W. A. Mozart
Don Giovanni
October 23, 2015
1:00 PM - Encore Theater
English Subtitles
“Don Giovanni” is considered by many operaphiles
to be the greatest opera ever written; others take
issue with that, but few dispute that it deserves a
place very near the top. The opera premiered in
Prague in 1787, the year after Mozart’s ‘La Nozze
de Figaro’ (Marriage of Figaro) burst upon the
opera world, only four years before his untimely
death. The phenomenal popularity that Nozze achieved in Prague a few months
after its less acclaimed Vienna premiere in the spring of 1786 led the leading
musical powers in Prague, the Bohemian capital, to commission Mozart to
compose another work, this time to premiere in their city. For his librettist,
Mozart turned again to the man who had been his collaborator on ‘Nozze’:
Lorenzo da Ponte. The result was another triumph.
The story is based on the story of Don Juan, the legendary and insatiable
womanizer.
As depicted by Mozart and da Ponte, the Don considers the
conquest more important than the experience, and is totally without scruple or
guilt when it came to that aspect of his life. It is his single-minded intention to
do whatever he damn-well pleases. Above all else, he is driven by the motto
“Viva la Liberta”. Indeed, his manic need is so great that the idea that his
insatiable hunt for more women might somehow be immoral never occurs to
him. Thus, I consider that Mozart regarded this opera as a morality play set to
music, as is reflected in the opera’s memorable ending and epilogue, and
explains its subtitle: “The Reprobate Punished”.
Runtime: 176 minutes • Filmed at Teatro alla Scala by RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana
DVD released in 2004 by Opus Arte • MPAA not rated • ASIN: B0001Z65R6
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Operatic commentators also speculate on how Mozart might have seen a
character, Il Commendatore, as a reflection of his father.
In his play
“Amadeus” and the award-winning film adaptation, Peter Schaffer directly
conflates the father-son relationship between Wolfgang and his father, Leopold
Mozart, with Il Commendatore. While I question the literary license taken by
Peter Schaffer, it is true that all during Wolfgang’s tragically short life, his
father’s constant piling on of filial guilt was a heavy burden on his son, whose
quest for Daddy’s approval remained unsatisfied to the end. Leopold Mozart
died in 1787 while Wolfgang’s work on today’s opera was in progress, so it’s
not difficult to see a connection with between that traumatic event in Mozart’s
young life (he was only 32 years old) and the ‘Stone Guest’ Mozart in his
opera).
In the opera, the Commendatore is an overt father figure whom Giovanni kills
in a duel during the opening scene, while the man is fighting to avenge the
Don’s dishonoring of his daughter, Donna Anna. Since Giovanni is incapable of
accepting the concept of guilt for any of his actions, the opera ends with the
Don rejecting the Stone Guest’s demand that he repent, resulting in his being
dragged down to a fiery death in the Underworld.
In spite of his murdering an old man at the very start of the opera and the
numerous subsequent instances where Giovanni is shown to be a liar and a
bully, as well as a serial rapist, you may find your reactions not as reflexively
negative as you might expect to feel towards a man with such a reprehensible
character. Rather than being repelled by the Don’s many selfish and unfeeling
actions, you may find yourself feeling some empathy for him. This is the
essence of Mozart’s genius, which shines through this opera perhaps more
definitively than any of his other operatic works; I doubt that a lesser
composer could have pulled it off.
CAST
Thomas Allen...Don Giovanni, a nobleman
Sergei Koptchak...Il Commendatore, a local official
Edita Gruberova...Donna Anna, his daughter
Francisco Araiza...Don Ottavio, Donna Anna’s fiance
Ann Murray...Donna Elvira, one of Giovanni’s former lovers
Claudio Desderi…Leporello, Giovanni’s servant
Susanne Mentzer…Zerlina, a country girl
Natale De Carolis…Masetto, Zerlina’s fiance
Riccardo Muti conducts the La Scala Orchestra and Chorus
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ACT ONE
As the curtain rises, we see Leporello bemoaning his life as the servant to
Don Giovanni. It is late night. Leporello is standing outside the palace of the
Commendatore, acting as sentry while the Don is inside seducing the
Commendatore’s daughter, Donna Anna. Leporello sings his initial aria ”Notte
e giorno faticar”, in which he complains bitterly of his life as servant to this
manic letch.
