Tag Archives: Zubin Mehta

Year(s) of Czech Music at the piano

2024 is the year of Czech Music, a celebration that’s held every decade in the year ending in 4. Speaking of ending, this year’s instalment is swiftly coming to a close, a year that saw the Canadian Opera Company present … Continue reading

Posted in Books & Literature, Music and musicology, My mother, University life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Zappa

2020 ended with a pair of Z’s that could just as easily be seen as the start of 2021. After Fareed Zakaria’s book, it’s Zappa, a documentary released late in 2020. Where Fareed is analyzing historical trends with an eye … Continue reading

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays, Politics, Popular music & culture, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Remembering Jon Vickers, Canadian Heldentenor

There have been two singers above all the others who mattered to me as I grew up. Both were tenors.  I’ve talked about Jussi Björling, my touchstone of vocal perfection and the subject of a recent pilgrimage in Sweden. The other … Continue reading

Posted in Opera, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments