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"L'elisir d'amore" offers new opera-goers an easy intro to the genre with an easy-to-follow story and beautiful, familiar arias.
"La Finta Giardiniera" gives dedicated opera aficionados a glimpse into Mozart's earliest work, with stunning ensemble finales and complicated orchestrations that would become part of his signature style.
Directors say both Italian operas, which are being presented in repertory by the University of Maryland School of Music's Opera Studio, spotlight a cast of students so talented, the school had to hold two operas to showcase them.
It is the second semester in a row the Maryland Opera Studio, which is both a two-year master's degree program and a performance ensemble within the School of Music's voice/opera division, will hold two operas in repertory.
"At this point, we really do have some of the strongest students ever to come through the school," said Nick Olcott, who is directing "L'elisir d'amore." "We have such a wealth of them, we had to do two operas so everyone got a good role."
Gaetano Donizetti's "L'elisir d'amore," or "The Elixir of Love," was first performed in 1832 and tells the story of a man who buys a supposedly magic potion to try to win the affections of a woman he loves. Soon after he buys the potion, he gains an inheritance, which has every woman in town swooning over him.
Olcott said when the opera was first performed nearly 180 years ago, it was one of the first of the verismo operas, which focus on realistic characters dealing with human problems rather than the fantastical or historic worlds of earlier operas.
Olcott added that the particular human problem presented in "L'elisir d'amore" will ring true to many college students.
"It's the recurring problem of girls saying they want nice guys, but then ignoring the nice guy and going for the dangerous guy instead," he said.
The other opera, "La Finta Giardiniera" or "Gardener Girl," tells the story of a woman in disguise as a man who searches for the lover who believes he has killed her. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was 18 when it debuted in 1775, and conductor Justina Lee said the opera presents "a chance to hear some really beautiful music that isn't performed hardly at all," such as some of Mozart's early experiments with large, complicated ensemble finales.
But director Pat Diamond said the technical stylings aren't the only reason to see the opera.
"Mozart had this ability to tell a comic story in a way that had true depth," Diamond said. "He is a great entertainer, and he capitalized on the same kind of situation comedy we exalt in the U.S. today. So audiences can expect plenty of entertainment and, hopefully, laughter."
IF YOU GO
"La Finta Giardiniera"
When: 7:30 p.m. today, Saturday and Monday.
"L'elisir d'amore"
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Tuesday; 3 p.m. Sunday.
Where: Kay Theatre, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland, College Park.
Tickets: $21, $9 for students
Box office: 301-405-2787, www.claricesmithcenter.umd.edu
