet that picks up the story where Shakespeare left off, giving voice to the women and servants who are left to clean … Continue reading
Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews, Personal ruminations & essays
Tagged Genevieve Adam, Guild Festival Theatre, Hamlet, Helen Juvonen, Heratio, In Conversation With Classics, Jack Davidson, Janelle Hanna, Philippa Domville, Phoenix Fire, Rashaana Cumberbatch, Scarborough, Shakespeare, Siobhan Richardson, theatre, William Shakespeare, writing
1 Comment
Celebration of life for my mother
July 10th would have been my mother’s 104th birthday, so it seemed like the perfect day to do a Celebration of Life. I want to share the moment here on the blog, largely because this event was my focus, if … Continue reading
Posted in My mother, Personal ruminations & essays
Tagged Ack Värmeland du sköna, family, forget, Jussi Björling, life, love, memory, Mom
7 Comments
Jeff Bezos gives us another reason to shop local
Yes we’re all doing our part doing the elbows up thing, shopping local as a way to support Canadian business. Right? But here’s another huge reason. Google “amazon injury rate”. You will see a series of concerns raised. In 2023 … Continue reading
Posted in Personal ruminations & essays
Tagged Amazon, Dan Price, injury rates, Jeff Bezos, Prime Day, regulations, safety, weight limits
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First Mother’s Day since my mother passed away
I played the organ at Hillcrest Church Sunday, substituting for David Warrack. It was Mother’s Day, the first Mother’s Day since my mom passed away. I played one of her favourite melodies as the Offertory. Ack Värmeland du sköna is … Continue reading
COC’s Wozzeck, a relatable opera
This spring season of the Canadian Opera Company feels a bit like the second coming of Alexander Neef, their former General Director. Next week we’ll be seeing the revival of Robert Carsen’s Eugene Onegin, a production that Neef brought to … Continue reading
Posted in Personal ruminations & essays
Tagged Alban Berg, Alexander Cappellazzo, Alexander Neef, Alexander Pushkin, Ambur Braid, Canadian Opera Company, Catherine Meyburgh, Eugene Onegin, Greta Goiris, Johannes Debus, Karl Emil Franzos, Kim Gunning, Literaturoper, Luc De Wit, Michael Kupfer-Radecky, Michael Schade, Mikael Kangas, modernist, music, opera, review, Sabine Theunissen, theatre, Urs Schönebaum, William Kentridge, Wozzeck
13 Comments
Appreciating Canadian Artists on Flag Day
The day after Valentine’s Day, February 15th 1965, the new Canadian flag replaced the old one. On both February 14th and 15th we see red, both days to show our love. Twenty-nine years ago, in 1996 Jean Chretien proclaimed “Flag … Continue reading
Posted in Essays, Personal ruminations & essays, Popular music & culture
Tagged Canada, Canadian Flag, Flag Day, Red Ensign, Valentine's Day
2 Comments
Faust Adaptations
Today I saw the closing performance of the Canadian Opera Company’s new production of Gounod’s Faust, in a week when it seemed everyone was selling their soul to the devil even without the manifest falsehoods of politicians at election time. … Continue reading
Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays
Tagged Ariane Cossette, Canadian Opera Company, Centre Stage, Cesare Siepi, Charles Gounod, F W Murnau, Faust, Franz Schubert, Gretchen am Spinnrade, Hector Berlioz, Jerome Hines, Jessica Harper, Johannes Debus, Kyle Ketelsen, La Damnation de Faust, Nabucco, Paul WIlliams, Phantom of the Paradise, Robert Lepage, Szymon Mechlinski, Walpurgisnacht Ballet
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