Category Archives: Popular music & culture

Joker reminds me of….

Posted on February 4, 2020 by barczablog

Resonance is a function of history, right? You’ll pick up allusions and associations depending on what you usually see. So of course it’s no wonder Todd Phillips’ 2019 film Joker reminds me of Wozzeck as someone who’s more likely to … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Politics, Popular music & culture, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Lost Karaoke Tapes

Posted on January 31, 2020 by barczablog

I’m impressed. Nicole Lizée has more reason to be pompous & full of herself than any composer or performer I know. But she seems to be totally unpretentious. Exhibit “A”: the piece we saw & heard tonight is called “Karappo … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays, Popular music & culture, Psychology and perception, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

To New York with Gershwin

Posted on January 14, 2020 by barczablog

Sometimes I have a fear of flying. I usually love the takeoff & normally sit by the window but when there’s turbulence I like to distract myself. On a trip to New York what better subject could one find than … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Music and musicology, Opera, Popular music & culture, Reviews, University life | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Skye Consort and Emma Björling: right after trick-or-treating

Posted on October 22, 2019 by barczablog

Within the first ten seconds of this new CD I knew I was going to like it. It’s Skye Consort & Emma Björling, and the first cut on the album is “Herr Hillebrand”, a traditional Medieval Swedish ballad, in Swedish. … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Popular music & culture, Press Releases and Announcements, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Somewhere over the… moon?

Posted on October 11, 2019 by barczablog

Both works currently playing at the Canadian Opera Company feature a famous aria known by people who might otherwise not know the whole work. In Turandot it’s “nessun dorma”, a piece associated with Luciano Pavarotti, and maybe a little bit … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Popular music & culture | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Toronto Symphony’s new Berlioz CD

Posted on August 23, 2019 by barczablog

Did they know when they programmed the Toronto Symphony Concert for September 2018 featuring Berlioz works conducted by Sir Andrew Davis that it was going to make a good recording? Here I am now thrilled to be able to listen … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Popular music & culture, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pathways to the past with TSO Carmina Burana

Posted on June 20, 2019 by barczablog

Some concerts are put together so well that you can’t help admiring the clever curator, combining compositions. Ai caramba I didn’t mean to be so alliterative. But even so they made magic at Roy Thomson Hall tonight in a Toronto … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Popular music & culture, Reviews, University life | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I swallowed a moon made of iron: Oxymoronic, Prophetic

Posted on May 18, 2019 by barczablog

Njo Kong Kie has created a one man show from Xu Lizhi’s texts, that he sings and enacts mostly from the piano, I swallowed a moon made of iron, presented at the Berkeley Street Theatre by Canadian Stage. That title comes … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Popular music & culture | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Workshop of Shakespeare’s Criminal

Posted on April 27, 2019 by barczablog

Tonight I witnessed the first of 3 workshop performances at the Factory Theatre of Shakespeare’s Criminal from Orpheus Productions, a new chamber opera with music by Dustin Peters and libretto by Sky Gilbert, starring Marion Newman, Dion Mazerolle and Nathaniel … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Popular music & culture | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Questions for Molly Reisman

Posted on April 25, 2019 by barczablog

The official bio says that Molly Reisman is a Canadian writer, producer and performer who is endlessly curious about how humans connect, empathize and interact with the world around them, that Molly is a graduate of NYU Tisch’s MFA Graduate … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, domestic & wild, Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews, Music and musicology, Popular music & culture, University life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment