Category Archives: Reviews

Opera 5 –Open Chambers

Posted on December 1, 2018 by

Walter Pater famously said “all art constantly aspires to the condition of music”.  But did anyone bother to ask “what then does music aspire to”?  Does music seek to be something more, or should it perhaps be content to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

BOUND v. 2: power struggles

Posted on November 20, 2018 by

Against the Grain Theatre premiered version two of BOUND at The Great Hall on Queen St W or as Joel Ivany called it “an ongoing process”.  I didn’t see version 1, and perhaps this summer or next year there will … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Opera, Personal ruminations, Politics, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Space Opera Zero

Posted on November 17, 2018 by

When I write about the shows I see I’m sometimes overwhelmed by envy, wishing it were me who’s up there singing or playing. We’re never more alive than when we’re dying onstage. And so I’ll often toss off these spontaneous … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Opera, Popular music & culture, Reviews, Theatre & musicals | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Vitals

Posted on November 16, 2018 by

Whenever I see a new theatre piece, whether spoken or musical, I’m juggling a few balls, responding to the work that was composed / written the interpretation / direction of that piece the performances / acting in the piece Whatever … Continue reading →

Posted in Psychology and perception, Reviews, Theatre & musicals | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Helen’s Necklace via Canadian Rep Theatre

Posted on November 11, 2018 by

I knew what I was going to see when I got to the upstairs space on Berkeley St. Oh sure, it was Canadian Rep Theatre’s staging of Carole Fréchette’s play Helen’s Necklace in John Murrell’s translation, directed by Ken Gass. … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Reviews, Theatre & musicals | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Circa Humans

Posted on November 10, 2018 by

Tonight I saw Humans by the Circa Ensemble a visiting troupe from Australia. I read the following brief preamble from Yaron Lifschitz, the Artistic Director of Circa.  While it was poignant before the show, it was positively illuminating to re-read … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal ruminations, Psychology and perception, Reviews, Theatre & musicals | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Steffani: more devotion than drama

Posted on November 9, 2018 by

I am grateful for the gift of a new voice, a new composer introduced to me by Tafelmusik, Ivars Taurins, and Krisztina Szabo. It’s truly a magical thing. I was pondering the experience of classical music, how so much of … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments