Category Archives: Reviews

East o’ the Sun and West o’ the Moon

Posted on May 31, 2014 by barczablog

This afternoon I had the pleasure of watching the new Norbert Palej opera from the Canadian Children’s Opera Company: East o’ the Sun and West o’ the Moon with libretto by K T Bryski. It is a traditional folk tale … Continue reading →

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A Poet’s Love

Posted on May 28, 2014 by barczablog

Writing in Opera’s Second Death, Slavoj Zizek claims that opera served a purpose at one point, before Freud & the invention of psychotherapy.  Watching “A Poet‘s Love”, tonight’s concert from Talisker Players & baritone Alexander Dobson , I had parallel … Continue reading →

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Franz Liszt and Marie d’Agoult letters

Posted on May 25, 2014 by barczablog

I first encountered the romance between Franz Liszt and Comtesse Marie d’Agoult in Impromptu, a film full of famous artists in the script (Chopin, Liszt, Sand) and on the screen (Judy Davis, Hugh Grant, Mandy Patinkin & Bernadette Peters).  Impromptu … Continue reading →

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Second time lucky

Posted on May 23, 2014 by barczablog

Presented with more or less identical performances on two different occasions, what is it exactly that can make one so different from the other? Where I whined & complained the first time, I had a wonderful experience seeing the Canadian … Continue reading →

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Les Adieux

Posted on May 21, 2014 by barczablog

The Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio had their annual noon-hour concert to commemorate the departure of some of their members, titled “Les Adieux”. The three performers? Michael Shannon, piano Cameron McPhail, baritone Sasha Djihanian, soprano For most of the concert … Continue reading →

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Louis Riel

Posted on May 17, 2014 by barczablog

When I was young there was a phrase used so often that it became a cliché, something to be joked about. What exactly was the “Canadian identity”, and –other than hockey or maple syrup –what was Canadian culture? As far … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Music and musicology, Opera, Politics, Popular music & culture, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Questions of identity

Posted on May 11, 2014 by barczablog

Do you know who you are? Today’s performance of the Canadian Opera company production of Roberto Devereux  at the Four Seasons Centre seemed like an investigation of identity. For one thing, there’s the opera’s plot, which concerns Elizabeth I and … Continue reading →

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Quixotic Ride

Posted on May 10, 2014 by barczablog

On Thursday May 22nd Stephen R. Clarke will be lecturing on “Chaliapin: A Portrait in Recordings” as part of the Canadian Opera Company‘s free noon-hour lecture series.  I wonder if Clarke will play any examples from Massenet’s Don Quichotte?  Unfortunately … Continue reading →

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

A Celebration of Jeanne Lamon

Posted on May 9, 2014 by barczablog

At the end they handed her a bouquet, and she immediately separated it into discreet flowers, walking among her colleagues handing one to each.  It was a moment that was so typical. Jeanne Lamon has been in the process of … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | 1 Comment

The Tempest Replica: Icing and Cake

Posted on May 8, 2014 by barczablog

Tonight Toronto got another look at Kidd Pivot, Crystal Pite’s company from out west.  While this may be new to us, it’s not really new.  Just as Dark Matters –brought to Toronto by Canadian Stage back in 2012— was already … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments