Wish Opera; the sound of modern elegance
Review by Sherry Isaac
March 26, ‘10
The life of a reviewer: Attend a show, sit in great seats, have a night out, then home and critique it. I am a writer, so how hard could it be? Or so I thought until handed my first assignment: The Wish Opera. After the initial thrill of attending my first opera: - a flutter of anxiety. I checked the website and the apprehension temporarily lifted. It is not merely an opera, but fashion, contemporary art and design infused, uplifted and showcased by opera. Then a new wave rises up. Rarely do I take the time to match my shoes to my purse. How can I write about fashion? Or art? I can’t tell an aria from an intermezzo, an Anne Klein from a Calvin. What had this poor ‘schmuck’ gotten into?
Ermanno Mauro & Sinead Sugrue -in duet
A night full of glamour, fun, joy and mystery, that’s what! And why shouldn’t opera, or fashion for that matter, appeal to the schmucks of the world? Still, I was a tad nervous.
Opening night, Thursday, at the Sandra Faire & Ivan Fecan Theatre at York University’s Keele Campus. A tingle, an energy; filled the air as instruments were tuned. Opera, for me, was a new & rich experience. Where were the tuxedos, the up-dos; the diamonds? Surrounded by everyday folk like me, I could breathe at last. The stage was simply adorned with furniture from Canadian designers, photography by Canadian photographers, and art by Canadian artists. In fact all of the talent that graced the stage was distinctively Canadian. Deirdre Kelly of The Globe & Mail opened the evening with a delightful passage from her book, “Paris Times Eight”. Tonia Cianciulli, the program’s executive director, welcomed us. Lights dimmed, the music began.
As a writer I depend on language to convey how character feels, thinks, grows. Opera, to my delight, was a language within itself. The range of emotion that weaved through soprano Sinead Sugrue’s performance of Qui la voce, the longing, the heartbreak, the hint of madness in her laughter, was easily evident; no interpreter required. Did it matter that I recognized Largo al factotum, an aria from The Barber of Seville, as the score to the playful Bugs Bunny cartoon I watched as a five-year old, cross-legged on the living room rug? Not at all—it made me feel right at home. I was right to feel the fun and frivolity of the piece as it was brought to life by baritone Theodore Baerg. Wrapped up and carried away by the music, I found myself physically reacting to the notes, to the grand, sweeping expressions, to the lilts and falls of the operatic voices. I was alert and wide-eyed, fully engaged. Often I noticed my head titled to one side, as though listening to a passionate story being told to me by a close friend. My chin trembled to ‘Vesti la giubba’, sung with such heart by tenor Ermanno Mauro. ‘The tears of a clown’ was the translation I found on Wikipedia this morning and it came as no surprise. I could have written the same translation last night as I watched and listened.
The night finished with a fun and energetic number performed by York University’s Flash Mob Dancers. The evening lived up to its promise: [To create] ‘a modern vision of opera by fusing the existing beauty of operatic sound with contemporary fashion and design’. The sopranos were gowned by Canadian designers Ula Zukowska, Breeyn McCarney, Ron de Ramos & Farley Chatto. The most striking outfit was the gown worn by mezzo-soprano Jennifer Fina, which sparkled like starlight reflected in still water. And in case nobody noticed- I DID match my bag to my boots.
 Auspicious Concert Launch for Wish Opera
The mission of the newly minted Wish Opera is to create "a modern vision of opera by fusing the existing beauty of operatic sound with contemporary fashion and design. As its Executive Director Tonia Cianciulli said to the audience at the beginning of the performance last evening, this new initiative has been a dream of hers for a long time. It came to fruition in two launch concerts at the intimate surroundings of the Sandra Faire and Ivan Fecan Theatre on the York University campus this week.
I saw the second show, on Saturday. It starred a mixture of emerging singers and experience veterans, in a varied program from the opera, operetta, and musical theater genres. In addition to the orchestra, the stage was tastefully decorated with contemporary furniture and art work on the two sides, serving as staging areas for the soloists. The six women - four singers plus Cianciulli and Emcee Deirdre Kelly - appeared in a succession of smashing high fashion gowns. All four female singers sang a challenging repertoire, each brought to the stage her unique gift of a beautiful voice and lovely stage presence. There were many highlights, but I particularly enjoyed Sinead Sugrue in "Ah fors'e lui...Sempre libera", Ambur Braid in "O zittre nicht" and the crystalline tones of soubrette Vania Chan in Olympia's Aria. Jennifer Fina also impressed with her rich timbre and wide range in "Non piu mesta".
The two men of the evening are veterans of the opera stage. Tenor Ermanno Mauro proved that at the grand age of 71, he can still produce a powerful and vital sound and plenty of dramatic intensity, bringing the house down with his "Vesti la giubba." Deputizing for an indisposed James Westman, Theodore Baerg was his ebullient self in a vocally suave and dramatically vivid "Largo al factotum". The evening ended with the trio from Cosi, "Soave sia il vento", a symbolic send-off of Wish Opera to a smooth voyage into the future. Given the current economic climate and the ever-diminishing government support to the arts, any private endeavor like Wish Opera deserves the support of opera and art lovers in Toronto. This new company is planning to stage Mozart's Don Giovanni in two performances on June 24 and 26. Stay tuned!
Wish Opera Launch
Reviewed by Paula Citron - Classical 96.3 fm
There’s a new opera company in town. Producer Tonia Cianciulli’s brainchild is called Wish Opera and its mandate is to combine singing with high fashion.
At the Wish Opera launch at the Sandra Faire and Ivan Fecan Theatre at York University, the sides of the stage included two state-of-the-art living rooms which director Joel Ivany included in his staging. The female singers wore stunning gowns. It certainly was eye candy.
The singing was very impressive. At 71, remarkable tenor Ermanno Mauro brought a tear to the eye with his passionate performance, while veteran baritone Theodore Baerg was his usual smooth self. Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Fina, and sopranos Ambur Braid, Sinead Sugrue and Vania Chan were all fresh of voice and presentation.
Sabatino Vacca led the 24-member orchestra and he is very sympathetic to singers. However, when Wish Opera stages its Don Giovanni in June, Vacca better make sure that the bowing is even. The sound of these purportedly professional strings was singularly unpleasant.
Sound Mind - A Classical Music Blog by John Terauds
On Thursday night at York University's new Accolade arts building, a new group -- Wish Opera -- tried to add layers of cool and hip to the tired-and-true concert of opera arias by decking out the singers in Canadian-designer clothes, surrounding them with designer-conceived stage décor and giving the evening a more salon-like feel, with fashion writer/editor Deirdre Kelly acting as emcee. (The picture above shows Tonia Cianciulli on Thursday night).
I'm told the singers, which include veteran tenor Ermanno Mauro, were decent, so it might be worth checking out the repeat performance this evening.
You can find all the details at wishopera.ca
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