Don Giovanni

Dark, atmospheric, and bursting with life, this opera is the quintessential example of the unrepressed power of Mozart's genius - sublime beauty, jokes and pranks, and spine-tingling drama. Here the best and worst of human nature are on display; the tragic and the grotesque, the sublime and the ridiculous are combined in the pursuit of spiritual and earthly desires.      

Lorenzo da Ponte's libretto is brilliant, but it is Mozart’s music – arguably some of the most beautiful ever written - that makes the work much more than a simple story. Richard Wagner later claimed that Don Giovanni is ‘the opera of all operas.’

The great popularity in Prague of Mozart’s opera, Le Nozze di Figaro, led the theatre’s impresario to commission a new work from the composer. Mozart wanted to keep the same librettist, Lorenzo da Ponte. Da Ponte was busy writing for other composers at the Viennese court and decided to adapt an existing libretto about Don Juan – the notorious libertine of fiction – and his eventual descent into hell. 

Mozart wrote at the time of the Enlightenment ferment. The premiere date of 1787 was eleven years after the American Revolution and two years before the French Revolution. Mozart had composed Figaro one year before, based on the Beaumarchais play that Napoleon famously called ‘the revolution in action.’ This had poked fun at the nobility and celebrated common folk. Some argue that it was because Figaro so angered Mozart's patrons in Vienna that he produced Don Giovanni in Prague, a town that held a reputation for encouraging the rebellious spirit. Indeed, the text of Don Giovanni originally included the refrain ‘Viva la Libertà’ (later changed to ‘Viva la Società’ at the request of the Italian authorities). The opera supports liberty and attacks the church, and it celebrates life and the fullness of the human appetite.


Outline synopsis     
In the city of Seville, Spain, a licentious nobleman, Don Giovanni, disguises himself in order to seduce Donna Anna, who is engaged to marry Don Ottavio. Anna chases him off and is protected by her father, the Commendatore. During a duel, Don Giovanni kills the old man, before running off, without the slightest remorse, to chase after other women, with his faithful servant, Leporello, by his side, a reluctant accomplice in his outrageous schemes. Donna Elvira and Zerlina are among his victims. After slipping away from his pursuers –and delighting in his impunity – Don Giovanni burns in Hell, dragged down into the Underworld by the ghostly statue of the Commendatore who has come to avenge his daughter and set the world right.    

Giovanni – hero or villain?       
Giovanni is seen by many as opera’s most compelling anti-hero, by some as pure villain, by others as a hero (radically unconventional and independent).
Hero? 
Some propose that Giovanni could be considered a hero of the Enlightenment. He stands up against the church, against convention, against rigid social class, and against the idea that we should suffer here on Earth to earn a reward in Heaven; this is the cause of Giovanni's downfall and swift punishment. Mozart was a man of his time and perhaps Giovanni was a product of this. At that time, sexual promiscuity was widespread at all levels of society, and enlightenment thinking - with its rejection of rigid church strictures, celebration of the natural, and rejection of the mind-body dichotomy - was adopted by libertines throughout Europe. The thrilling final scene, in which Don Giovanni shows courage by standing firm in his beliefs and refusing to submit, could be seen as a type of heroism.      
Villain? 
Others argue that Giovanni cannot be seen as a hero; his character is too morally ambivalent and dangerous. Since his behaviour is too flawed by narcissism, irresponsibility, and dishonesty, he simply fails to qualify. If the opera were principally about the political and social issues of the time, then we could designate him as a hero. It is, however, principally about human relationships, and on this score he fails. He has many admirable traits, but he also does evil: he lies, he injures others, he evades responsibility, and he does so remorselessly.        

Ultimately, perhaps, what is interesting for us is that Mozart’s glorious opera offers us a rich encounter with some fundamental questions about human nature – the value of independence of thought, the importance of sensitivity to others, the perils of sexual passion, the potentially toxic power of charismatic ‘influencers’, and many other issues besides.

The music and the story 
Mozart deftly underscores the action with his music. For example, in an aria midway through Act I (the “Catalogue Aria”), Giovanni’s servant, Leporello, reads delightedly from his little black book, listing the many women who have been conquered by Don Giovanni in each of several nations—1,003 women in Spain alone! Mozart matches musical characteristics to various adjectives, so that petite women are portrayed with short notes and ladies of more grandeur are described with longer note values.

Other clever musical touches can be found in the well-known duet “Là ci darem la mano” in Act I. As the duet begins, Giovanni and his prey have alternate verses, but, as the conquest ensues, they begin to blend in harmony, the music reflecting their emotional unity.    

