Tag Archives: Stewart Goodyear

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 →

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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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Ten greatest

Posted on July 9, 2012 by barczablog

Limelight magazine supposedly polled “modern day masters” of the piano, to identify the ten greatest pianists of all time. Here’s their list of ten: 1. Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943) 2. Vladimir Horowitz (1903-1989) 3. Sviatoslav Richter (1915-1997) 4. Arthur Rubinstein (1887-1982) … Continue reading →

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Goodyear—Beethoven I

Posted on July 7, 2012 by barczablog

To begin the voyage through Stewart Goodyear’s set on Marquis of the complete Piano Sonatas of Beethoven, I took two CDs, and listened to each one multiple times.  While I seem to be jumping in at either end (CD #1 … Continue reading →

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Two Iconoclasts

Posted on July 4, 2012 by barczablog

Canada became a country July 1st 1867: one hundred forty-five years ago.  July 1st is a day to count one’s blessings, to celebrate a compassionate and gentle country, a haven for so many wonderful people, among them great artists. I’m … Continue reading →

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Beginning the Marathon

Posted on June 9, 2012 by barczablog

I attended the first section of Stewart Goodyear’s “Beethoven Marathon” today at Koerner Hall. I am still trying to wrap my head around this experience, which was in some respects more of a happening than a concert. We were given … Continue reading →

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The New Everest

Posted on June 8, 2012 by barczablog

In a fascinating article in the New York Times, Anthony Tommasini observed that virtuosi are “becoming a dime a dozen”.   Surely there’s some truth to this.  Tommasini made the analogy to the four minute mile, once thought to be an … 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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10 Questions for Stewart Goodyear

Posted on May 15, 2012 by barczablog

Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, pianist and composer Stewart Goodyear began his training at Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, received a bachelor’s degree from Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and completed a Masters Degree at Juilliard School … Continue reading →

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