
(3 / 5)
I’ve said it often that a trip to London is never complete without seeing The Mozartists. I have savoured a supreme Jommelli discovery last year, a concert some two week before lockdown and an introduction to his Mozart’s First Symphony, one he wrote down the road.
Whilst they endeavour to (rather amazingly) perform every work by Mozart and feature a selection of his contemporaries, this endeavour is a monumental task. With the vast array of concert work come all the stage work too. La finta giardiniera is a much rarer beast from Herr Mozart, a much younger feat before his collabs with librettist de Ponti. I should be more enthused by this hardly ever sung piece. Translated as ‘The Fake Gardener’, in this concert format it doesn’t maintain its near three-hour runtime. I’m sad to say it left me mostly cold.
Dollops of humour, thanks to the libretto of Giuseppe Petrosellini. I can’t say I heard the words “shit”, “bint” and threats of cutting of a character’s testicles in an opera before. Even in the English translation. The story is as absurd as any of his other operas though nowhere near as compelling nor endearing. The Marchesa Violante is now disguised as Sandrina, a gardener. She has survived a knife attack from her last love the Count Belfiore, a year prior. The story since them…Arminda is now courting the Count and other characters find silly ways to screw with one another try to get the lovers they so desperately fight more. This may not sound like a comedy, yet it mostly is.
Ian Page as conductor is forever the supreme maestro. All these concerts and all his efforts are so humbling, so inspiring. He makes everyone at ease, bringing out the finest music possible. The orchestra themselves delighted and touched. We saw less of them due to the cast on stage, these players behind shone with vitality and a wispy delight. The cast were decent. I think Ava Dodd stood out as Sandrina, the serious bouts of her existence, melded with profound arias. Hugo Brady, who also thrilled in their Jommelli gig, is the dashing Count. I’m fond of his tenor, its gentle in execution, perfect for this era of opera. Milly Forrest as servant Serpetta got amusing scenes, a role which never really wraps up as it should. Vocally, it’s potent, something of electric air I groove to.
Arminda, giddy with her marriage to the Count, is here Camila Harris. Some smug moments of her luck in the story and sung big and bold as should be. A trouser role from Laura Fleur as Ramiro, a knight who loves Arminda. The spirt of the mezzo lives here, but this is such as secondary role and quite typical of the time. Fine in spirit, I just wonder if a character like this is holding Fleur back? The supporting men were Michael Bell as Il Podestà and Jerome Knox as Nardo. I wonder if these parts were truly right for the two. Roles which don’t play huge part in the plot, nor have much substance. In voice, I want to say more work might focus the timbre of both, though they did have some finer moments of wit and story setting.
Perhaps the elongated reuniting duet in the stunted third act from Sandrina and the Count sums up La finta giardiniera overall: touching and sugary, over long and at times lacking in depth.