Category Archives: Reviews

Elektra again

Posted on February 17, 2019 by barczablog

Today I had a second chance to see & hear the Canadian Opera Company’s Elektra at the Four Seasons Centre. It was so much better for me the second time, possibly because I was sitting closer. That first time (from a … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | Tagged Alexandra Loutsion, Canadian Opera Company, Christine Goerke, Elektra, Erin Wall, Four Seasons Centre, Jill Grove, Johannes Debus, Lauren Eberwein, Lauren Segal, Michael Schade, Owen McCausland, Simona Genga, Susan Bullock, Tracy Cantin | 1 Comment

Glimpses of The Eternal Feminine with Barbara Hannigan

Posted on February 15, 2019 by barczablog

When I posted that photo at lunch earlier today from last night’s Toronto Symphony concert, I joked that Barbara Hannigan is a precedent setter. Even so I understated what we saw & heard tonight. With one exception, the five works … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Tagged Alban Berg, Barbara Hannigan, Bill Elliott, Claude Debussy, George Gershwin, Jean Sibelius, Lulu, Syrinx, Toronto Symphony Orchestra | 3 Comments

The Adaptation of Prince Hamlet

Posted on February 9, 2019 by barczablog

Do you ever need a tragedy? Sometimes I think we can be so burdened by the troubles of our own lives and the stories we hear from others, that we hunger for catharsis. I can’t be objective about the show … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Reviews | Tagged Berkeley Street Theatre, Canadian Stage, Christine Horne, Dawn Jani Birley, Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah, Miriam Fernandes, Prince Hamlet, Ravi Jain, Rick Roberts, Thomas Ryder Payne, Why Not Theatre, William Shakespeare | 4 Comments

Fierabras in concert

Posted on February 4, 2019 by barczablog

Voicebox /Opera in Concert offered a highlight in a splendid week of music theatre in Toronto, reminding us of why they are such a crucial part of the mix in this city with their concert performance of Schubert’s Fierabras today. Hook … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Tagged Alexander Dobson, Amy Moodie, Evan Korbut, Franz Schubert, Guillermo Silva-Marin, Jocelyn Fralick, Justin Welsh, Kevin Mallon, Lawrence Wiliford, Opera in Concert, Robert Cooper, Voicebox | Leave a comment

TSO: Sir Andrew Davis Conducts Wagner

Posted on February 1, 2019 by barczablog

If you’re a fan of the music of Richard Wagner chances are you’re fully aware that the Toronto Symphony are showcasing some of his best known music this week, in a concert tonight that repeats Saturday Feb 2nd. After three … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Tagged Andrew Davis, Brindley Sherratt, Die Walkure, Lise Davidsen, Richard Wagner, Simon O’Neill, Toronto Symphony Orchestra | 16 Comments

Hook Up

Posted on January 31, 2019 by barczablog

Tonight I saw and heard the world premiere of Hook Up, a partnership of Tapestry Opera with Theatre Passe Muraille. It’s a very accomplished musical, a story about relationships, sex and self-discovery. For the occasion of the premiere maybe we weren’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Reviews, University life | 2 Comments

The Harlequin Salon

Posted on January 19, 2019 by barczablog

In a week juxtaposing new (21C festival) and old (the Toronto Symphony playing Mozart with Pinchas Zukerman), I came finally to see The Harlequin Salon by Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, including a great deal of theatricality to complement their music. While … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Tagged castrati, commedia dell'arte, Dino Gonçalves, Domenico Pietropaolo, Elisa Citterio, Farinelli, Faustina Bordoni, Felix Deak, Giovanni Bononcini, Guillaume Bernardi, lazzo, Marco Cera, Pergolesi, Pier Leone Ghezzi, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, The Harlequin Salon, Vivaldi | Leave a comment

Zukerman, Mozart and the TSO

Posted on January 18, 2019 by barczablog

While tonight’s Toronto Symphony all-Mozart concert, conducted by violinist Pinchas Zukerman was 180 degrees in the opposite direction from what they were up to yesterday at Koerner Hall, launching the 21C Festival of new music, there were some interesting points … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays, Reviews | Tagged Mozart, Pinchas Zukerman | Leave a comment

21C – TSO – Goodyear

Posted on January 17, 2019 by barczablog

Tonight the Toronto Symphony joined forces with members of the Glen Gould School to launch the 21C Festival at Koerner Hall. We heard six works including two world premieres to conclude: Terry Riley: “Half-Wolf Dances Mad in Moonlight” (string orchestra) … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged 21C, Beethoven, Dinuk Wijeratne, Dorothy Chang, Emilie LeBel, Jocelyn Morlock, Koerner Halll, Simon Rivard, Stewart Goodyear, Tania Miller, Terry Riley | 2 Comments

Kiviuq Returns: truly an Inuit Epic

Posted on January 14, 2019 by barczablog

I came out of the matinee of Kiviuq Returns: An Inuit Epic in an altered state of reality. It’s new but it’s old, it soothes you even as it challenges you. They set the bar very high for what’s to come … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged Inuktitut, Kiviuq Returns: An Inuit Epic, Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory, Qaggiavuut, Tarragon Theatre | 1 Comment