La Finta Giardiniera

Operas written by teenagers generally don't attract much notice, but Mozart's are the exception—especially since his juvenilia are often superior to the mature works of many other well-regarded composers. Composed when he was only 18, Mozart's La Finta Giardiniera was his first dramma giocoso (the term later used to describe Don Giovanni), mingling dramatic and comic elements to tell a complicated story of imposture and confusion concerning 1) a countess who disguises herself as a gardener in order to find the lover who believes he's killed her in a rage, 2) the countess' new suitor, and 3) a variety of secondary characters also involved in romantic musical chairs. Although the narrative is hardly convincing (and sometimes barely even intelligible), it's overshadowed by music from a young composer who obviously revels in the opportunity to show off his talent. Admittedly, the end result can seem excessive, which is why this 2006 performance by the Staatsoper Stuttgart is discreetly edited, while still offering a good representation of the score's strengths. The smallish orchestra comes across as a bit scrappy at times, and overall the singing is more agreeable than entrancing, while the mounting is a barebones affair in which the costumed cast pose on a largely vacant stage. Still, thanks to the fine LCPM stereo soundtrack, this truncated La Finta Giardiniera offers a thoroughly respectable introduction to this work from classical music's most precocious genius. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)