Category Archives: Reviews

A Tafelmusik Christmas

Posted on November 26, 2021 by barczablog

Do you remember how, at the end of It’s a Wonderful Life (that great film encouraging us to be grateful, to appreciate what we have): George Bailey celebrates and appreciates a return to normalcy after the end of his nightmare? … Continue reading →

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

TSO Winds, Brass & Percussion Spotlight

Posted on November 20, 2021 by barczablog

We’re still in the earliest days of Gustavo Gimeno’s tenure as music director of the Toronto Symphony, enjoying the pandemic protocol of smaller groups onstage playing for smaller groups in Roy Thomson Hall, in 60 minute concerts. That’s why we … Continue reading →

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MixTape

Posted on November 13, 2021 by barczablog

I was among the ecstatic audience for the opening of Zorana Sadiq’s MixTape tonight at Crow’s Guloien Theatre. Yes we’re thrilled to be back in a theatre, delighted to be looking at one another, guessing identities behind the masks. Was … Continue reading →

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TSO and Gimeno return

Posted on November 11, 2021 by barczablog

This Toronto Symphony Orchestra concert was a happening. They’re back! The audience clapped when the players appeared. And we clapped when Gustavo Gimeno came out for his first appearance as our New Music Director. The occasion was special for several … Continue reading →

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Odin Quartet’s Journey Through Night CD launch Nov 6th

Posted on November 2, 2021 by barczablog

Does music tell stories? I’ve been listening to the CD “Journey Through Night” by Odin Quartet. Here’s how they describe themselves on one of the sites I found extolling their virtues: Passionate about chamber music, the Toronto-based Odin Quartet represents … Continue reading →

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Be Not Too Bold: COC Schicchi

Posted on November 1, 2021 by barczablog

The headline is the inevitable result of a weekend watching and comparing two different virtual offerings from two opera companies, one much bolder than the other. Yesterday’s Opera Atelier headline aims to praise what’s praiseworthy, so I used the word … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Bold Angel from Opera Atelier

Posted on October 31, 2021 by barczablog

Opera Atelier’s new film of Angel –fully-staged and filmed at St. Lawrence Hall—will be streaming until Friday, November 12. Angel is a bold experiment. I’m not sure how to describe the work, an interesting mixture of styles and idioms that … Continue reading →

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ARC Ensemble –Dmitri Klebanov Chamber Works

Posted on October 26, 2021 by barczablog

Exile doesn’t just occur when you’re distant from your homeland. What about artists ignored or silenced inside their country? I never thought of it that way before reading Simon Wynberg’s excellent essay in the liner notes to ARC Ensemble’s new … Continue reading →

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Cliff Cardinal’s Shakespearean musings

Posted on October 16, 2021 by barczablog

I’ve just been to “a Radical Retelling” of As You Like it by Cree actor and playwright Cliff Cardinal at Crow’s Theatre.   A story about someone banished into the forest after his property is stolen from him by his brother … Continue reading →

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Nicole Lizée Undisrupted: A Guide to The Orchestra

Posted on September 30, 2021 by barczablog

Is “undisrupted” a word? We have disturbed and undisturbed, disputable and indisputable. As far as I can tell the best way to understand undisrupted is in its use as the title of a series on CBC Gem:“In this ground-breaking video … Continue reading →

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