Category Archives: Reviews

Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony with the TSO

Posted on June 11, 2015 by barczablog

It’s been a long time between Mahler 2nds with the Toronto Symphony. I heard Andrew Davis lead them with Maureen Forrester in Massey Hall, one of several cherished memories from the old days on Shuter Street, aka the 1970s. Given … Continue reading →

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Melissa McCarthy and the F word: Spy vs Spies

Posted on June 7, 2015 by barczablog

For more than half a century we’ve been watching various bodacious hunks enacting our fantasies of control at a time of great anxiety. Cold War jitters made the heroics of James Bond and his ilk extra attractive no matter how … Continue reading →

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Goodyear plays Rachmaninov

Posted on June 7, 2015 by barczablog

Now I have a better idea what we missed. Stewart Goodyear was in the news recently when the Toronto Symphony hired him to replace the scheduled pianist at the last minute: until he withdrew due to online harassment. On social … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | 1 Comment

#AtGdeathdesire: more desire than death

Posted on June 3, 2015 by barczablog

If yesterday’s Dora announcement is anything to go by the youthful Against the Grain crew are a force to be reckoned with, as they’re up for several awards. Tonight AtG opened their latest, Death & Desire. Reading the lists of … Continue reading →

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Toronto Consort—a new Play of Daniel

Posted on May 23, 2015 by barczablog

I saw something brand-new, from the 12th century. It’s one of the ironies of theatre or music that sometimes recent works give you comparatively little room for invention, every page stipulating how it must be interpreted. If you want real … Continue reading →

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Andrew Davis – Verdi Requiem

Posted on May 22, 2015 by barczablog

The Toronto Symphony are celebrating a 40 year relationship with Sir Andrew Davis, their one-time music director (from 1975-1988) and currently their Conductor Laureate, with a series of concerts over the next couple of weeks. Tonight’s concert featured Verdi’s Requiem, … Continue reading →

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Is #AtGdeathdesire a new genre?

Posted on May 21, 2015 by barczablog

The word “new” is getting old pretty fast.  It’s used every time we encounter something a bit different. Nowadays everything is either retro, new or some combination of the two.  I am hesitant about using the word in the headline … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | 4 Comments

Four Last Songs: aging, creativity and the meaning of life

Posted on May 18, 2015 by barczablog

The cover picture shows Giuseppe Verdi sitting with a reflective expression on his face while he plays the piano. The book’s title is Four Last Songs: Aging and Creativity in Verdi, Strauss, Messiaen and Britten, the latest collaboration between Linda … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Ensemble Barber an initiation

Posted on May 16, 2015 by barczablog

This was my third look at the Canadian Opera Company Barber of Seville but through a very particular lens. Each season the COC gives over one of their performances to their Ensemble Studio, the talented young singers who are serving … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | 2 Comments

MYSTERY MURDER MADNESS for Mother’s Day with Robert Lepage’s Bluebeard / Erwartung

Posted on May 11, 2015 by barczablog

When the advertising screams out “MYSTERY MURDER MADNESS” you know it’s going to be a dark afternoon at the Four Seasons Centre even if it’s Mother’s Day.  But Dr Freud would approve the use of upper case. The operas are … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | 2 Comments