Mozart’s Comedy Shines a Light on the Game of Love

With multiple love triangles, masked identities, and deceptive game-playing, La Finta Giardiniera promises an evening filled with laughter.  This “opera buffa” —or comic opera—will be brought to life through the direction of Stephanie Havey, the conducting of Christian Capocaccia, and the dedicated work of numerous staff and cast members. The opera makes comedy one of its most definitive features, and Mozart entices his audience into a whimsical garden of love and games where appearances can be deceiving, and not everyone is who they claim to be.

The comedic aspects of the plot serves as a vehicle for profound artistic expression, particularly through the arias.  Here, Mozart explores the emotional turmoil of characters and their attempts to understand their situation. Sandrina, the "Pretend Garden Girl," must grapple with her own identity as she masquerades as a humble gardener, all the while concealing the fact that she is, in reality, a Countess. Furthermore, many of the other characters are similarly deceiving one another, each hoping to escape their current romantic entanglements by assuming false identities.  

“The over-the-top, unbelievable plotline made me think of children on a playground, so we tried to create a playground environment for this drama to play out.” states Stephanie Havey, Associate Professor of Opera Theater and La finta giardiniera Director. “So you see playground elements popping up in the garden along the way.” 

Excitement fills the rehearsal room as cast members discover fresh ways to infuse the playful spirit into their arias, adding a vibrant energy that mirrors the youthful energy of Mozart's composition—a side of him audiences do not get to experience very often.

Conductor Christian Capocaccia returns to Oberlin after conducting with Oberlin Opera Theater in spring 2024 for Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo. Born and raised in Italy, he works with singers to perfect their Italian while giving valuable insight into the music itself.  This opera, one of Mozart’s earliest works, serves as a precursor to his later masterpieces like Le Nozze di Figaro. In La finta giardiniera, Mozart explores the topic of marriage, class structures, and power dynamics between couples; all which are ideas that we see in his later works. While some critics argue that it lacks the polish of his more mature compositions, its youthful energy aligns with  the theme of this production: the game of love. 

TICKET INFORMATION
$10 reserved seating ($8 students)
Tickets are available online and by phone at 800-371-0178. Patrons may also purchase them in person between noon and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at Oberlin College's Central Ticket Service, located at 67 N. Main Street, in the lobby of the Eric Baker Nord Performing Arts Complex.

Online Box Office

PRODUCTION DETAILS
Thursday, March 6 - Saturday, March 8 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 9 at 2:00 p.m.
Oberlin College Hall Auditorium
67 N. Main Street
Oberlin, Ohio

This production will be available via livestream on Thursday and Friday, March 6 and 7 only.

Proudly supported by Ideastream Public Media, official media partner of Oberlin's Artist Recital Series and Opera Theater productions.

Oberlin Opera Theater invites audiences into a garden of mystery, comedy, and love with its production of La Finta Giardiniera, running from March 6-8 at 8 p.m., with a matinee performance on March 9 at 2 p.m.