La finta giardiniera

"Wake-Walker had the visual desire to have a presentation as Mozart would have pictured it, and it is here complemented with a period instrument orchestra formed at La Scala and conducted by Diego Fasolis. The assembled cast - there are seven solo roles - is of international origin with the Italian soprano, Giulia Semenzato, as Serpetta, the role that had given her success at Glyndebourne, while the 'gardener', Sandrina, has the outstanding Swiss soprano, Julie Martin du Theil. Large of size in voice and stature, the Croatian tenor, Kresimir Spicer makes an ideal Anchise with the physique needed for the first act 'strip-tease', while the Swiss tenor, Bernard Richter, has a suitably elegant appearance and voice for Belfiore. Being a 'live' filming the audience applause is retained, and is richly deserved in the fabulous septet finale to the first act. The set is perfectly suited to the action, while the costumes will have required a sizeable budget".

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"Not one of Mozarts most important scores and the plot is so silly that Morettis approach is the only viable way to perform it today. The main reason for acquiring this set is the hilarious comedy the first act especially and the excellent singing of arias from at least the second uppermost drawer. When feeling low I will keep this set at hand to cheer me up".

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"Efter et par års operapause skrev Mozart i 1774 komedien "La finta giardiniera", som med sangere som Véronique Gens og John Mark Ainsley viser sig langt bedre end sit rygte".

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"Fræk, men på en søde måde, er instruktøren Dorris Dörries finurlige "La finta giadiniera", hvor den pastorale fortælling er henlagt til haveafdelingen på et moderne byggemarked, men hvor der midt i pjanket alligevel er så megen ægte følelse, at man overgiver sig".

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"With subtle characterisations that evolve deeply throughout the witty and emotional unfurling plot, Doris Dörrie sets her amusing yet profoundly moving production of La finta gardiniera in the gardening section of a hardware hypermarket ... Ivor Bolton's lean, stylish direction of the Salzburg Mozarteum is exemplary and the singing is universally excellent".

"There is plenty to savour in this spare, elegant and emotionally truthful staging of an opera which already hints at the future composer of Figaro".

"Bei der Französin und ihrem Concert d'Astree bleibt freilich alles charmant und chic im flotten Mozart-Fluss ... Diese Mozart-Opernblume, sie hat einfach einen zu schwachen Duft".

"The plot is both complicated and absurd ... Provided you don't look for the subtlety and roundedness of the da Ponte comedies, the opera is well worth getting to know ... Anett Fritsch, so hoity-toity when she first arrives, is excellently cast. So, indeed, are her colleagues ... The Orchestra of La Scala ... play splendidly for Diego Fasolis ... Even with all the cuts the opera lasts three hours: some of the numbers are overlong, but stick with it and you will be well rewarded, musically if not dramatically".