Category Archives: Politics

Kent Monkman: Our Shame, Our Prejudice, Their Resilience

Posted on February 23, 2017 by barczablog

I have just experienced Kent Monkman‘s show at the University of Toronto Art Museum, a series of paintings, textual passages and installations proposing something quite ambitious. As he observed in the Foreword (in a little brochure I picked up as … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Politics | 3 Comments

Chester Brown’s Louis Riel

Posted on February 4, 2017 by barczablog

Last week a fun outing with a child to a bookstore led to a windfall.  I hadn’t expected to find a book for myself but as I browsed through graphic novels I saw a title that grabbed me. “Louis Riel” … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Reviews | Leave a comment

Naomi’s Road: an opera about a shameful moment in Canada’s history

Posted on November 1, 2016 by barczablog

Michael Mori, Artistic director of Tapestry Opera posted the following on Facebook (the press release follows immediately below): When we started planning Naomi’s Road, a show deals with the shameful treatment of Japanese-Canadians during WWII, it was well before Trump’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Politics, Press Releases and Announcements | Leave a comment

YUGE!

Posted on October 1, 2016 by barczablog

There’s nothing like an election to make you feel helpless, unless it’s an election in a foreign country where you don’t even get to vote. Looking back I’m feeling relief, having  survived Harper & Ford, endured Dubya, and the insults … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Politics, Reviews | Leave a comment

Brady, Kaepernick, Eastwood and Trump 

Posted on September 5, 2016 by barczablog

  The arts confuse us regularly, somewhat like life itself.  One minute we’re kept at a distance by a performance using some alienating device calling attention to the artifice, the next we’re sucked into the world we’re watching.  I believe … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Politics, Popular music & culture | Leave a comment

Going Home Star: against Babel

Posted on February 29, 2016 by barczablog

I’ve been listening to Christos Hatzis’ score for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Going Home Star and by that I mean that it’s constantly playing in my car over the past week. I saw the ballet earlier this month, a creation … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Politics, Popular music & culture, Psychology and perception, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

RWB Going Home Star: the language of truth and reconciliation

Posted on February 6, 2016 by barczablog

I witnessed something extraordinary and beautiful. The Royal Winnipeg Ballet created a full-length work titled Going Home Star: Truth and Reconciliation, one of the most ambitious pieces of theatre I’ve ever seen, a ballet so remarkable that it could be … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Politics | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Pollyanna looks back at 2015

Posted on December 28, 2015 by barczablog

The year isn’t quite over yet, but already we’re looking back at 2015 as 2016 draws closer.   When we remember Pollyanna’s credo –“if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”—no wonder we look back.  As the dollar … Continue reading →

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

Donald Trump: crossover artist

Posted on December 22, 2015 by barczablog

What is the rationale behind crossover and why is it attractive? Sometimes it’s an escape, no longer being required to follow the rules of your old realm, as you visit a new one. Sometimes it’s the insight, the expertise in … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Politics | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Honeymoon or Shotgun Wedding?

Posted on November 5, 2015 by barczablog

If you are a Torontonian, no one can rain on this parade. The swearing in of the Trudeau Cabinet had the kind of breathless following of a Royal Wedding. Can you say “honeymoon”? Don’t get me wrong.  I was in … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal ruminations & essays, Politics | 2 Comments