Category Archives: Reviews

Tyler Seguin’s adaptation of Northanger Abbey premieres at Guild Festival Theatre

Posted on August 10, 2026 by barczablog

There’s a special magic with a new play. When it’s an adaptation of a beloved novel the excitement is greater. Tyler Seguin has adapted Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey in a production that premiered this weekend at Guild Festival Theatre in … Continue reading →

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Two sides of the same fiddler

Posted on July 22, 2026 by barczablog

Toronto Summer Music showed us a magic trick. William Fedkenheuer played classical violin in the first half of the concert. William on violin and Orion Weiss on piano played a movement of Brahms, then a sonata of Beethoven and a … Continue reading →

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Kleztory at Toronto Summer Music

Posted on July 21, 2026 by barczablog

Kleztory made their third appearance at Toronto Summer Music Festival Monday July 20th at Walter Hall although this was my first chance to hear and see them, as much a visual as aural experience. Kleztory sometimes play music that we … Continue reading →

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Brontë: The World Without comes to Guild Festival Theatre in Scarborough

Posted on July 20, 2026 by barczablog

Gothic Girl Summer began this week at Guild Festival Theatre with Brontë: The World Without, a recent play by Jordi Mand. I laughed loudly for much of the play showing us episodes, a series of scenes from a three-year period … Continue reading →

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Golden Age: Erin Morley and Lawrence Brownlee bring their magic to a live performance at Koerner Hall

Posted on July 17, 2026 by barczablog

Last year soprano Erin Morley and tenor Lawrence Brownlee released an album titled “Golden Age” accompanied by Munich Radio Orchestra conducted by Ivan Repušić featuring opera solos & duets from the 19th century. Thursday July 16th, the Toronto Summer Music … Continue reading →

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A Toronto Summer Music opening night celebration with Les Arts Florissants

Posted on July 10, 2026 by barczablog

Driving downtown to the concert Thursday night July 9th in Koerner Hall I drove through downpours, hearing of roads closed by local flooding. By the time I got there the weather had cleared up, an auspicious beginning: to the 2026 … Continue reading →

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Of Whales and Willpower Part One: Jamaican Music from Apocryphonia

Posted on June 14, 2026 by barczablog

The title of the concert Friday June 12th at Christ Church Deer Park was “Of Whales and Willpower: The Jamaican Jonah, Part 1”, suggesting that there’s a sequel in the works. This first step was hearing excerpts from Samuel Felsted’s … Continue reading →

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Digging into cinematic culture with Maria Dueñas, Gustavo Gimeno & the Toronto Symphony

Posted on June 7, 2026 by barczablog

In a week when every item in the Toronto Symphony’s concert program has a connection to film, it was amazing to see such a remarkable variety, the many different ways music and movies can be connected. And the results were … Continue reading →

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Virtuoso Shunske Sato takes Tafelmusik to the next level with Beethoven & Bologne

Posted on June 1, 2026 by barczablog

Descending the stairs after the final Tafelmusik concert of the season at Koerner Hall, walking slowly behind older audience members, a woman beside me glanced over, eyes glowing, wanting to share her experience. She had to talk. And so we … Continue reading →

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Mandle Philharmonic plays Mahler 2nd

Posted on May 23, 2026 by barczablog

I have to make comparisons. Even the most sympathetic critic observes and then contextualizes, by framing those observations in comparison to others. On Friday May 22nd Mandle Cheung conducted his orchestra, the Mandle Philharmonic, in a performance of Gustav Mahler’s … Continue reading →

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