Tag Archives: Ludwig van Beethoven

Tafelmusik record Beethoven’s Ninth

Posted on February 7, 2016 by barczablog

Tonight’s Koerner Hall concert was recorded, one of a series. But it seemed like a pair of concerts. Before intermission we watched the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir, led by their founding director Ivars Taurins. This is a choir he built, piece by … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Emerson String Quartet’s Modern Age

Posted on July 23, 2014 by barczablog

The Emerson String Quartet kicked off Toronto Summer Music with a concert tonight. I’m sure some people were there to hear Beethoven’s Op 95 quartet, many more to hear Schubert’s “Death & the Maiden” quartet, while comparatively few were there … Continue reading →

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Songs in the key of F Mayor

Posted on November 7, 2013 by barczablog

Meaning is where you find it. Toronto’s mayor is bigger than ever.  He was always large, but now he’s becoming an international icon.  If he wanted it, I’m sure a reality TV show could follow His Worship and his brother … Continue reading →

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Political Beethoven: time for truth

Posted on August 13, 2013 by barczablog

Do modern times sometimes upset you? seeking to escape? It’s a nerdy question naturally.  If you’re alive, you’re in modern times, no matter how preoccupied you allow yourself to become, lost in a video-game, biography, opera DVD, soap opera… (you … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Bridal grooming

Posted on June 21, 2013 by barczablog

A couple of weeks ago I was asked to play keyboard (organ + piano) at a wedding.  I said yes enthusiastically, even though I haven’t done this in quite awhile.  While I play the organ at my church from time … Continue reading →

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Above the clouds

Posted on August 10, 2012 by barczablog

Last weekend John Terauds used the occasion of the Simcoe Day holiday to celebrate the quintessential Torontonian composer, Godfrey Ridout. It reminds me of a time long ago, when I took a course taught by two giants at the Faculty … Continue reading →

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Faster, Higher, Stronger

Posted on July 26, 2012 by barczablog

Is it a competition?  To some extent. Both Richard Wagner & Claude Debussy used the metaphor of the circus acrobat to describe the virtuoso dynamic with an appreciative audience.  Whether we’re speaking of singers or instrumentalists, there is an implicit … Continue reading →

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From C to shining C

Posted on May 22, 2012 by barczablog

No this isn’t about Pavarotti or tenors. Today I finally closed the circle on Beethoven’s sonatas.  I’d played thirty-one of his thirty-two in a sequence following the first two posts I made, after hearing about Stewart Goodyear’s Beethoven Marathon. For … Continue reading →

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A dark and stormy night

Posted on August 28, 2011 by barczablog

Every now and then I notice that a beloved piece of music has fallen out of my personal  top ten.  It may be because I’ve listened too often, or because some other piece has grabbed my affections.  But something very … Continue reading →

Posted in Essays | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments