New England Conservatory Opera Studies Department presents La finta giardiniera Opera in three acts by WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Libretto by GIUSEPPE PETROSELLINI Edited for the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe by Rudolph Angermüller and Dietrich Berke Used by arrangement with European American Music Distributors Company, U.S. and Canadian agent for Baerenreiter-Verlag, publisher and copyright owner. Conductor Paul Nadler Stage Director Steven Goldstein Set Design by Jon C. Savage Costume Design by Brooke Stanton Lighting Design by Christopher Ostrom Musical Preparation Damien Francoeur-Krzyzek This organization is supported in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, Timothy Steele and by a grant from the Boston Cultural Council, Production Stage Manager Karin Ludlow a local agency funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council Production Manager Rich Frost and administrated by the Mayor’s Office of Arts, Tourism, and Special Events. Please switch off cellular phones, pagers, and watch alarms. Connect with NEC and our music on Facebook, Twitter, and beyond, and sign up for e-mail news bulletins. Performed at the Emerson Paramount Center / Robert J. Orchard Stage Boston, MA April 22-25, 2017 There will be a 15-minute Intermission between Act I and Act II/III. necmusic.edu/concerts CAST OF CHARACTERS Upcoming Student Recitals at NEC all programs subject to change April 22 & 24, 2017 April 23 & 25, 2017 Gaia Wilmer, jazz composition (GD) Cheyanne Coss SANDRINA Sooyeon Kang Student of Ken Schaphorst and Frank Carlberg (Marquise Violante Onesta) Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 8:00 p.m., Pierce Hall David Rivera Bozon BELFIORE Sangmoon Lee Kaitlin Loeb SERPETTA Andrea Wozniak You Zhao, collaborative piano (GD ’18) Shang Zhang RAMIRO Wei En Chan Student of Cameron Stowe Rebecca Worthington ARMINDA Jessine Johnson Thursday, April 27, 2017 at 3:00 p.m., Pierce Hall Corey Hart PODESTÀ James Walsh Nicholas Tocci NARDO Nicholas Tocci Christopher Hwang, cello (GD ’18) (Violante’s servant Roberto) Student of Laurence Lesser and Lluís Claret Thursday, April 27, 2017 at 3:00 p.m., Keller Room SoYoung Choi, violin (M.M.) NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORY ORCHESTRA Student of Miriam Fried Paul Nadler, conductor Thursday, April 27, 2017 at 8:00 p.m., Brown Hall First Violin Harriet Langley, Justin DeFilippis, Alyssa Wang, Heewon Koo, Benjamin Park, composition (DMA) Yeonkyung Kim, Étienne Girard, Su Yeon Park Student of Kati Agócs Second Violin Chi Li, Sungmi Park, Max Yiming Mao, David Bernat, Thursday, April 27, 2017 at 8:00 p.m., Williams Hall Shanshan Maggie Zeng, Emma Carleton Viola Rayna Yun Chou, Hank Huang, Devan Freebairn, Jesse Morrison Seyun Park, contemporary improvisation (M.M.) Cello Mina Kim, Minjoo Kim, Chia Yi Su, Jakob Taylor (recits) Student of Ran Blake, and Hankus Netsky Double Bass James Weng, Wen Peng Friday, April 28, 2017 at 8:00 p.m., St. Botolph G-01 Flute Michelle Sung, Mona Sangesland Oboe Marshal McClure, Kyle Kurihara Kevin Metzger, guitar (M.M.) Bassoon Cynthia L. Stacy, Nicholas Hooks Student of Eliot Fisk and Jérôme Mouffe French horn Hajime Goto, Nicholas A. Miller Friday, April 28, 2017 at 8:30 p.m., Williams Hall Trumpet Shengduo Chen, Yu Tang Huang Timpani Julian Loida Katherine Arndt, violin (B.M.) Harpsichord Damien Francoeur-Krzyzek (Sat/Mon), Timothy Steele (Sun/Tues) Student of Miriam Fried Friday, April 28, 2017 at 8:30 p.m., Pierce Hall Student Librarian Cynthia L. Stacy Jonathan Elbaz, jazz piano (B.M.) Student of Frank Carlberg, Stratis Minakakis, and Ethan Iverson Saturday, April 29, 2017 at 8:00 p.m., Keller Room Brian Kim, jazz voice (M.M.) Student of Dominique Eade and Jason Moran Saturday, April 29, 2017 at 8:30 p.m., Brown Hall Upcoming Concerts at NEC SYNOPSIS Visit necmusic.edu for complete and updated concert information Not so long ago or far away: The Marquise Violante Onesti was stabbed by her lover LIEDERABEND XXXV, Cameron Stowe and Tanya Blaich, coordinators Count Belfiore in a fit of jealous rage. She was left for dead but secretly recovered. She An evening of songs featuring graduate student performers from NEC’s voice and resurfaced, relocated and, calling herself Sandrina, went into hiding working as a collaborative piano departments gardener in the house of a local Podestà. At her side is her man-servant, Roberto, whom Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 6:00 p.m., Williams Hall she has passed off as her cousin, Nardo. NEC PHILHARMONIA , Hugh Wolff, conductor The Opera Begins. Adams Tromba lontana ; Stravinsky Petrushka (1947 version) ; Suk Meditation on the Old Bohemian Chorale “Saint Wenceslas”, op. 35; Janáček Sinfonietta Act 1: Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall The Podestà, Sandrina, the maid Serpetta, Nardo and the Cavalier Ramiro sing cheerfully about the beautiful day, but not all is well. Sandrina is troubled because the OMER QUARTET Podestà has fallen in