Le Forze Musica

By Ernest Kearney — “Vincerò” is the closing term cried by the “Unknown Prince” that concludes “Nessun Dorma” from Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot, arguably the best known aria in the world.

It means “I will be victorious.”

And it would not surprise me if that was also the battle cry of Gene Sticco in his presentation of wonders for the operatic art unshackled from the stifling formality of the opera house and the throngs of old money ticket holders.

In his introduction to the show, Sticco definitely gives the best description of opera I’ve ever heard, calling it a musical art form in which the human voice was treated as another “instrument” in the composition. And in which replacing the spoken word with an emotional honesty conveyed in song, “made us look beyond the masks.”

What follows is a series of opera’s greatest hits, stripped of the grandiose costumes and excessively extravagant stage scenery and set in the context of a party and centered on some flirtatious squabbling.

Germán Gholami, Diana Silova, Asuka Uchida and Natalja Sticco are the real deal, and frankly I cannot remember when I’ve heard such stunningly powerful singers on a stage the size of the McCadden Theatre.

For those unfamiliar with opera, the intimacy of the McCadden allows a rare introduction to the magnificence of the art. To those, like myself, that have a laymen’s appreciation of opera, it offers an extraordinary opportunity to simply luxuriate in its beauty.

I’m sure it would please, to no end, all those involved with this splendid production to learn that at the performance I attended, I sat next to a husband and wife from the neighborhood who had never been to an opera, but decided to leave their comfort zone for a new experience.

“Vincerò” to you, Mr. Sticco. And a PLATINUM MEDAL. - The TVolution Los Angeles