La finta giardiniera - W.A. Mozart
Staged September-October, 2017 at the Independent Theatre
“This performance is all about the eccentric cast of characters, rich 18th Century costumes, facial expressions and most of all, magnificent operatic talents... With a tight ensemble cast of seven characters, every performer is relied on for star turns and there is not a weak link amongst them.”
Madness, mischief and mistaken identity are at the heart Mozart’s La Finta Giardiniera. Before the opera even starts, the Countess Violante Onesti is stabbed and abandoned by her lover, Count Belfiore, in a fit of jealousy. Belfiore flees, believing her to be dead, but she recovers and goes into hiding at the home of the Mayor of Lagonera. Disguising herself as a servant girl or ‘la finta giardiniera’ in the Podesta’s gardens, she calls herself Sandrina and instantly becomes the object of the Podesta’s unwanted affections.
Meanwhile, Sandrina’s servant Nardo has his eyes set on Serpetta, the Podesta’s real servant, who is determined to become the mistress of the house. The drama intensifies as Arminda, the Podesta’s niece, arrives for her wedding to an unknown nobleman, for whom she has cruelly abandoned her former lover, Don Ramiro. And when Arminda’s new fiancé is revealed… well, let the couple swapping begin.
rosa doric 2017
Creative Team
Conductor - Natalia Raspopova
Director - Joseph Restubog
Producer - Katie Miller-Crispe
Pianist - Nathaniel Kong
Set Design - Gabrielle Rowe
Guest Conductor - Luke Spicer
Costumes - Opera Hunter Inc & Opera Australia
Hair & Make Up - Rachel Dal Santo
Surtitles - Tristan Entwistle
Surtitle Operator - Livia Brash
Cast
Sandrina - Sarah Ampil
Belfiore - Spencer Darby
Arminda - Pamela Andrews
Il Podestà - Nathan Bryon
Don Ramiro - Rebecca Hart
Serpetta - Katie Miller-Crispe
Nardo - Tristan Entwistle
Rosa Doric, 2017
Rosa Doric 2017
“Last night’s opening performance of La Finta Giardiniera at The Independent Theatre, was an impressive display of operatic talents by burgeoning stars from young artist’s company, Operantics.”