Don Giovanni
An Opera in Two Acts by W. A. Mozart
Libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte
Based on the Play by Tirso de Molina El burlador de Sevilla (The Playboy [or Deceiver] of Seville)
First performance on October 29, 1787 at Landestheater of Prague



(This teaser contains screen captures from the movie Amadeus. Filming of this opera for Amadeus is performed in the very theater that Mozart conducted the premier of Don Giovanni)

Characters:

Don Giovanni - baritone, a young nobleman who has a way to seduce women; keeps the record of the women whom, has seduced.
Donna Anna - soprano, a lady engaged to Don Ottavio.
Don Ottavio - tenor, Donna Anna's fiancé.
The Commandant - bass, Donna Anna's father.
Donna Elvira - soprano, a lady who's been abandoned by Don Giovanni; is determined to win him back or make him an example for all faithless lovers.
Leporello - bass, Don Giovanni's servant, is unhappy with his master's action but usually complies with him anyway.
Masetto - bass, Zerlina's groom to be; a peasant.
Zerlina - soprano, Masetto's bride to be; a peasant.
Peasants, Musicians, Servants and Demons - chorus.


Introduction:

The story is based on the Play El burlador de Sevilla by Tirso de Molina. Don Juan is a legendary Spanish nobleman who is being regarded to as a symbol of libertinism. Libertinism is immoral behavior that is not restrained by conscience or conventions. This play has three parts: the encounter with the statue of the dead person and an invitation to dinner, the appearance of the stone guest and the invitation to dine together the following evening; and the second banquet where the ghost drags Don Juan to Hell.

This opera was billed as "dramma giocoso" (funny drama), belonging to a genre neither completely comic nor completely tragic. Don Giovanni is ranked as the best and the finest of Mozart opera's if not all. This is one of the three operas which, Mozart composed based on Lorenzo da Ponte's libretto. The other two are Le Nozze di Figaro and Cosi Fan Tutti. In these three stories the element of mask and disguise are in common.

Mozart met Da Ponte in 1786 and they worked together on Le Nozze di Figaro in secret, since the play was banned due to its political nature. Da Ponte and Mozart successfully persuaded the Emperor Joseph II to stage this opera, however, besides the rivalry of Salieri with Mozart, this opera didn't prevail in Vienna since it still was too harsh on the ruling class who, were the main audience at the theater where this opera was performed. But the success of Le Nozze di Figaro in Prague, teamed them up to work together once again; this time on Don Giovanni.

Legend has it that Mozart lived in an apartment across the street form Da Ponte's to exchange ideas by shouting from the windows. Mozart also had the singers and players to come to his house to work on details of performing each part. The overture of Don Giovanni was composed one night before its premier. Mozart's wife kept his company so that he could stay awake. The next evening the copyist had just finished the orchestra parts right before the performance. After performing the overture, Mozart laughingly whispered to the musicians near him: "Some notes fell under the stands. But it went well."

Don Giovanni is a fine opera if you're only looking for entertainment. But it also makes you wonder what Mozart and Da Ponte intended us to think about Don Giovanni. Is the protagonist a villain or a champion? He sure gets to sing the finest arias compared to Don Ottavio who is rather boring. One has to remember that this opera like Die Zauberflöte has been composed in the beginning of Enlightenment era, a philosophical movement of the 18th century that emphasized the use of reason to examine previously accepted traditions which, resulted in reforms in France and America. Don Giovanni is a brave man who thinks for himself and fears nothing. He enjoys life, great food, wine, music and women. But he also forgets that his actions have consequences. He is example of a man, who is trying to free himself from the dark side of the blind beliefs and wrong traditions to embrace life. But in this route, he ignores other's feelings and rights and gets what he has sent forth at the end. It's a brilliant story that is even more impressing when it comes to life with Mozart's score.


Synopsis:

ACT I

Scene 1, The Garden of Donna Anna's House, at Night.
Leporello is walking back and forth in front of Donna Anna's house and is complaining about his miserable life while his master is enjoying himself with women. Suddenly masked Don Giovanni rushes outside being followed by screaming Donna Anna who is trying to reveal his identity. The Commandant, Donna Anna's father, hears her screams and comes to the rescue. He challenges Don Giovanni to a duel. Don Giovanni gives him a fatal wound and along with Leporello escapes. Donna Anna returns with her fiancé, Don Ottavio. Confronting the dead body of her father she almost faints. Don Ottavio tries to revive and comfort her. He promises her to avenge his father's blood.

Scene 2, A Street in Seville, at Dawn.
While Leporello is telling his master he should change his way of life, they smell scent of a woman and Don Giovanni wants to find out where she is going. She is murmuring a complaint about a lover who has deserted her; swearing that she would either wins him back or makes him an example for all faithless lovers. Don Giovanni goes to comfort her so that he can seduce her later; only to find out that she is Donna Elvira, one of the many women whom, he has already seduced by promise of marriage. He manages to slip away while Leporello is showing her the long list of hundreds of women whom Don Giovanni has seduced to add to his "Record of Conquests". The furious Elvira swears to get revenge.

