Tag Archives: Liszt

James Rhodes & the Beethoven Revolution

Posted on March 6, 2020 by barczablog

Koerner Hall was jammed full tonight. Apparently everyone wants to hear James Rhodes play Beethoven. I’m late to the party, having no idea who this guy is, just intrigued by the interest I sense all around me, an electricity.  The … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays, Popular music & culture, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mikolaj Warszynski—Piano Solo

Posted on June 5, 2019 by barczablog

As I’ve been listening to a 2015 solo piano studio recording by Mikolaj Warszynski, I’ve found myself wondering about the process, about how music is made and how it comes to be heard. If a pianist plays brilliantly and no … Continue reading →

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Richard Wagner: A Life in Music

Posted on June 14, 2014 by barczablog

I just finished Martin Geck’s Richard Wagner: A Life in Music in Stewart Spencer’s 2013 translation. Published only in 2012 as Richard Wagner: Biografie you can judge for yourself how good this book must be, that its translation was pushed … Continue reading →

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Exoticism –The Music of Karol Szymanowski

Posted on July 31, 2013 by barczablog

Earlier this summer I let someone pick the play I saw, observing how it’s valuable to let someone else choose what one will see and/or hear.  We circumscribe ourselves with our menu choices, our viewing habits, our purchases, boxing ourselves … Continue reading →

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Eve Egoyan 5: reinventing the tone-row

Posted on April 15, 2013 by barczablog

Isn’t that life, in a way: trying to accommodate dissonance –Ann Southam In the realm of disco or heavy metal, we’re told to turn up the volume.  I saw something new, though, on the booklet for Eve Egoyan’s CD 5.  … Continue reading →

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Ministers of Music

Posted on December 31, 2011 by barczablog

December 30th is a day of reflection in my family.  My father passed away on this date long ago, forever casting a shadow over this festive season.  It doesn’t mean one can’t celebrate.  If one occasionally eats & drinks oneself … Continue reading →

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Mostly Frenchmen

Posted on August 24, 2011 by barczablog

I am so lucky that I made it to Lincoln Center in New York City this week for the big summer music festival, when Mostly Mozart Festival is admittedly mostly over. This is a festival probing interesting connections and juxtapositions … Continue reading →

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Chopin at the Opera

Posted on March 30, 2011 by barczablog

There’s nothing quite like cinema to change your viewpoint.  Film has changed my perspective on Frederic Chopin more than once. I’d grown up with his music around me, aware of him almost from the beginning.  Anyone learning how to play … Continue reading →

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