Of far more dramatic musical impact is the entrance of the vengeful ghost (specifically, a stone statue come to life) near the end of the opera. He comes to demand repentance of the villain under threat of taking Giovanni to hell. The foreboding chords that symbolise Giovanni’s fate and foreshadow the massive movement of the statue create an intense and powerful scene. Many performances in the 1800s ended with Giovanni’s descent into hell rather than with Mozart’s light final scene.     

Detailed Synopsis 
ACT I
Scene 1. In the garden outside the Commandant’s mansion.
Leporello, servant to Don Giovanni, serves as lookout and waits impatiently as his master daringly breaks into the house to seduce the Commandant’s daughter. He grumbles about his thankless job - no sleep, little pay, hard work (‘Notte e giorno faticar’). Suddenly, Giovanni and Donna Anna rush out of the palace. They are struggling. Anna screams and unsuccessfully tries to discover the masked Giovanni’s identity. Her father appears, brandishing a sword, and challenges Giovanni to a duel; Anna runs to get help. Giovanni, at first reluctant, accepts the challenge and proceeds to kill the old man, whereupon he and Leporello escape. Anna returns with her fiancé, Don Ottavio, to find her father dead; she makes Ottavio swear to avenge her father’s death.
Scene 2. Early morning the next day, in a square outside Seville.    
Leporello, having made Giovanni promise not to punish him for speaking freely, tells him that his life is scandalous. When Giovanni becomes angry, Leporello changes the subject to Giovanni’s catalogue of women. As his master tells of his latest flame, they spot a veiled woman walking along the road. The men do not recognize her, but she is one of Giovanni’s former conquests, Donna Elvira. They hide as she rages at her betrayal at the hands of a scoundrel who had seduced and then deserted her (‘Ah! chi mi dice mai’). When Giovanni, pleased at the prospect of another conquest, approaches to comfort her, she recognizes him as the man who had abandoned her. As she berates him, the dismayed Giovanni sneaks off. Leporello, curtly explaining to her that she is not his master’s only victim and will surely not be the last, relates the catalogue of Giovanni’s conquests to her (‘Madamina, il catalogo è questo’): 640 in Italy, 231 in Germany, 100 in France, a mere 91 in Turkey, but 1,003 in Spain! Leporello quickly departs, leaving Elvira even angrier and bent on revenge.
Scene 3. Outside a tavern in the countryside near Don Giovanni’s castle.  
A group of peasants are celebrating the engagement of Zerlina and Masetto. Giovanni and Leporello admire the girls, and Giovanni is very interested in Zerlina. He invites everyone to enter his castle to eat and drink. But he detains Zerlina, to the annoyance of her fiancé, who is finally persuaded to go with the others. Giovanni promises to marry Zerlina (Duet: ‘Là ci darem la mano’). Won over, Zerlina agrees. Just then, Elvira comes in and warns Zerlina against him. The two women leave together.
Anna and Ottavio arrive. Not realizing that Giovanni is the man who, masked, had assaulted her and killed her father, Anna seeks his help. Elvira returns and tries to tell the others what kind of man he really is, but Giovanni tells them that Elvira is mad and takes her away. Yet Anna has realized, from his voice, that Giovanni was indeed her attacker. She tells Ottavio what happened to her on the night her father was killed and again begs him to seek vengeance (‘Or sai, chi l’onore’). Ottavio, left alone, reflects on his love for her (‘Dalla sua pace’).         
Giovanni and Leporello reappear. Leporello relates how he got the villagers drunk and managed to lock Elvira out of the house. Delighted, Giovanni orders a huge party (‘Finch’han del vino’) and goes off to prepare for it.     
Scene 4. In the garden outside Don Giovanni’s castle.
Masetto stalks into the garden, ignoring Zerlina’s entreaties and accusing her of infidelity. She urges Masetto to beat her if he wants, if they make up (‘Batti, batti, o bel Masetto’). Masetto relents. When they hear Giovanni approaching, Zerlina becomes agitated, and Masetto, suspicious, hides so that he can watch them. Giovanni renews his attentions and tries to draw her aside into the very place where Masetto is hiding. Masetto, furious, jumps out of the foliage and surprises him, but Giovanni recovers his composure and blithely says that he and Zerlina were just looking for Masetto. Giovanni reunites the two and invites them to his castle to join the party.
Once they have left, three masked figures enter the garden. The three - Anna, Ottavio, and Elvira - are determined to expose Giovanni to everyone. Giovanni and Leporello see them from Giovanni’s balcony and, not recognizing them, invite them to the party as well.    
Scene 5. Inside the ballroom of Don Giovanni’s castle.         
As the guests dance, Giovanni continues his pursuit of Zerlina. He heartily welcomes the masked trio as they come in. As Giovanni dances with Zerlina, Leporello forces Masetto to dance, allowing Giovanni to drag Zerlina away. When Zerlina’s screams are heard, interrupting the party, Masetto and the others rush to help her, but the door is locked. When the angry crowd threatens to break down the door, Giovanni reappears, with Leporello at sword’s point. Giovanni proclaims that his lackey is the attacker. Ottavio, Anna, and Elvira unmask and threaten Giovanni, who disarms Ottavio with his sword and keeps the mob away. Using Leporello as a shield, Giovanni escapes.

ACT II
Scene 1. Outside Donna Elvira’s house.
Leporello threatens to leave Giovanni, but he is given money and is persuaded to stay. Giovanni has a plan: Leporello is to pretend to be him and entice Elvira away, leaving Giovanni, dressed as Leporello, free to seduce her maid, Zerlina. They exchange clothes. It is dark, and, when Elvira appears at her window, she is persuaded by an apparently repentant ‘Giovanni’ to come down to him. A false scare sends the pair running off. Giovanni as ‘Leporello’ then serenades Zerlina (‘Deh, vieni alla finestra’), but he is forced to hide when Masetto and some armed villagers come looking for him. ‘Leporello’ tells them that he has left his master, and he sends them off in all directions to find Giovanni. The disguised Giovanni tricks Masetto into handing over his weapons and then thrashes him and runs off, leaving Masetto groaning on the ground. Zerlina appears, comforts him, and takes him home (‘Vedrai, carino’).      
Scene 2. A dark courtyard by Donna Anna’s house.    
‘Giovanni’ and Elvira are in a courtyard; he is trying to find a way to escape. Just as he finds the door, Ottavio and Anna enter, followed by Zerlina and Masetto. Thinking Leporello is Giovanni, they corner him while Elvira begs them to spare him. Desperate, he reveals his identity, to the astonishment of all. As they advance on him, he begs for mercy but manages to flee. Ottavio urges the others to comfort Anna while he seeks revenge (‘Il mio tesoro’). Elvira, left alone, expresses her mixture of emotions about Giovanni—pity for his doomed soul and hurt by his betrayal of her (‘Mi tradì quell’alma ingrata’). 
Scene 3. A church graveyard.     
Giovanni laughingly relates his recent adventures to Leporello. Suddenly, a ghostly voice says that his mirth will soon end. Leporello, stuttering with fright, notices the funerary statue of the Commandant, on which is inscribed a vow of vengeance on his murderer. Giovanni brazenly orders the terrified Leporello to invite the statue to supper. The statue accepts, with a horrifying nod of its head.         
Scene 4. Inside Donna Anna’s house.   
Anna is still mourning her father’s death, and Ottavio tries to soothe her by proposing marriage and assuring her that Giovanni will soon be brought to justice. She tenderly confirms her love for him but says their marriage must wait until her father’s murder has been avenged (‘Non mi dir’).     
Scene 5. Dining hall inside Don Giovanni’s castle.     
Giovanni orders the orchestra to play as he dines, while Leporello sneaks food from the table. Elvira bursts in and begs Giovanni to change his ways, but he merely invites her to eat. As she is leaving, she suddenly stops at the door, screams, and runs out another door. Giovanni orders Leporello to investigate the commotion. He does so and returns stammering about a man of stone knocking at the door. The Commandant’s statue appears and announces that he has come for dinner. Giovanni offers his hospitality as Leporello hides. The statue refuses mortal food but invites Giovanni to sup with him. Giovanni accepts, giving the statue his hand as a promise, but he then finds himself trapped in the statue’s marble grasp. The statue demands that Giovanni repent, but the rake refuses. The statue proclaims Giovanni’s fate and sinks through the ground as flames surround them. Terrified, Giovanni tries to escape but is blocked by the fire. With a cry of despair, Giovanni is dragged off to hell as a chorus of demons condemns him to eternal damnation. Flames envelop the castle.
Epilogue. Don Giovanni’s dining hall, a few minutes later.    
Ottavio, Anna, Elvira, Zerlina, and Masetto arrive with ministers of justice to confront Giovanni. Leporello, who has escaped the inferno, relays the news and describes the terror he has witnessed. Justice has been done; they all agree. Anna agrees to marry Ottavio; Elvira will retire to a convent; Zerlina and Masetto will go home to eat; and Leporello will seek a new and better master. They turn to the audience and warn that a similar fate awaits all such libertines.