He is interrupted when Giovanni and Anna exit the palace, with the Don
struggling to keep her from seeing his face. Later, the Commendatore enters
and challenges the Don to a duel. Initially the Don demurs, but when the
father insists, Giovanni has no compunctions in accommodating. (He’s not
anxious to kill the old man, but it’s a sign of his immorality that neither is he
bothered by the prospect.)
In a trio of the three deep male voices on stage, we hear the Commendatore’s
soul rise up to heaven.
When Donna Anna returns with her fiancé, Don
Ottavio she finds her father dead and demands that Ottavio swear to avenge
her father’s death by the unknown intruder. His response reveals his central
characteristic: while he always expresses high moral values and manly
intentions, in truth he is totally ineffectual.
In the next scene, the Don and Leporello encounter a woman who’s a
newcomer to the city. This is Donna Elvira. Her opening aria is “Chi mi dice
mai” asking who will tell her where to find the cad (‘il barbaro’) who had
seduced and then abandoned her. Now the Don, intent on making her his next
conquest, pretends to comfort her, only to recognize too late that she’s Elvira
(and he is the cad in question).
She is the epitome of the conflicted woman driven by a love-hate obsession for
the Don. On the one hand, she wants vengeance for his having mistreated her,
while at the same time, her actions make it clear that she has never gotten
over her emotional ties to the man with who spoke of marriage to justify his
purpose of seducing her.
Giovanni quickly retreats and thrusts Leporello forward, telling Elvira he will
explain. He then flees, and Leporello is left to wiggle his way out of the
situation. He consoles Elvira by telling her she was not the first and wouldn’t
be the last woman to be so mistreated by his master, and he uses a book that
he always has with him to prove his point. This is his aria ‘Madamina’, also
known as the ‘Catalogue aria’, listing the Don’s nearly two thousand conquests,
sorted by nation, with Spain (the country they’re in) leading the pack with a
total of ‘mil e tre’ (one thousand and three).
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We next see the Don and Leporello come upon an outdoor peasant gathering
prior to a wedding. Giovanni, with typical disdain for proprieties or the rights
of others, decides to make another conquest in the form of the bride-to-be. He
has Leporello take everyone to his palace while he tries to persuade the bride,
Zerlina to accompany him separately. His attempt is capped by the famous
duet, “La ci darem la mano” (there you will take my hand -- meaning in
marriage).
Zerlina’s thoughts are ambivalent: she is flattered by the
attentions of a nobleman who speaks to her about marriage but worries about
hurting Masetto’s feelings. (D’ya think?) She’s about to succumb and the Don’s
efforts are about to succeed when Elvira reappears in the nick of time and
warns Zerlina not to trust this terrible man.
Never one to give up easily, he explains to Zerlina that Elvira loves him, but he
is too kindhearted to reject her outright. Then, after he escorts Zerlina offstage, Donna Anna and Don Ottavio appear, still searching for the
Commendatore’s murderer. Elvira reappears and repeats her condemnation of
Giovanni’s character to them. When the Don returns, he displays his gift for
improvisation with a new explanation for Elvira’s actions: she is crazy, and he
only wants to help her. They are unsure whom to believe, but as Giovanni bids
goodbye with an oily and insincere offer to help her, Anna recognizes his voice
and presses her fiancé to react to this startling news.
True to form, Ottavio dithers.
He’s reluctant to attribute such monstrous
actions to a fellow nobleman, and he muses on his dilemma in a lovely lyric
aria with long, legato lines titled “Dalla sua pace” (upon her peace of mind)
that Mozart wrote for the opera’s Vienna premiere when that cast’s tenor
complained that his justly famous aria, “il mio tesoro’ (my beloved treasure)
which comes in the second act, was too difficult for him to sing. Since then it
is the norm for the tenor to sing both arias, as is done in this performance.
There follows a duet where Zerlina and Masetto are alone and she apologizes
and begs forgiveness with a sweet and wistful aria “batti, batti o bel
Masetto” (beat me, beat me). Of course, he succumbs to her blandishments.
The first act approaches its conclusion with two scenes concerning Giovanni’s
decision to hold a ball in his palace that evening. First, he sings an aria usually
called “the champagne aria.” I feel da Ponte wrote it to highlight the depths of
Giovanni’s depravity. It is clear in the catalogue aria that Giovanni made no
class distinctions for his sexual conquests. He rejoices that the ladies will all
drink too much, so tonight he will add ten more names to his all-important list.
