show category: opera

Opera buffa/ Dramma giocoso in two acts, on a libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte

Recommended age: + 9

From the very first moment of its premiere, presented at the Estates Theatre in Prague, on the 29^th of October 1787, to the present moment, each generation of creators and philosophers has tried to answer the enigmatic question “Who is Don Giovanni?”. Actually, the character’s first line is “You will never discover who I am!” His story is associated with some of history’s most famous seducers, such as Don Juan, or Giacomo Casanova, the latter, asked whether or not he has seen the opera performance, answered: “Have I seen it! I have practically lived it!”. The 19^th century has obsessively been fascinated by this anti hero’s story. For E.T.A. Hoffmann – the writer who has chosen his third name to be “Amadeus” out of admiration for Mozart, as well as for other renowned contemporary figures – Don Giovanni has represented the romantic artist archetype – a creative creature, released from all social rules, loyal to its own single desire.

The opera’s complete title is Don Giovanni, ossia il Dissoluto Punito (eng. Don Giovanni, or the punished libertine). Mozart had offered it the subtitle of drama giocoso – an oxymorone that describes the curious intersection between a comic opera, and a tragic, somber essence, it being the second work within Mozart – Da Ponte trilogy, among “The Marriage of Figaro” and “Cosi fan tutte”. The ouverture captures the opera’s spirit, it’s musical themes being illustrative for Don Giovanni’s defiant character. The action takes place is Spain, where Don Giovanni, a libertine careless about the impact of his numerous flirtations, is always on the lookout for new love conquests. He follows his own agenda, at the same time despising and attracting upon himself a tragic curse. Although countered as individual characters, all of the other roles gravitate around Don Giovanni; his passion has a resonance in every context, determining and reflecting the powerful desires that all of the other characters express.

The performance has a break and ends around 10:15 p.m.