Tag Archives: Eric Owens

American Idol and popularity

Posted on April 13, 2021 by barczablog

Do you ever watch American Idol? I’d say it’s the best reality tv that you can find, unless you prefer one of the other performance shows where people sing or dance. There are really two parts to it. At the … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Politics, Popular music & culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Brilliantly Problematic Porgy & Bess

Posted on February 2, 2020 by barczablog

Don’t let the headline fool you. When you see that the Metropolitan Opera are producing The Gershwins’ Porgy & Bess for the first time in almost thirty years, seemingly selling every ticket to every performance, you might well ask them: … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Crow Comes Out

Posted on July 30, 2019 by barczablog

Tonight’s concert at Walter Hall –“Europe and the New World”—in the Toronto Summer Music Festival put artistic director Jonathan Crow into the spotlight.  He seems very comfortable there. That’s what I’m getting at with the headline. Our concert was sold … 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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Sellars’s Hercules

Posted on April 6, 2014 by barczablog

If I had a dime for every time I’ve seen an opera modernized via the use of modern military garb I could buy an opera subscription.  But someone was bound to make it work, right? I saw the Canadian Opera … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Closing the Ring

Posted on February 12, 2012 by barczablog

I love it. When you’re writing about a great massive project it’s easy to be verbose, a lot harder to say something meaningful that’s brief, so let me get the most important part out of the way.  As I said: … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Lepage’s Siegfried

Posted on November 6, 2011 by barczablog

I watched the latest instalment of Robert Lepage’s Ring cycle at the Metropolitan Opera in a high definition broadcast. The celebrated machine that is the star of the production continues to amuse and delight.  In the latest episode we see … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments