Multi-level
set adds to
the mayhem

Frou: page 23

comic portraits from each of the principal
singers. None of the huffing-and-puffing exer-
tion thac often passes for operatic humor tar-
nished this production’s high polish. Effective
use of Alfred Siercke’s pleasing multi-level set
added even more delight to the mayhem crupt-
ing all over Doctor Bartolo’s house.

Under the baton of Calgary Opera’s resident
conductor Tyrone Paterson, the Vancouver
Opera Orchestra played splendidly, establishing a spirited momentiin
with a crisp rendition of Rossini’s famous overture. In the Calumny
aria, the strings produced the right irresistible buzzing sonority, and
the Act I] storm music built up to a glorious downpour with light-
ning-flashes. However, a little less volume would have helped the
singers in a couple of the big arias.

Rossini’s lovable egocentrics require comic ability and a high
degree of vocal flexibility, too. As Rosina, soprano Tracy Dahi has
both, bringing freshness and spirit to her role, fluency and dazzle to
her singing. She demonstrated intelligent coloratura technique in her
aria Una voce poco fa and an ability co sparkle all the way up to her
top notes in the Lesson Scene aria (Contro un cor). Rossini wrote the
role for a mezzo. Dahl provides all the evidence needed to prove a
soprano can exceed every last requirement for the part.

Dahl was very well matched with John Osbora’s jaunty Count
Almaviva. Exact intonation, superb diction, and smootk phrasing
made Osborn a highly successful Almaviva. (And Osborn is only in
his mid-20s!) His first-act serenade (Feco ridente in ciclo) was a model

oe ier se

NE: Photo Mike Wakefield

SIX-YEAR-OLD Omar Chu is assisted by Tyrone Paterson in conducting the
Vancouver Opera Orchestra in rehearsal, a gift from Chu’s grandfather Moh Faris
who wen the maestro-for-a-day gig at a charity auction.

red wig in his disguise as music teacher Don Alonso, Osborn also dis-
played an uncanny knack for comic timing.

Making his Vancouver Opera debut, baritone Nathan Gunn
brought plenty of youthful energy to the title role of the crafty barber
Figaro. His Large al factotum ana was confidently delivered, if a bit
lacking in clear diction and power. Mariateresa Magisano made a
believable, seif-pitying Berta, the maid wich secret desires of her own,
who in this production is also a tippler. Her single second-act aria
made a very favorable impression.

Of the two bass roles, Kevin Glavin’s Doctor Bartolo, Rosina’s
maniacally possessive guardian, gave a more satisfying performance
than Peter Volpe as Don Basilio. Glavin is a fine comic actor in the
basso-buffo tradition — a pompous but lovable old fool. He negotiat-
ed the arduous patter of his ramous aria with impressive lightning
speed. Volpe displayed as much comic skill as Glavin did, but at times
his Calumny aria came dangerously close to being inaudible.

Overall, this Barber provides a lighthearted and imaginative end to
the season and features a splendid group of young singers whore
careers will certainly be worth following.

"of technique for Rossini tenors - simply beautiful. Sporting a fiery

From page 23

estors money paying our
aiarics and. we've got to figure
out how to pay that back. The

business pian is not an casy

thing to rationalize how, in an

ndent (film) business,

money in‘the. bank to make
- the fi id. money in the.
ank to the salaries. We

are very dependent on whatev-
er happens in the financing
scene by the time we make
our next film. Sometimes it’s a
long dry desert in between
productions. We're trying to
solve that nght now with a
serious business plan and a
method of working where this
esrsione we'll have three

ms completed.

MV: That’s under the name
Ranfilm?

RM: It’s the partnership of
Mort Ranson and Louis
Spitzer, our. main investor. The

—sheeese of Sarajevo is the first
production of this partnership,
we'll be finished May 7th.

-It should be ready to screen
for buyers by October. ?'m off
tothe Cannes film festival in
tWorveeks to dig up moncy
for following productions and
lay the groundwork for who

: we're going to be screening
West of Sarajevo.

