Category Archives: Reviews

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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Tina Fey — Bossypants

Posted on April 13, 2012 by barczablog

Don’t trust a man who claims to be writing about feminism.  We have agendas.  Now of course sometimes I fool people because they see “Leslie Barcza” and think I am a girl. But I can’t be trusted. There are several … Continue reading →

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Young funny adult people

Posted on April 10, 2012 by barczablog

When you run into a film unlike any you’ve ever seen before, there’s a temptation to attempt to make sense of it through other films one has seen.   How else would we know a unicorn, except by our previous experience … Continue reading →

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Freud & Jung, Shore & Wagner

Posted on April 2, 2012 by barczablog

A Dangerous Method is David Cronenberg’s recent film concerning a fascinating triangle.  The two men are analysts Sigmund Freud & Carl Jung.  And then there’s Sabina Spielrein, who was both patient & lover of Jung.  While there’s a domestic triangle … Continue reading →

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