Category Archives: Personal ruminations & essays

Disturbance in the Force: a Natural Experiment with Audiences

Posted on June 13, 2020 by barczablog

With all the performers, musicians, artists social distancing at home, you might think that this is an opportunity, that they’d be busy singing, strumming, painting…. All that time to create, right? Yet it’s not what I hear on social media. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Cinema, video & DVDs, Essays, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Psychology and perception, University life | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Whither Canadian Opera Company: after Neef

Posted on June 11, 2020 by barczablog

Did you know? The first ever Monty Python episode was titled Whither Canada. I suspect it’s a title meant to invoke the sort of bland but innocent British documentary we see here in Canada as “Hinterland Who’s Who” or “Heritage … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Sports | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

“If you build it they will come” revisited, or Field of Dreams in 2020

Posted on June 3, 2020 by barczablog

I was looking for an uplifting bit of escapism. Field of Dreams is a film that I’ve always loved. It still moved me when I saw it this weekend but now in a totally new way. One of the small … Continue reading →

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Musical Gentrification

Posted on May 25, 2020 by barczablog

I don’t know about you, but I’ve got lots of time to think, to ponder questions old & new. One of my oldest questions is the conundrum of popularity in music. It’s a complicated phenomenon, and I’m not saying I … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Dance, theatre & musicals, Essays, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

10 Movies: a quiz

Posted on May 23, 2020 by barczablog

Social media can be a lot like real life. There we are, all alone, when someone tries to get our attention demanding some sort of response. It may involve some work, or some fun: or both. I’m recapping the way … Continue reading →

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Wordless chorus

Posted on May 21, 2020 by barczablog

This subject seems apt right now. The voices in this music have no words, which is a perfect expression for a time when we don’t know what’s to come. Of course we never do, but it’s especially noticeable when we’re … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Essays, Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays, Popular music & culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Douglas Chambers – Stonyground

Posted on May 5, 2020 by barczablog

I heard today that Douglas Chambers passed away this past weekend, and that the cause of his passing was COVID-19. I sometimes make big long preambles when I’m avoiding something. I can’t deny this time that I’m avoiding several big … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Books & Literature, Essays, Personal ruminations & essays, Reviews | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Lepage’s Coriolanus: a video sandwich

Posted on May 1, 2020 by barczablog

There’s a particular magic to live theatre that you can almost glimpse in an online transmission, but it’s not really the same, not quite so magical. When I see Coriolanus get into a car onstage that seems to drive into … Continue reading →

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Disappointing Planet of the Humans

Posted on April 29, 2020 by barczablog

I’m giggling as I begin writing this, because I know that for some people, credentials are everything. If I dare speak about an enviro-documentary where do I stand, where am I coming from? This is such a partisan world that … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Cinema, video & DVDs, Personal ruminations & essays, Politics, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Saturday not quite Live

Posted on April 26, 2020 by barczablog

SNL in the era of quarantine? It’s impossible in the usual way: The eager audience in Studio 8H of the Comcast Building (the one many of us know as the “RCA Building”) The cold opening The monologue The musical guests … Continue reading →

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