“There’s one speciiic pro-
duction that is of concern, it’s
called Shegalla. It’s Mort

fson’s follow-up to
Margaret’s Museum that goes
into production this summer.
It’s set in Keremcos and stars

Lynn Redgrave as a self-
destructive cowgirl, who's
committed herself to the bot-
te in a way that will kili her
very quickly. Her husband
dies, who was native, and she
is a non-status white woman
still living on the reserve.
They all want her off the
reserve, now that she has no
right to be there, because she’s
making them look bad
because she’s pounding the
bottle constantly. Into her
messy lie comes a young
somewhat inspired but mad
19-year-old man who has a bi-
polar disorder and is under
heavy medication. He’s on the

Jam from a medical institution
- in Vancouver, he’s hitchhiked

away and as he’s arriving in

" this beautiful part of the

province he gets out of the
truck and lose’ his medication.
From this point on he has
the ability to see people’s inner
beauty and doesn’t respond to
the self destructive behavior of

, Carrie. They have an affair

that totally unlocks her inner
son and she rediscovers

erself and there’s a chain of
events that are unleashed on
the whole community as a
result of it. The kid comes to
an unfortunate end and
Cartie, (without it being a
neat bow-ticd Hollywood
ending) ends up in a new posi-
tion with self respect.

MV: Have you cast the male
lead?

RM: I can’t tell you who it is
right now.

MV: It’s not Leonardo
diCaprio is it?

RM: No, he’s untouchable
right now. He’d cost ahour
three times the amount of our
total budget!

Anyway, that’s an example
of the high calibre films we
want to do. It’s not a new
director, it’s Mort Ranson,
one of Canada’s favorites.
There are several others that
won't be directed by him. We
work well together as a pro-
ducing team because he’s
totally discriminating about
the quality of script and cast-
ing and will not stop und he’s
found the absolute best. .

MV: Tell me about West of
Sarajevo.

RM: The writer, Frank Borg,
based a lot of it on director
Davor Marjanovic’s experience
growing up in Sarajevo. Davor

worked as a writer/director in

Sarajevo and Europe before he
icft to come here and direct
commercials.

MV: When did he leave
Sarajevo?

RM: About three and a half
years ago right in the middle
of the conflict. It was an ugly

departure because he had lost
a lot of friends and family.

MV: Does the film take
place in Sarajevo?

RM: It takes place here, in
Vancouver. You’ve got a
Bosnian Serb who left the
county prior to the war, giv-
ing up a professional soccer
career because they wanted to

He comes to Vancouver to
be in a peacefil place to raise
his family, Ar the height of the
conflict, a Muslim leaves as a
refugee, his family has been
murdered but he has his son
and wife with him. So each of
these people think they’ve
come to a peaceful place, !eav-
ing that all behind, only to
have the Musiim run into by
the Serb who’s a courier driver.

The Serb is guilt-stricken
when he realizes he’s hit one
of his own countrymen and
the Muslim is horrified that
he’s been run down by a Serb,
and immediately thinks that

Viost competitive prke on

the No

ct

h Shore!

children's
ieircuts

ast of Sarajevo story set in Vancouver

the Serbs are trying to kill him
even here in his new home.
He refuses to believe thar the
Serb.isn’t a murderer.

For the rest of the film he’s
trying co vindicate himself and
prove he’s not a war criminal.
It sinks in that all the storics
that he’s heard bur been deny-
ing to himself about what's
going on in his homeland are
true, and he has to sort out
what it al] means and reach a
level of tolerance and cocxis-
tence with the Muslim.

It’s a parable abour the
after-effects of war. Orce
you've been in a war you
never leave it. The extreme
quality of what happens to
someone is always in their
minds. They will never experi-
ence peaceful events the same
way you or I would having
never experienced a war,
Which is making the point of
the film: achieving tolerance
and avoiding wars and not
beginning wars that can never
end because they don’t

Opera survey

—~ Operas most often

performed

Tosca

La Bohéme

Die Zauberfléte

Madama Butterfly

Don Giovanni

Otello

"! Barbiere di

Siviglia

La Traviata

Un Ballo in

Maschera

10 Les Contes

@Hoffmann
Lucia di
Lammermoor
Cosi Fan Tutte
Der Fliegende

Hollander .
Salome
Carmen

OOo SOU RWh

Le Nozze di Figaro
Fidelio

Note: a total of 73 coms
posers appeared at least:
once on programs: -

— Cities most appre-
slate of operas?... >:

DWOWDP MS WN nw

number. of performances
in each city during s

Data for.the opera ;

vey was compiled by Alai
P. Dornic and taken from

The material covers

_ France (approximately .

30%), Europe other thani7:

 Frarice (50%), rest of the
“world (20%).

Full results of the survey,

are available at the Opera