Julliard School Opera Presents Mozarts La Finta Giardiniera

The Juilliard School performed Mozarts La Fanta Giardiniera accompanied by the Juilliard Orchestra.   The evening was a delight upon entering the Peter Jay Sharp Theater.  Four of the leads dressed in period costume were engaged in a playful game of croquet on a mock lawn set.  They also engaged the swarming audience in a silent banter, ladies waving their kerchiefs and men bowing in gentlemanly fashion between soft strikes with their mallets.  The story is one of Mozart's comedic love strewn operas of misdirected & unrequited love.  Darker themes of jealousy & betrayal weigh in but love's cruel fates happily align before the final curtain.  Even in the darker moments of love's angst, these are offset by melodramatic response & comedic observations.  The opera is rich with old-fashioned arias sung with charm and virtuosity by its "young" cast.  The full resonance of these young performers show future promise.  Mozart was 18 when he composed La Finta; fitting that the Juilliard School assumes this operatic marvel.  The simple & clever staging and bright lighting leant a light & airy feeling.  The cast did an admirable job particularly with the ensemble finales.  The two standout artists were soprano Kathryn Henry (Arminda) and Christine Taylor Price (Serpetta).  Opera interlaces the arts of music, vocals & acting.  The acting was persuasive rendering the translations irrelevant, if not a distraction.  (The overhead transcriptions had technical problems.  I prefer not to have text as a distraction).  Tamara Banjesevic (Sandrina) stood out in her portrayal of a woman tormented by Conte Belifore's betrayal.  Special accolades to the Juilliard orchestral performance conducted by Joseph Colaneri.  Maestro Colaneri allowed the beauty of Mozart's musical score to shine without overshadowing the vocalists.   The Juilliard School's Opera was an enchanting, euphoric musical performance.