love with her. Serpetta is angry and jealous of Sandrina because Works by Schumann, Bartók, and Beethoven she has feelings for the Podestà. Nardo is infatuated with Serpetta, who teases him but Thursday, April 27, 2017 at 7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall continually rejects his affections, and Ramiro is bitter and heartbroken after being discarded by his former lover. The Podestà dotes on Sandrina and rallies the house to MARION RUBIN BERMAN ’31 PIANO HONORS CONCERT prepare for the arrival of his niece and her betrothed. He tries to console a brooding Ballades and Scherzos of Chopin Ramiro but to no avail. When they are alone, the Podestà professes his love to Sandrina, Friday, April 28, 2017, at 8:00 p.m., Jordan Hall but Serpetta keeps interrupting. Sandrina reminds Nardo of her terrible fate at the hands of the Count. Ramiro enters, and she tells them both of the torments of being a INTERNATIONAL JAZZ DAY woman. Alone, Nardo echoes a similar sentiment from his male perspective. The niece, Sunday, April 30, 2017 at 7:30 p.m., Brown Hall Arminda, arrives quickly followed by her suitor, none other than the Count Belfiore. Everyone tries to make nice to him, though Arminda lets him know she’s not to be FIRST MONDAY AT JORDAN HALL trifled with. Seeing Sandrina for the first time, Arminda brags about her forthcoming Monteverdi madrigals from Eighth Book of Madrigals ; Stravinsky L’histoire du soldat marriage to Belfiore. Hearing that her former lover, the very man she has gone into Performers include; Michael Wayne, clarinet ; Richard Ranti, bassoon ; hiding from is on his way to the Podestà, Sandrina faints. Belfiore enters as Arminda Thomas Siders, cornet ; Toby Oft, trombone ; Paul Biss, Sarah Darling, Julia Connor, leaves to get help. He approaches Sandrina and is shocked to recognize no other than violin ; Justin Blackwell, plucked continuo ; Donald Palma, Simon Martyn-Ellis, Violante, the lover he thought he had murdered. Ramiro enters and encounters the double bass ; Robert Schulz, percussion ; Jacquelyn Stucker, Elena Snow, soprano ; returning Arminda, who is of course the woman who had spurned him. Sandrina Ian Howell, countertenor ; Charles Blandey, Eduardo Ramos, tenor ; awakens and finds herself looking directly into the eyes of Belfiore. The Podestà enters Christopher Carbin, bass ; Kristin Wagner, dancer ; Steven Goldstein, narrator and demands an explanation, Sandrina wavers but decides not to reveal herself as Monday, May 1, 2017 at 7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall Violante, and the act ends in confusion and mutual recriminations on everyone’s part. NEC CI DEPARTMENT CONCERT : “The Great Learning” Act 2: Tuesday, May 2, 2017 at 7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall Ramiro confronts Arminda, but she is coarse with him and set on marrying the Count. Ramiro vows revenge on his rival. Arminda realizes Belfiore is desperate to see NEC COMPOSERS ’ SERIES , Malcolm Peyton, director Sandrina and becomes furious. The Count denies this, but she is not easily fooled and Wednesday, May 3, 2017 at 7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall threatens to punish him. Sandrina denies to Belfiore that she is his long-lost Violante. She nearly betrays her identity but won’t admit to it. Ramiro bursts in with the news that HONORS ENSEMBLE : AMICI WIND QUINTET Belfiore is wanted for the murder of the Marquise Violante. Under the Podestà’s Thursday, May 4, 2017 at 7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall interrogation, the Count implicates himself but Sandrina clears him of suspicion, declaring that she herself is the supposedly dead Violante. Left alone with Belfiore, she retracts her declaration and leaves him in the first stages of madness. Serpetta arrives to VOICE FACULTY tell the Podestà, Nardo, and Ramiro that Sandrina has run away, when she has in fact Jane Eaglen, Carole Haber, Karen Holvik – Chair been abducted by Arminda and left in a dark wasteland to die. This is overheard by Ian Howell, MaryAnn McCormick, Michael Meraw, Lorraine Nubar Nardo, and he immediately sets out to find Belfiore. All set out to find Sandrina, or their Lisa Saffer, Bradley Williams – Assistant Chair respective love interests, but everyone becomes lost and confused in the wilderness, mistaking each other for the wrong people and casting accusations at each other. Sandrina and Belfiore lose their minds and imagine themselves to be characters from Greek mythology. Act 3: Nardo finally makes his escape from the completely insane and entranced Sandrina and Belfiore. Arminda begs her uncle for permission to marry the Count, and Ramiro Upcoming Opera at New England Conservatory demands that the Podestà order Arminda to marry him. An exasperated Podestà tells (all programs subject to change) them to do as they like but to leave him alone. Arminda again scorns Ramiro's affections. Ramiro swears that he'll never love another and that he will die alone, far RAVEL : L’enfant et les sortil èges from Arminda.