Tag Archives: Giuseppe Verdi

COC Barber in 2026

Posted on February 7, 2026 by barczablog

At first glance the two operas being presented by the Canadian Opera Company represent a contrasting pair. Last week I reviewed the dark Christopher Alden Rigoletto, being offered in a revival with a strong cast. Tonight I saw the COC’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | Tagged Canadian Opera Company, Daniela Candillari, Dave Monaco, Els Comediants, Gioachino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi, Joan Font, Joan Guillén, Luke Sutliff, Renato Girolami | Leave a comment

Opera Salon Series: Romanticism & Bel Canto

Posted on February 1, 2026 by barczablog

Today I attended a Voicebox: Opera in Concert Opera Salon, highlighting Romanticism & Bel Canto. I want to see any concert or presentation that offers us a new way to offer opera and to find an audience. We’ve seen arias … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | Tagged Alexander Cappellazzo, bel canto, Cassandra Amorim, classical-music, Diana Rockwell, Edward Jackman Centre, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Evan Korbut, Gaetano Donizetti, Giacomo Meyerbeer, Giuseppe Verdi, Guillermo Silva-Marin, Henry Ingram, Holly Chaplin, Jules Massenet, Justin Welsh, Michael William Balfe, music, opera, Romanticism, Vincenzo Bellini, Voicebox Opera in Concert | Leave a comment

A Rigoletto for our time

Posted on January 29, 2026 by barczablog

The Canadian Opera Company are reviving the Christopher Alden Rigoletto, last seen in 2018 and first seen here in 2011. I have always been conflicted about it, a production that in some ways shows the real story that composer Giuseppe … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | Tagged Ben Bliss, Canadian Opera Company, Christopher Alden, Four Seasons Centre, Franceso Maria Piave, Giuseppe Verdi, Johannes Debus, Quinn Kelsey, Rigoletto, Sarah Dufresne, Simone Genga, Zoie Reams | Leave a comment

Nabucco not as written

Posted on October 23, 2024 by barczablog

I had another chance to see the Canadian Opera Company’s Nabucco last Saturday, this time using my subscription seat. The first time courtesy of the COC comp ticket I watched and listened as a reviewer, while this time it was … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera | Tagged a cappella, Canadian Opera Company, Giuseppe Verdi, Nabucco, Paolo Carignani, Sandra Horst | 2 Comments

COC’s timely Nabucco

Posted on October 6, 2024 by barczablog

I’ve just seen the Canadian Opera Company’s new Nabucco, a production of Giuseppe Verdi’s 1842 work from Lyric Opera of Chicago greeted by a rapturous audience at Four Seasons Centre this afternoon. I never thought that Nabucco could feel so … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera | Tagged Abigaille, Canadian Opera Company, COC, Giuseppe Verdi, Mary Elizabeth Williams, Matthew Cairns, Nabucco, Paolo Carignani, Rihab Chaieb, Roland Wood | Leave a comment

John Holland’s unexpected polemic in The Lost Tradition of Dvořák’s Operas

Posted on February 29, 2024 by barczablog

When I started reading John Holland’s new book, I didn’t expect it to be more than a study of a composer and his operas. That modest goal would already be significant, considering the cognitive dissonance I feel whenever the plural … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Opera | Tagged Bolshoi, Das Rheingold, Dmitri Tcherniakov, dramaturgy, Giuseppe Verdi, Jacobin, John Holland, Linda Hutcheon, Prince Igor, Regietheater, Richard Wagner, Robert Donington, Rusalka, Ruslan und Ludmilla | 1 Comment

Questions for Tammy Wilson

Posted on February 21, 2024 by barczablog

Tamara Wilson is one of the best singers in the world. Yes we import Europeans to sing opera but some Americans have no equal. We’re lucky to have heard that voice in Toronto, usually the most impressive sound in that … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Opera | Tagged Aida, COVID, Die Fledermaus, Giuseppe Verdi, Isolde, Kenan Thompson, Richard Wagner, saturday night live, Savannah Bananas, Tamara Wilson, Turandot | Leave a comment

Questions for Alexander Hajek

Posted on January 19, 2024 by barczablog

I heard baritone Alexander Hajek singing at the Toronto Vocal Showcase 1.0 in August. He sang well. Full disclosure? I grew up accompanying my brother baritone Peter Barcza. I tend to be harshest with baritone voices ever since. So it … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Opera | Tagged Alexander Hajek, Claire Elise Harris, Da Ponte, Danie Friesen, Das Rheingold, Ernani, Giuseppe Verdi, Mozart, Opera Revue, Richard Wagner, Toronto Vocal Showcase 1.0, Warhammer | Leave a comment

Rossini’s Otello from Opera By Request

Posted on June 26, 2023 by barczablog

Last night I watched a concert presentation of Rossini’s Otello from Opera By Request, a company who demonstrate their importance with every outing. Bill Shookhoff leads from the piano working without a conductor, seated upstage of performers who face the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Tagged Arrigo Boito, Berio di Salsa, Bill Shookhoff, College Street United Church, Ernesto Ramirez, Gioachino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi, Meagan Reimer, Opera by Request, Otello, Othello, Paul Williamson, William Shakespeare | Leave a comment

Macbeth closing performance: women have it harder

Posted on May 21, 2023 by barczablog

Three weeks ago I reviewed the powerful opening night of the new Sir David McVicar production of Verdi’s Macbeth from the Canadian Opera Company. Today I came full circle watching the last show of the run including exciting changes in … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Tagged Adam Luther, Canadian Opera Company, Charlotte Siegel, Elinor Ross, Four Seasons Centre, Giuseppe Verdi, Lady Macbeth, Louis Quilico, Macbeth, Matthew Cairns, Quinn Kelsey, Sir David McVicar, Speranza Scappucci, Tosca, Tracy Cantin | Leave a comment