Second, the trio of Donna Anna, Donna Elvira and Don Ottavio, all wearing
masks and bent on vengeance, is seen by Leporello as they pass by the
palace. At Giovanni’s urging, he invites the unknown strangers to join the gala.
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In the act’s final scene, Mozart demonstrates his musical genius with three
mini-bands each playing different melodies with different dance rhythms. The
effect amplifies the manic nature of the scene, a stage filled with revelers.
After repeatedly expressing his motto of “Viva la Liberta”, the Don again tries
to seduce Zerlina, actually to rape her. He drags her offstage to another room
while the others are dancing, and while Leporello keeps Masetto occupied.
Suddenly we hear Zerlina scream, and as the crowd gathers to see the source
of the scream, the ever-resourceful Don emerges and accuses Leporello of the
crime and threatens to kill him. Leporello never knows what to expect from
Giovanni and is frightened, but nobody else is fooled by the Don’s accusation,
especially not the three masked strangers who now make themselves known,
as Giovanni calls out their names in turn. But in the general confusion that
follows, Giovanni makes good his escape and the curtain falls on Act One.
ACT TWO
The first scene finds us below a window of the hotel where Donna Elvira is
staying. The Don has already identified her maid as his next conquest. To
increase his chances, he forces Leporello to change clothes with him and
remains unseen as he serenades Elvira and invites her to come down to join
him, while Leporello (dressed as the Don) mimes the singer’s gestures. (The
scene was repeated a century later in Cyreno de Bergerac.)
The ruse is successful. Elvira comes down and embraces Leporello, thinking he
is Giovanni (again reflecting her ambiguous feelings toward the ‘barbarian’ and
leaving the field clear for the Don to serenade the maid with his aria “deh
vieni alla finestra” (come to the window).
As we later learn, he is again
unsuccessful. Leporello is also unlucky, though in a different way; he can’t get
away from Elvira.
There follows an ensemble scene in which Elvira, Anna, Ottavio, Zerlina and
Masetto all corner Leporello (still dressed as the Don) with murderous intent.
Now Elvira, once again displaying her ambivalence toward Giovanni, tries to
protect the man they all think is Giovanni. At this point, self-protection kicks in
and Leporello reveals who he is, explaining that he was wearing his master’s
clothes only because he had been directed to do so.
But if he expected that to assuage their anger, he was mistaken. Now they’re
just as angry with him for having deceived them and allowed their quarry to
escape. We then hear a pair of glorious arias, each one a showstopper. First
Don Ottavio sings Mozart’s original tenor aria that I described above. Listen to
the phenomenal breath control required to sing the aria “Il mio tesoro” and
you’ll appreciate why many tenors won’t even attempt it.
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Elvira then sings an aria Mozart composed for the soprano who sang the role in
its initial Vienna production. The aria is ”mi tradi” (he betrayed me) which,
with its recitative and clarinet obligatos, is equally breath-taking.
In the next scene, Giovanni and Leporello are alone in a cemetery containing a
life-sized statue of a man on a horse. Giovanni tells Leporello to read the
inscription, which he does reluctantly. Upon learning that the statue is of the
Commendatore, we see the Don’s bravado: he commands Leporello to invite
the statue of the man (whom he murdered) to dinner at his palace. The
servant does as he is told, and – wonder of wonders -- the statue accepts!!
Leporello almost faints, and even Giovanni is amazed. But being the Don, he
says that his invitation stands.
Now comes a comic scene in which Masetto approaches with a group of
companions, all armed to the teeth and intent on killing Giovanni. Once again,
the Don demonstrates his bravery, combined with guile.
Still dressed as
Leporello, he greets them warmly and feigns sympathy with their intentions.
In that disguise, he speaks of his own animus toward his cruel master and
takes charge of the mob’s plan for attacking the Don. He sends half of them
off to the left and the other half to the right, keeping Masetto by his side.
When the two are alone, he asks Masetto to give him all his weapons, and
once assured he has them all, he proceeds to use them to beat Masetto
mercilessly, leaving the poor man lying whimpering on the ground. Zerlina
then finds him in that condition, and in another example of how she knows
how to use her feminine wiles, she comforts him by sly double entendre words
about the special balm that she keeps in a special place, just for him, and he
of course is an easy mark for another reconciliation.
