Category Archives: Personal ruminations & essays

Barbara Hannigan on Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 14, 2019 by

Happy Valentine’s Day. Tonight I’ll be listening to the Toronto Symphony celebrate the day under the leadership of Barbara Hannigan, who will also be singing. Here’s the program: Debussy: Syrinx for solo flute [3′] Sibelius: Luonnotar for Soprano and Orchestra [10′] Haydn: Symphony No. … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays, Popular music & culture | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

COC fan tutte

Posted on February 10, 2019 by

Is it really five years ago? Time flies. In January 2014 Atom Egoyan’s production of Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte had its premiere with the Canadian Opera Company.  I looked back at what I wrote and –after having seen the revival … Continue reading →

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The case for a Canadian Opera Company

Posted on February 7, 2019 by

Monday night the Canadian Opera Company held their “Season Reveal,” a dramatic presentation whereby subscribers & guests were treated to a combination of announcements, musical performances & CGI to tell us the six operas coming in the 2019-2020 season. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Personal ruminations & essays | 14 Comments

Julie Tepperman & Chris Thornborrow: Hook Up

Posted on January 18, 2019 by

How do people meet, and what’s involved in making connections? I keep asking this question about the arts because in case you haven’t noticed, you can’t do it alone. Yes there are people like Beethoven who work in solitude, people … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Popular music & culture, Theatre & musicals, University life | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Zukerman, Mozart and the TSO

Posted on January 18, 2019 by

While tonight’s Toronto Symphony all-Mozart concert, conducted by violinist Pinchas Zukerman was 180 degrees in the opposite direction from what they were up to yesterday at Koerner Hall, launching the 21C Festival of new music, there were some interesting points … Continue reading →

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Pollyanna and the lessons of 2018

Posted on January 5, 2019 by

In past years my annual review was out in December, but this time it’s later than usual: because I’ve had a real holiday this year, more sleep and more silence than usual, dodging the viruses & germs pursuing other members … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Cinema, video & DVDs, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Politics, Reviews, Theatre & musicals, University life | 3 Comments

Sing-Along Messiah 2018

Posted on December 23, 2018 by

You can change the location but the song remains the same. Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra & Chamber Choir led by Herr Handel himself gave us their annual sing-along Messiah. The previous 37 have been at Massey Hall, but this time renovation … Continue reading →

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