Category Archives: Reviews

Essential Alcina

Posted on May 26, 2012 by barczablog

Alcina by Essential Opera was my second consecutive night of Händel, following my second viewing of the Canadian Opera Company’s unorthodox production of Semele.  I hope I can be forgiven for making comparisons, but I think it’s relevant given that Toronto Händel … Continue reading →

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Semele in my nose

Posted on May 25, 2012 by barczablog

I had another chance to see & hear and even smell Zhang Huan’s production of Semele at the Canadian Opera Company. Yes, Semele also smells good (and I’m not just saying that to make a feeble joke).  Before the curtain … Continue reading →

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Jane Archibald as Semele

Posted on May 12, 2012 by barczablog

You never can tell.  I would never have predicted which opera would be my favourite of the seven operas programmed this season by the Canadian Opera Company.  Both the adventurous staging and the consistently brilliant singing make Handel’s Semele by … Continue reading →

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Rheingold in person

Posted on May 6, 2012 by barczablog

While there’s still a controversy about Robert Lepage’s production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle at the Metropolitan Opera because some people don’t like it, it seems to be a success. I was at the Das Rheingold that opened the third cycle, … Continue reading →

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Two from Florence

Posted on April 27, 2012 by barczablog

The double bill of Zemlinsky’s A Florentine Tragedy with Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, currently being presented by the Canadian Opera Company, is a marriage made in heaven, a pair of complementary opposites who seem to belong together. They’re alike in some … Continue reading →

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Picasso in Toronto

Posted on April 25, 2012 by barczablog

When we come into contact with a great figure in the world of art we’re bound to be confronted with the great questions. What is art? What is culture & what is its relationship to citizenship & society? How should … Continue reading →

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Seek Haydn

Posted on April 23, 2012 by barczablog

At one time, the pathway to success for a virtuoso was simple. Sing what everyone else sings Sing it better than anyone …and by doing so, prove that you’re the best The game has changed.  I own several CDs that … Continue reading →

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Muse of Fire

Posted on April 19, 2012 by barczablog

When the Prologue to Henry V confronts us with the limitations of the medium, inviting the audience to employ their “imaginary forces,” because it is our “thoughts that now must deck [their] kings” we are encountering yet another part of … Continue reading →

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Opera Atelier’s Armide in Toronto

Posted on April 18, 2012 by barczablog

I have to rethink my week, because somehow I have to get to see Opera Atelier’s production of Jean-Baptiste Lully’s Armide again.  Possibly the finest opera of the 17th Century, and certainly one of the greatest operas ever written, it’s … Continue reading →

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Met Walküre

Posted on April 14, 2012 by barczablog

Before I begin this review, I want to give a quick shout out to my pal Robert. “Salut Robert.  Oui je sais que je suis “easy”, ou, comme on dit  “You had me at “Wes Herd dies auch sei/ hier … Continue reading →

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