The scene shifts, and we witness an exchange between Donna Anna and Don
Ottavio. He wants to get married now to end their prolonged abstinence and
get on with their lives together. But she won’t hear of it until her father’s
death is avenged. He feels she is being unreasonable but she answers with yet
another glorious aria in which she tells him she will not rest until her goal of
revenge is satisfied, and Giovanni is caught and punished.
The final scene of the opera now takes place. We’re in the dining hall in
Giovanni’s palace, where he is eating alone, with only Leporello to serve him,
and with a mini-band to entertain him. The Don displays both his boorish
table manners and his utter selfishness by demeaning his faithful (but hungry)
Leporello and offering him no food. Giovanni is aware of his servant’s plight
and derides Leporello even as he, the Don, stuffs his face with delicacies.
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Suddenly, Donna Elvira enters. She has come not to try again to win him
back, but to beg him to mend his ways before it is too late. (Even now, her
ambivalence comes through as she makes yet another effort to save his soul.)
But, true to his code, Giovanni refuses. Instead, he invites her to join him for
dinner. Rebuffed once again, she leaves, filled with a combination of sadness
and anger.
We immediately hear her give out a terrified scream from offstage. Giovanni
orders Leporello to go see what the matter is, and he reluctantly obeys. When
he returns, he is shaking with fear and cannot tell Giovanni what has
frightened him so. Giovanni says he will go to the door himself. Leporello tells
him that it is the Stone Statue, who has come in response to Giovanni’s
invitation. He begs the Don not to go, but Giovanni will not allow himself to be
judged a coward.
Giovanni then goes to the door and ushers in the statue, who demands that
Giovanni repent while there is still time. When Giovanni refuses, the statue
invites him to dine at his place. The Don accepts and the statue asks him to
shake hands; the Don displays his courage by doing so.
In a chilling
interchange with his hand entrapped in the statue’s iron grip, Giovanni is
repeatedly commanded to repent. Each time he refuses, while the orchestra
swells in ever-increasing volume until finally, accompanied by a crashing
crescendo, the Don yells out one final “NO” and this memorably scary and
emotionally draining scene ends with the Don being pulled down into a fiery pit
to perish.
EPILOGUE
I must tell you that many productions omit this scene. But I consider its
omission to be inconsistent with the message Mozart intended. As I said, I
believe Mozart composed this opera as a morality play in which Giovanni’s
lifestyle is duly punished. Mozart and da Ponte had to put their seal on this
message with an appropriate epilogue. In this scene, each of the six major
characters describes their individual plans in a future life without Don Giovanni.
Each tells us how they expect to have a better life.
Zerlina and Masetto will soon marry. Donna Anna says she will defer her
marriage to Don Ottavio for a year, purportedly so her emotions can come to
rest. (But I suspect it is to allow herself time to find a more manly candidate
for a husband.) Donna Elvira says she intends to enter a monastery, and
Leporello says he will go to the nearest tavern to find a better master. And
that’s where we leave Mozart’s parable about the rewards awaiting a man who
challenges the mores of society, while we are left to ponder the price that
Giovanni paid for his selfishness and immorality.
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[Gene’s Tech Note]
This recording was made in 1987, 200 years after the Opera was composed
and premiered. It was recorded at a La Scala performance and, like many
other recordings made before the current technology was available, this one
was initially released on video tape (VHS) and even DVD on a different label.
While many reviewers are highly critical of the audio and video on La Scala’s
DVDs re-recorded from tape, this one escapes much of that criticism and earns
praise from some (“cleaner sound and clearer visuals”).
NEXT WEEK
On October 30, we’ll end the month with the 2003 BBC television film “Eroica”
which portrays the private, first performance of Ludwig Beethoven’s Third
Symphony. Although Beethoven first intended to call his work “Bonaparte,” the
composer became disillusioned with Napoleon.
When Hayden was asked his opinion of this Symphony, after hearing only the
last movement he said, "From this day forward, everything [in music] is
changed”.
Unlike “Life of Verdi,” next week’s film is only a bit longer than two hours, so
you’ll be able to see all of it!
Steve Schwartz✍
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