Category Archives: Personal ruminations & essays

Finding Dory and the symbolists

Posted on July 24, 2016 by barczablog

These days I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by emotions. I’ve had a death in the family (not a tragedy, when someone lives to a ripe old age, but still, it has stirred up a lot of feelings for me … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Cinema, video & DVDs, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Reviews | Leave a comment

Rite of Survival: a cheap drunk’s view

Posted on June 11, 2016 by barczablog

Let me first explain myself, why I’d admit (or even boast) that I’m a cheap drunk. Anyone wanting to cut to the part about the beer and avoid the theoretical talk, please skip down to the pictures. Our culture associates … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Health and Nutrition, Personal ruminations & essays | 2 Comments

The Walrus Talks: Spirituality or ymmv

Posted on April 5, 2016 by barczablog

A friend took me to Walrus Talks tonight. Evidently the magazine organizes these colloquia to investigate a topic such as tonight’s theme, spirituality. It seemed apt that we were at Trinity-St Paul’s, a space I think of as much for … Continue reading →

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April Fundraising Concert

Posted on February 27, 2016 by barczablog

From Vasilisa Atanackovic: ******* I am having a fundraising concert on Saturday, April 2 to raise money for my performance journeys in Italy through to New York. I have been given the lead roles in two musical productions in Sicily this summer with … Continue reading →

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Gábor Maté: When the Body Says No

Posted on February 26, 2016 by barczablog

Dr Gábor Maté keeps turning up in my life. I just published a review of betroffenheit, a hybrid dance-theatre piece at CanStage, a co-production of Kidd Pivot and Electric Company Theatre, and there at the end I mentioned a PTSD … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Personal ruminations & essays, Psychology and perception | 2 Comments

Ephemerality seeks eternity

Posted on January 23, 2016 by barczablog

It’s early morning: after having seen a workshop of The Harvester last night before seeing Joel Ivany’s take on the Mozart Requiem with the Toronto Symphony tonight I just re-read what I wrote about the workshop last April to which … Continue reading →

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Goldhamer’s Schubert: where the music is

Posted on January 18, 2016 by barczablog

Where do you look during a concert? One can look out the window, as i often do when given the opportunity.  I love the glass at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, or the glorious view at the Conservatory Theatre (seen below) … Continue reading →

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Labadie returns with TSO – Mozart @260

Posted on January 17, 2016 by barczablog

Conductor Bernard Labadie returned to the podium tonight for the first time since sickness stopped him for a year and a half of convalescence, to lead the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at Roy Thomson Hall as part of the Mozart @ … Continue reading →

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Amy’s Requiem, in the season of mourning

Posted on January 16, 2016 by barczablog

Ahead? the return of Bernard Labadie, who was sick and is getting better. Saturday he’ll conduct the first of the Mozart @ 260 concerts with the TSO, next week conducting their adventurous staging of the Mozart Requiem. Behind? A week … Continue reading →

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

Bus nostalgia: a top ten list

Posted on January 11, 2016 by barczablog

I’m all sentimental about bus trips after spending much of the past few days riding around Florida with the Toronto Symphony.  Here’s a list of movies that show us different aspects of life on the road, presented in reverse order … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , | 2 Comments