The Pretend Garden-Girl, K. 196 by Mozart, Ds. 05 Maig 2018, De (2018/2018), Dirigit per Tatjana Gürbaca, Director musical Gianluca Capuano, Opernhaus, Zurich, Switzerland

La finta giardiniera After his first major successes with Mitridate and Lucio Silla in Italy, Mozart was commissioned at the age of 18 to compose an opera for the Munich carnival. As was usual at the time, the libretto was prescribed by the client: La finta giardinieracame from the accomplished comedy writer Giuseppe Petrosellini. From an opera buffa, the audience expected burlesque scenes of confusion and disguise, surprising moments of revelation, parodic but also emotional numbers. All this is provided by the intricate plot surrounding the gardener Sandrina, who is actually a countess and is called Violante Onesti. The premiere was a hit, and the composer reported proudly: "After each aria there was always a terrifying roar with people clapping and shouting viva maestro". But La finta giardinierawas only played three times. At that time, only a few recognized Mozart's importance as an opera composer. His refined musical art of characterization is already fully developed in this work: the melancholic Ramiro, the narcissistic Belfiore, the scheming Arminda or the aging lecher Don Anchise – Mozart dedicated their very own musical sphere to each of them. Together with the singers of the International Opera Studio, Tatjana Gürbaca will trace the emotional confusion of Mozart's protagonists. At the podium is the spirited Gianluca Capuano, who has already worked on Haydn's Orlando paladino with the Musikkollegium Winterthur and whose future as a conductor can be predicted, especially in the repertoire of the 18th century.