Tag Archives: Gustav Mahler

Mahler, Berg and more at the EJB Library

Posted on November 26, 2023 by barczablog

Thursday Nov 23rd felt like a Thanksgiving celebration. I found a free parking spot on Bernard for one hour. The first 15 minutes were spent walking down Bedford Rd & then Philosopher’s Walk to the Edward Johnson Building for my … Continue reading →

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Mahler’s Fifth and Berg’s early songs

Posted on November 24, 2023 by barczablog

The Toronto Symphony’s program for this week is a surprisingly powerful combination. We open with 17 minutes of passionate singing by mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo, seven songs composed by Alban Berg (1885-1935) between 1905 and 1908. After intermission we settle in … Continue reading →

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Days of Happiness / Les Jours heureux #tiff23

Posted on September 12, 2023 by barczablog

It’s a pleasure and privilege to watch a film at tiff followed by a talkback, where directors and performers respond to our questions. A woman in front of me asked writer & director Chloé Robichaud the question I would have … Continue reading →

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Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas—In Concert with the TSO

Posted on October 29, 2022 by barczablog

Tonight Erika and I watched The Nightmare Before Christmas shown with the Toronto Symphony playing the score live, conducted by Sarah Hicks at Roy Thomson Hall. As with the 100 Years of Film Music concert we attended earlier this week, … Continue reading →

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TSO String showcase and what’s to come

Posted on November 18, 2021 by barczablog

In this the second week of Gustavo Gimeno’s tenure as music director of the Toronto Symphony, we’re already seeing some exciting programming choices. Someone thought to limit the number of players onstage to around 50 as a safety measure, affording … Continue reading →

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ARC Ensemble –Dmitri Klebanov Chamber Works

Posted on October 26, 2021 by barczablog

Exile doesn’t just occur when you’re distant from your homeland. What about artists ignored or silenced inside their country? I never thought of it that way before reading Simon Wynberg’s excellent essay in the liner notes to ARC Ensemble’s new … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Politics, Reviews, University life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Song of the Earth

Posted on August 2, 2019 by barczablog

I can’t help noticing symmetry in 2019’s Toronto Summer Music and its Beyond Borders theme. The Festival opened July 12th with a concert featuring a Mozart sonata including the famous rondo “alla Turca” and a 20th century song cycle in … Continue reading →

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TSO + Davis = Mahler magic

Posted on May 17, 2019 by barczablog

I marked this one down on my calendar a long time ago, even though tonight on May 16th is a key date for other reasons… It’s COC’s Operanation It’s the world premiere of Shanawdithit, the co-pro from Tapestry / Opera … Continue reading →

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Resurrection Symphony: that’s how to do it

Posted on April 19, 2019 by barczablog

Tonight was the second of three performances of Mahler’s 2nd Symphony by the Toronto Symphony at Roy Thomson Hall. It’s known as the Resurrection symphony. I’d recommend it to three different groups of people: If you’re religious and conscious of … Continue reading →

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Han-Na Chang and Javier Perianes: Mahler & Ravel

Posted on October 4, 2018 by barczablog

The Toronto Symphony played a mid-week concert tonight to a rapturous reception. The TSO are in a transition, awaiting their new music director while playing either with their interim Artistic director Andrew Davis, or with a series of guests.  There … Continue reading →

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