Mozart Opera Comes to Rocky River

Rocky River Chamber Music Society is excited to bring opera to its stage at West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church in Rocky River on Monday, April 20 at 7:30 p.m.  The concert will feature Baldwin Wallace Conservatory’s production of concert selections from Mozart’s rarely heard madcap opera "La Finta Giardiniera" (The Pretend Garden Girl).  Seven cast members will perform in this concert version under the direction of Benjamin Wayne Smith, with Jason Aquila on the piano.  

Mozart composed this comedic opera just before his eighteenth birthday.  The opera’s over-the-top qualities are hilariously conveyed by the plot elements of three love triangles, two characters in disguise, two mad scenes, lots of unrequited love, one abduction, three cases of mistaken identity, and a multitude of grand gestures made in the name of love.  The main character is Violante, a noblewoman who has gone undercover as a garden girl to reclaim Count Belfiore, the man she loves. 

For those who missed the full production of "La Finta Giardiniera" at Baldwin Wallace in late February, this is the perfect opportunity to see the same cast members in a concert version of this opera.  Clevelandclassical.com called the February production “a funny, musically satisfying… production that succeeds on the quality of the cast’s singing and its high level of comedic acting.” 

 As is true of all concerts presented by the Rocky River Chamber Music Society, there is no admission charge and all are welcome.  For further information call 440-333-4296 or visit www.rrcms.org.