Tag Archives: Stewart Goodyear

Beethoven 250: interpreting Sonata #9

Posted on November 14, 2020 by barczablog

There are at least two ways to understand music. We listen. Perhaps you hear a performance on some device such as your smartphone, your TV or a computer, or even in a live setting such as a concert or a … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Popular music & culture, Sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

A Beethoven discovery, aided by my dog

Posted on July 22, 2020 by barczablog

I’m framing this analysis around Sam my dog. She’s a 13+ year old rescue, and in my opinion amazingly well-behaved. Sometimes she’ll occupy the ottoman beside the piano, allowing her to read along with me if she so desires (no … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, domestic & wild, Books & Literature, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

An agnostic musing about leadership & talent

Posted on July 22, 2020 by barczablog

As I was tidying my office today, I fell into a book. You know how it is. You open it and are seduced or abducted, suddenly lost to yourself, deep in the book. While Jim Fisher’s The Thoughtful Leader: A … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Psychology and perception, University life | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Stewart Goodyear – Beethoven piano concerti

Posted on June 27, 2020 by barczablog

It’s 2020, a year I’m tempted to call “World, Interrupted,” recalling the 1999 film set in a psychiatric hospital. At times our virtual online lives resemble the simulation of real living as though we’ve been wrapped in strait-jackets, locked up … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

21C – TSO – Goodyear

Posted on January 17, 2019 by barczablog

Tonight the Toronto Symphony joined forces with members of the Glen Gould School to launch the 21C Festival at Koerner Hall. We heard six works including two world premieres to conclude: Terry Riley: “Half-Wolf Dances Mad in Moonlight” (string orchestra) … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Whose dream?

Posted on August 5, 2013 by barczablog

We’re in the summer of Wagner’s Bicentennial.  Frank Castorf’s new Ring cycle has opened at Bayreuth, which led to the inevitable boos from the audience. Inevitable?  Two of the greatest Bayreuth productions of the past few decades were booed at … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 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 →

Posted in Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Late Mozart 2: caveats

Posted on April 4, 2013 by barczablog

Mozart censored? Operas did sometimes have to clear hurdles in the century of their creation, but actually I was thinking about the censure of a modern audience. And so I continue to ramble about late Mozart, inspired by a happy … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pollyanna’s picks for 2012

Posted on December 23, 2012 by barczablog

This is a look back at 2012 through the rose-coloured glasses of someone who prefers to avoid negativity. Most impressive singer: Jane Archibald.  I’d already been persuaded by her Zerbinetta in the recent COC Ariadne, then I heard her Haydn CD … Continue reading →

Posted in Essays | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

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 →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment