Mozart's early masterpiece

Love triangles, cunning disguises, and tragi-comedy abound in La Finta Giardiniera, the brilliant, plot-twisting 5th opera composed by Mozart when he was just 18.

Podesta is in love with his new gardener, Sandrina who is Violante in disguise. Violante is disguised as Sandrina, the new gardener to Podesta; Podesta is in love with Sandrina, whose heart belongs to Belfoire, the abusive former lover she fled from after he stabbed her; she hopes to be with Belfoire again, but soon discovers he has a new lover - her employer's niece, Arminda. As the story unfolds, we are treated to a tale of the complexities of love and discover that many characters in La Finita Giardiniera are disguised and battling with matters of the heart.

Directed by Chas Rader-Shieber, who is well known for his bold and innovative productions, this acclaimed work is conducted by award-winning conductor, George Manahan; it also sees the return to Portland Opera by Lindsay Ohse, the "superhuman" soprano whose voice dazzles". The opera also stars one of America's most celebrated tenors, Mark Thomsen.

Performed in Italian, this production lasts 3 hours, 15 minutes and includes English captions.