Tag Archives: Richard Strauss

Pageants of Power

Posted on February 25, 2013 by barczablog

Whenever a new pair of presenters come out onto the stage at the Academy Awards, the pit band begins to play something suitable. Nobody does that when I walk into a room. I was thinking about this after reading some … Continue reading →

Posted in Essays, Opera, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Love’s Dark Shore

Posted on February 12, 2013 by barczablog

How apt that in the week of Valentine’s Day, between performances of Tristan und Isolde, a paean to love, that the Canadian Opera  Company should present a concert program titled “Love’s Dark Shore” in the Richard Bradshaw Auditorium.  We heard … Continue reading →

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10 Questions for Franz-Josef Selig

Posted on February 9, 2013 by barczablog

German bass Franz-Josef Selig is making his Canadian Opera Company debut as King Marke in Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde. Selig has performed at the world’s great opera houses including the Met, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, La Scala, Wiener Staatsoper, … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Mornings after and music

Posted on January 1, 2013 by barczablog

Caution: some of this essay may stick in your head. As I write this on the first morning of the year, it’s a time when many of us are still feeling the after-effects of our celebrations, and may feel literally … Continue reading →

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Once is not enough

Posted on September 6, 2012 by barczablog

We know that technology is changing rapidly.  Can you imagine that human perception would somehow remain unchanged, or is it more likely that with all the new platforms, applications, and media, that our brains might work in new ways? Such … Continue reading →

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Adrianne’s Ariadne

Posted on May 13, 2011 by barczablog

You know you’re an opera fan when___ .  There are lots of ways to complete the sentence, but how about this one(….?): you know you’re an opera fan when you come out of the Lion King, humming Ariadne auf Naxos.  … Continue reading →

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