Mozart's La finta giardiniera
Frederic Wake-Walker (stage director), Diego Fasolis (conductor) — With Krešimir Špicer (Don Anchise), Julie Martin du Theil (Sandrina), Bernard Richter (Belfiore), Anett Fritsch (Arminda) ...
Cast
Frederic Wake-Walker — Stage director
Kresimir Spicer — Don Anchise
Julie Martin du Theil — Sandrina
Bernard Richter — Belfiore
Anett Fritsch — Arminda
Giulia Semenzato — Serpetta
Mattia Olivieri — Nardo
Program notes
Count Belfiore and the Marchioness Violante Onesti used to be lovers, but their relationship ended in violence when Belfiore stabbed Violante and left her for dead. Unbeknownst to Belfiore, who has since become engaged to Don Anchise's niece Arminda, Violante has recovered and, accompanied by her servant Roberto, found a job at Belfiore's mansion disguised as a gardener named Sandrina. After many uproarious twists and turns, the opera ends with three happily ever afters: Violante and Belfiore, Arminda and her former fiancé Ramiro, and Roberto and Serpetta (Don Anchise's servant).
Under the baton of Diego Fasolis, La Scala's legendary orchestra makes the 18th-century classic—written by an 18-year-old Mozart—sound as timeless as ever in this 2018 production. At the Glyndebourne Festival where the production premiered the previous year, the fabulous stage director Frederic Wake-Walker had already met with resounding acclaim, as had the rest of the talented and enthusiastic cast, including Anett Fritsch as Arminda, Bernard Richter as Belfiore, Giulia Semenzato as Serpetta, and Mattia Olivieri as Roberto.
