Category Archives: Personal ruminations & essays

Thinking about Richard Strauss’s death in 1949

Posted on August 29, 2024 by barczablog

On September 8, 1949 composer and conductor Richard Strauss died after a long productive life. I think of him as a romantic composer carrying on the stylistic traditions of Richard Wagner. In Salome and Elektra he was the modernist pushing … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Seraphia closing April 27th

Posted on April 19, 2024 by barczablog

I got some bad news today, when Peter at Seraphia informed me that he will have his last day Saturday April 27th. I can’t properly capture what his Scarborough gourmet shop has meant to me and my family. I’ve been … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Health and Nutrition, Personal ruminations & essays | 1 Comment

30 years since Derek Jarman died.

Posted on February 19, 2024 by barczablog

It’s the anniversary of Derek Jarman’s passing, February 19th 1994. He was 52 years old when he passed. I was looking at Jarman’s IMDB entry, where there are a pair of pictures with him with Amy Johnson, listed on IMDB … Continue reading →

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X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X from the Metropolitan Opera for February and Lent

Posted on February 14, 2024 by barczablog

The Metropolitan Opera’s 2023 production of X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, the 1985 opera with libretto by Thulani Davis and music be her cousin Anthony Davis, was shown on PBS over the past week, likely as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Selling off opera tickets for two shows in February 2024

Posted on December 21, 2023 by barczablog

We’re selling a pair of tickets for each of the Canadian Opera Company‘a winter shows. We have a paid subscription but can’t go this time. That’s why we have to sell them: A pair to The Cunning Little Vixen by … Continue reading →

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Feline friendly aesthetic

Posted on November 17, 2023 by barczablog

I thought at first I’d call this “life in a cat house”, until I realized it might have some unsavory associations. Last week Erika and I went to visit our friend Eryna Huzan, one of the most hospitable people I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, domestic & wild, Art, Architecture & Design, Personal ruminations & essays | 1 Comment

The masquerade continues

Posted on November 17, 2023 by barczablog

I’m already wearing a mask every time I go to a store or a show. I’ve had my shots. For the next little while on this blog I have to be extra careful. I will be changing the focus, seeing … Continue reading →

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Remembrance Day lessons from Mr Bull and Barkley

Posted on November 12, 2023 by barczablog

I played the organ at Hillcrest Church last Sunday. Some years All Saints (November 1st) and Remembrance Day (November 11th) get separate commemorations. In 2023 Remembrance Day (Nov 11th) falls on a Saturday, making it logical to combine the All … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, domestic & wild, Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

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 →

Posted in Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The view from The Inn at Lock Seven in Thorold

Posted on August 13, 2023 by barczablog

Watching boats from the Inn at Lock Seven? Our friends Jim and Louise gave us the idea. You must have heard that ships are able to travel inland as far as Chicago or Minnesota. But how do they get past … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments