Tag Archives: Rigoletto

A last Rigoletto on the cusp of a regime change

Posted on February 15, 2026 by barczablog

For Valentine’s Day 2026 this subscriber attended the Canadian Opera Company’s last performance of Rigoletto in their winter season at the Four Seasons Centre, in Christopher Alden’s rather un-romantic production. The rose petals fall from above as the young girl … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Quilico and Pavarotti in Rigoletto

Posted on April 12, 2021 by barczablog

The Metropolitan Opera’s free feed gave us a lovely trip down memory lane last week, with a 1981 Rigoletto starring Louis Quilico, Luciano Pavarotti and Christiane Eda-Pierre. I can’t be the only one who watched, remembering the times Quilico sang … Continue reading →

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Wordless chorus

Posted on May 21, 2020 by barczablog

This subject seems apt right now. The voices in this music have no words, which is a perfect expression for a time when we don’t know what’s to come. Of course we never do, but it’s especially noticeable when we’re … Continue reading →

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Questions for Bruno Roy

Posted on May 18, 2018 by barczablog

Time flies. It seems like it was only yesterday that baritone Bruno Roy was a finalist in Centre Stage, the 2015 Ensemble Studio competition. The new voice that we had never heard before? He is now about to make his … Continue reading →

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Verdi’s Many Masks

Posted on January 25, 2014 by barczablog

The Canadian Opera Company open a production of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Un ballo in maschera next week.  It’s placed in a modern setting, one that might have you wondering whether Verdi’s instructions are being flouted by a directorial intervention.  But … Continue reading →

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Wagnerian Bicentennial

Posted on May 22, 2013 by barczablog

We’ve come to the first of the three important opera composer birthdays in 2013. May 22:  Richard Wagner’s bicentennial October 10:  Giuseppe Verdi’s bicentennial November 22: Benjamin Britten’s centennial You may prefer Britten’s operas. You may point to the box … Continue reading →

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Opera Eats

Posted on December 5, 2012 by barczablog

There are more talented artists graduating from the programs training them than there are possible jobs.  It’s one reason we have Fringe Festivals: because we’ve trained so many good young actors, directors & playwrights, that they can create their own … Continue reading →

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Quilico’s Rigoletto

Posted on November 24, 2012 by barczablog

Some artists have an abundant recorded legacy, while others are curiously under-represented.  At times I find this irritating, because I suspect it’s more a reflection of market forces than an indication of real quality. I believe if Louis Quilico had … Continue reading →

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Rigoletto, second cast

Posted on October 18, 2011 by barczablog

I had another look/listen to the Canadian Opera Company’s Rigoletto Oct 17th in a performance that was substantially different from the cast that opened earlier this autumn: a different tenor a different soprano a different baritone a different conductor Christopher … Continue reading →

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