Category Archives: Reviews

TSO – Fragile Absolute

Posted on March 6, 2016 by barczablog

The Toronto Symphony’s three-concert New Creations Festival launched in impressive fashion tonight, a spectacular variety of styles on display in a programme with the title “Fragile Absolute”. Before the interval felt like personal testimony from the festival’s curator Brett Dean. … Continue reading →

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Last tango in Siviglia

Posted on February 24, 2016 by barczablog

There’s a curious mix of adventure and nostalgia that goes with the annual Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio performance of one of the season’s operas. After having seen a production with a cast of seasoned professionals, each year we get … Continue reading →

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Betroffenheit’s ambitions

Posted on February 21, 2016 by barczablog

I am riding the emotional high of Betroffenheit, a co-creation & co-production of Crystal Pite’s Kidd Pivot and Jonathon Young’s Electric Company Theatre, presented tonight at the Bluma Appel Theatre as part of Canadian Stage’s current season, in a run … Continue reading →

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CASP – The Pilgrim Soul

Posted on February 20, 2016 by barczablog

“The Pilgrim Soul” was the name given to tonight’s collaboration between pianist Emily Hamper and baritone Phillip Addis for Canadian Art Song Project (aka “CASP”). I had assumed that tonight’s program would be more conventional, less experimental than CASP’s last … Continue reading →

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Salieri’s Falstaff: first time in Canada

Posted on February 8, 2016 by barczablog

To most people Antonio Salieri is unknown except as the older composer associated with Mozart in Amadeus, perhaps best captured in this little clip from Milos Forman’s 1983 film. Of course the way that story is told is a cruel … Continue reading →

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Tafelmusik record Beethoven’s Ninth

Posted on February 7, 2016 by barczablog

Tonight’s Koerner Hall concert was recorded, one of a series. But it seemed like a pair of concerts. Before intermission we watched the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir, led by their founding director Ivars Taurins. This is a choir he built, piece by … Continue reading →

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COC Siegfried: Love on the rocks in white PJs

Posted on January 31, 2016 by barczablog

Of the four operas in Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle the closest thing to a comedy is Siegfried. Yes we do have a couple of deaths and a couple of would-be rulers of the world thwarted but it’s got a happy ending, … Continue reading →

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Love, Death and the TSO

Posted on January 29, 2016 by barczablog

Tonight was my first look at the Toronto Symphony playing under Peter Oundjian since their Florida tour. On the trip I saw an ensemble who were playing with commitment and passion. Oundjian’s leadership for the three performances I saw of … Continue reading →

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TSO Stage Mozart Requiem

Posted on January 24, 2016 by barczablog

We were all invested with a sense of community. As I sat making notes afterwards, Joseph Johnson’s solo cello kept playing away, as though he didn’t want to go home. I think it’s fair to say that so far Jeff … Continue reading →

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La bonne chanson @ RBA

Posted on January 21, 2016 by barczablog

Today’s noon-hour concert at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre was the first collaboration between the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio and the COC Orchestra Academy.  As I so often do I’ll begin with a preamble, one that corresponds to the gap … Continue reading →

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