Category Archives: Reviews

Some resist seduction by Tcherniakov’s Don Giovanni

Posted on January 25, 2015 by barczablog

Today’s opening of the Canadian Opera co-production of Don Giovanni directed by Dmitri Tcherniakov met with a mixed reception at the Four Seasons Centre. I heard a few boos, saw some empty seats at the end and heard an earful … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | 10 Comments

Opera 5: Modern (Family) Opera

Posted on January 24, 2015 by barczablog

I was invited to think and feel at tonight’s first performance of the Opera 5 program “Modern (Family) Opera”. I laughed a lot, I felt a lot, and my mind’s awhirl. The family theme is approached from two very different … Continue reading →

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Songs of Love and War

Posted on January 22, 2015 by barczablog

The title of today’s noon-hour concert at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre –“Songs  of Love and War”—is  a curious umbrella sheltering a diverse group of songs & composers.  I can only speculate on the rationale for the programme, created for members … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | 4 Comments

Based on a True Story: Big Eyes and The Theory of Everything

Posted on January 18, 2015 by barczablog

A new production of Don Giovanni opens at the Canadian Opera Company next week, followed shortly by Die Walküre.  Neither one bears the epithet “based on a true story”, as so many current films seem to (thinking for instance of … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Reviews | Leave a comment

Talisker Players: Puttin’ on the Ritz

Posted on January 12, 2015 by barczablog

Talisker Players, that inter-disciplinary nexus for music & text, have made another crossover adventure. “Puttin’ On the Ritz” takes us into the world of Irving Berlin, in a series of songs sung by Bud Roach and Whitney O’Hearn. I’d call … Continue reading →

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Bud Roach: Arias for Tenor and Baroque Guitar

Posted on January 6, 2015 by barczablog

Every now and then a recording or performance comes along to challenge your assumptions, possibly giving you a new way of seeing things.    I’ve been listening to two Bud Roach CDs: 1-Sospiro: Alessandro Grandi Complete Arias, 1626 (recorded in … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Two books for the choral conductor: mortality at my fingertip

Posted on January 1, 2015 by barczablog

As the old year winds down I’m aware of the passage of time.  Reminders of mortality prod me, as if to say “you’re getting old”. To be more accurate, I’ve acted as though I were indestructible, denying my own pain, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Music and musicology, Reviews | 4 Comments

Colorature: a CD from Marie-Eve Munger, soprano

Posted on December 30, 2014 by barczablog

My favourite lines in the film The Blues Brothers? The moment when The Brothers arrive at their gig, pretending to be “The Goodtime Boys”, and enquire what sort of music this establishment usually offers. “oh we got both kinds: country AND … Continue reading →

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Toronto Operetta Theatre’s Mikado

Posted on December 28, 2014 by barczablog

Although I haven’t seen many shows from Toronto Operetta Theatre, tonight’s is timely, after the social media debates between armchair Artistic Directors concerning management strategies. In the years to come we’re likely to see a scaling back of the boldest … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | 2 Comments

Die Meistersinger von Glyndebourne

Posted on December 23, 2014 by barczablog

I’m trying to understand why I responded the way I did to the Glyndebourne production of Wagner’s Die Meistersinger. It’s a relatively straight-forward production that might even be called conservative. David McVicar and the team who made the DVD have … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | 4 Comments