Scene 3, Open Countryside, in the Morning.
A peasant couple, Zerlina and Masetto, along with some friends are joyfully singing and celebrating as they are going to get married. Don Giovanni sets his eye on the bride to be and makes Leporello to take the groom and others for refreshments and tour around his villa While Don Giovanni is trying to lure Zerlina with his proposal of marriage and everlasting happiness, Elvira enters and ruins Don Giovanni's plan and takes Zerlina away. Don Giovanni confronts Donna Anna and Don Ottavio who ask him for his help and friendship to find The Commandant's assassin, which, he offers. When Don leaves, Donna Anna who has recognized the voice of his father's murderer tells his fiancé that Don Giovanni is her father's assassin. She explains the account of what happened the night before and how she mistook him for Don Ottavio.

Scene 4, In the Garden of Don Giovanni's Villa.
Don Giovanni return to his villa and nagging Leporello tells him how he had to take Masetto's mind off of his bride by thousands of lies and how Elvira brought Zerlina to the villa and almost wrecked everything by telling everyone about Don Giovanni's affairs. Don Giovanni orders him to arrange a party so that he can seduce some of the girls. Thus by the morning, he can add at least ten other names to his "book".
In another corner, Zerlina is pleading to Masetto to forgive her by telling him nothing happened between her and Don Giovanni but Masetto doesn't believe her. Don Giovanni takes them to the ballroom so they can dance and celebrate the occasion.
Don Ottavio, Donna Anna and Donna Elvira dressed in masquerade arrive at the villa. Don Giovanni orders Leporello to invite them inside.

Scene 5, In the Ballroom of Don Giovanni's Villa.
Don Giovanni orders Leporello to pair up everyone for the dance, and then he starts dancing with Zerlina taking her to another room. When Zerlina shouts for help Leporello rushes in to warn Don Giovanni but Don Giovanni tries to keep the face by pretending Leporello is the one attacking Zerlina. Don Ottivo, Donna Anna and Donna Elvira who were about to come to the rescue unmask and although they do not believe Don Giovanni's ploy he manages to take Leporello and flee; saying that even if the world ends he'll not be afraid of anything.

ACT II

Scene 1, A Street in Seville, at Dusk.
Leporello threatens to leave Don Giovanni saying that he nearly killed him, but he bribes him to go further with his plans. Don orders Leporello to exchange his clothes with him so that Leporello distracts Donna Anna while he is seducing her maid. Donna Anna falls for this plan and they leave together.
At this time Masetto and some of his friends who are looking for Don to kill him find "Leporello" (Don in disguise) and ask him if he knows where his master is. Don sends away Masetto's friends in two groups and tells Masetto that they can look for the Don themselves. After his friend leave, Don beats Masetto badly and escapes yet again. Zerlina finds Masetto who tells her how "Leporello" has beaten him. She promises him a remedy of love.

Scene 2, The Dark Courtyard of Donna Anna's House.
Leporello still disguised as his master tries to leave Elvira and flee when they encounter Don Ottavio, Donna Anna, Masetto and Zerlina who demand the death of "Don Giovanni". As Ottavio is going to kill him, he reveals himself and begs for mercy. Taking their surprise into his advantage he manages to flee. Don Ottavio vows to avenge the blood of Donna Anna's father. Everyone leaves but Elvira who is tormented between her anger and her love for Don Giovanni.

Scene 3, A Graveyard, at Night.
Leporello catches up with his master who is also fleeing to the graveyard. Don tells him how the last girl he tried to seduce mistook him for Leporello and laughs at his furious servant. They hear a voice telling Don Giovanni that before the next dawn he'd laugh his last laughter. They alarmed by the sound, notice the statute of The Commandant having this inscription on the pedestal: "Upon the base one who sent me to my death I here await vengeance." Don makes Leporello to ask the statute to dine with his master. To horror of Leporello, The statute accepts the invitation.

Scene 4, A Room in Donna Anna's House.
Donna Anna is crying because Don Ottavio has spoken about their marriage so soon. Don Ottavio is comforting her but she tells him that they should postpone their marriage for a while until she somewhat recovers from this grief.

Scene 5, A Room in Don Giovanni's House.
The table of dinner is set and Leporello is serving his master. Suddenly Elvira enters and asks Don to change his ways and repent but he carelessly refuses and asks her to dine with him so she leaves him, but on her way out she screams loudly. Horrified Leporello tells his master that the statute has arrived for dinner. Don carelessly orders to set another place at the table. The statute, refusing mortal food, invites Giovanni to dine with him. When he agrees, the statute asks him to shake his hand as a promise. At which point, Don Giovanni feels a shiver in his body. The statue tells him that he had better repent since this is the last hour of his life but he refuses to do so. Demons of Hell promise that his earthly crimes will be nothing compared to the tortures that await him in Hell. He is being surrounded by flames and falls down into Hell. Leporello seeing this horrifying scene faints.

**Donna Anna, Donna Elvira, Don Ottavio, Zerlina and Masetto find the frightened Leporello who explains the end of Giovanni. Donna Anna and Don Ottavio decide to postpone their marriage for one more year. Zerlina and Masetto plan to go home for supper. Donna Elvira decides to spend her life in a nunnery and Leporello will go to a tavern to find a new and better master. They all condemn Don Giovanni's actions: "Such is the fate of those who do evil."

** This chorus was sometimes omitted in the past by few conductors like Von Karajan claiming that this concluding chorus was never really considered to be part of the opera.

Thanks for reading,
Afsaneh

Great job, Afi! I really enjoyed it!