The Pleasures (and Pitfalls) of Love
Operas of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Featuring Bastien und Bastienne & scenes from Don Giovanni, Le Nozze di Figaro, and The Magic Flute

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s charming first opera Bastien und Bastienne tells a tale of two divided lovers who are trying to reconcile, while being helped, (or perhaps hoodwinked) by a wandering magician. Composed by Mozart when he was only 12 years old, the story depicts the emotional struggles of the inexperienced young lovers, while the music keeps this classical gem light and accessible.

This short opera will be accompanied by fully staged scenes from Mozart’s later, more complex masterpieces: Don Giovanni, Le Nozze di Figaro, and The Magic Flute.

The evening will be directed by Judith Barnes, conducted by Peter Szep, accompanied by the Brooklyn Music School’s chamber ensemble and will showcase elegant period costumes by Deborah Wright Houston.

"The course of true love never did run smooth" --Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

Judith Barnes has been recognized as a stage director of “matchless and unending imagination” (ConcertoNet), a singer “vocally and dramatically present in every moment” (Parterre), and a pioneering producer, called “consistently innovative” by TimeOut NY. Noted as a “soprano-impresario” by The New Yorker, she is the founder and artistic director of Vertical Player Repertory (VPR), an indie opera company in Brooklyn, New York that “has developed a following for intense performances of unusual works” (The New York Times). www.VPROpera.org