Don Giovanni

The punished libertine or Don Juan (original title in Italian, Il dissoluto punito, ossia il Don Giovanni) is a humorous drama in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and a libretto in Italian by Lorenzo da Ponte based on the original work The mocker of Seville and stone guest by Tirso de Molina. It bears the number KV 527. It premiered at the Prague Theater on October 29, 1787. Da Ponte's libretto was considered by many at the time as dramma giocoso, a term denoting a mixture of comedic and serious action. Mozart entered the work in his catalog as opera buffa . Although sometimes classified as comedy, it mixes comedy, melodrama, and supernatural elements.

As a major work in the standard operatic repertoire, it appears as number seven on Operabase's list of the most performed operas worldwide, and Mozart's third, after The Magic Flute and The Marriage of Figaro. The work is a reworking of the literary theme of Don Juan. In addition to all the literary reworkings and philosophical reflections on the theme in general, the opera has given rise to some specific literary receptions.

The plot takes place in Toledo (Spain).

Compositions and premieres

Mozart composed the opera between March and October 1787, in Vienna and in Prague, based on the myth of Don Juan (the Italian correspondent for John is Giovanni) and, in particular, the immediate antecedent of the opera Don Giovanni Tenorio, by Giuseppe Gazzaniga, premiered at the recent Carnival of Venice in early 1787. It arose as a commission as a result of the success it had in this last city the premiere of his previous opera, The Marriage of Figaro. He finished the score on October 28 of the same year, after Da Ponte had been called to Vienna to work on another opera. There are disparate accounts of the overture ending at the last minute; some say he finished it the day before the premiere, others the same day. It was most likely finished the day before, given the fact that Mozart wrote that he finished the opera on October 28. The score calls for double woodwinds, horns and trumpets, timpani, basso continuo for the recitatives, and the usual strings. The composer also specified occasional special musical effects. For the dance scene at the end of Act I, Mozart requires no less than three groups on stage to play different dances in synchronization, each with its respective meter, accompanying the dance of the main characters. In Act II, Giovanni is seen playing the mandolin, and is accompanied by pizzicato strings. When the statue of the Commander speaks for the first time later in the act, Mozart adds three trombones to the accompaniment.

The opera premiered at the State Theater in Prague on October 29, 1787, under its full title of Il Dissoluto Punito, ossia il Don Giovanni Dramma giocoso in due atti. The work was received with great critical and public acclaim, as was often the case with Mozart's work in Prague. The Prager Oberamtszeitung wrote: "Amateurs and musicians say Prague has never heard anything like it," and "opera. the large crowd."

Mozart also supervised the Vienna premiere of the work, which took place on May 7, 1788. For this production, he wrote two new arias with corresponding recitatives: the Don Ottavio aria Dalla sua pace (K.540a, composed on April 24 for the tenor Francesco Morella), Doña Elvira's In quali eccessi... Mi tradì quell'ungrateful soul (K. 540c, composed on April 30 for the soprano Caterina Cavalieri) and the duet between Leporello and Zerlina Per queste tue manine (K. 540b, composed on April 28).

Interpretation Practices

Originally the actors alternated between spoken recitative and arias, but in modern productions the secco recitative composed by Mozart himself is often used to replace the spoken text.

	Obertura de Don Giovanni
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The final set of the opera was normally omitted until the middle of the XX century, and does not appear in the Viennese libretto of 1788. Mozart also made a shortened version of the operatic score. Regardless, the final ensemble is almost invariably performed in full today.

Another modern approach occasionally found is to cut Don Ottavio's most celebrated aria, Il mio tesoro, in favor of the less demanding Dalla sua pace, which he replaced in the Viennese premiere to suit tenor Francesco Morella. Most modern productions find a place for both tenor arias, however. In addition, the duet Per queste tue manine, composed specifically for the Viennese premiere, is frequently cut in opera productions of the century XXI.

In modern productions, Masetto and the Commander are roles played by different singers, although the same singer played both roles in both the Prague and Vienna premieres, and the chorus of demons in the final scene after the exit del Comendador gives the singer time to change costumes before entering as Masetto for the sextet.

Characters

Plot

Luigi Bassi in the role holder Don Giovanni in 1787

The action takes place in Toledo, in the middle of the XVI century. Don Giovanni, an arrogant and sexually promiscuous young nobleman, insults and angers the rest of the cast, until in the end he finds himself with someone he cannot kill, beat, elude or outwit.

Act I

The overture begins in D minor, before an allegro in D alegre major.

Picture 1: Atrium of the Commander's Palace

Francisco d'Andrade as Don Giovanni Max Slevogt box

Leporello, Don Giovanni's servant, complains about his life ("Notte e giorno faticar – Night and day to work"). He keeps watch while Don Giovanni tries to seduce Dona Anna, the Commander's daughter. Suddenly, they both appear: Giovanni is masked, but Dona Anna holds his arm. She wants to know who she is (Trio: & # 34; Non esperar, se non m & # 39; uccidi – Don't wait, unless you kill me & # 34;) and screams for help. Her father, the commander, appears and challenges Giovanni while Dona Anna flees for help. Giovanni kills the Commander and escapes with Leporello. Anna returns with her fiancée, don Ottavio, and several servants. Seeing the painting, she is horrified. They both swear revenge against the unknown murderer. (Duet: "Ah, vendicar, se il puoi, giura quel sangue ognor! – Ah, swear to avenge this blood!").

Table 2: On the outskirts of Toledo

Fleeing from the Commander's house, Giovanni and Leporello meet Elvira, who sings that she has been abandoned by her lover whom she seeks for revenge ("Ah, chi mi dice mai – Ah, who can tell me?"). Giovanni starts flirting with her, but he's the bastard he's looking for. He pushes Leporello, ordering him to tell Elvira the truth and then he runs away.

Leporello tells Elvira that Giovanni isn't worth it. She shows him a catalogue, a notebook in which all of Don Giovanni's lovers are listed, the ones he seduced and the ones he abandoned. His conquests include 640 in Italy, 231 in Germany, 100 in France, 91 in Turkey, but in Spain, there are already "mille e tre" 1,003. ("Madamina, il catalogo è questo – Miss, this is the catalogue"). In a frequently interrupted recitative, Elvira swears revenge upon discovering, with astonishment and sadness, that they number in the thousands. Elvira, overwhelmed to see what the reality is, decides that she is going to punish Don Giovanni in her name and in the name of all the mocked women, but by now Leporello has also fled.

Picture 3: Garden in the palace of Don Giovanni

When Doña Elvira leaves, a wedding procession with Zerlina and Masetto, two peasants, enters and there is a great party. Don Giovanni and Leporello appear. Giovanni is immediately attracted to Zerlina, and tries to seduce her in front of Masetto. He takes the peasant couple as patron and offers them his protection in exchange for demanding his right of seigneur over the bride. She is somewhat attracted to Don Giovanni, and does not offer much resistance to his advances. Realizing that Giovanni intends to stay behind with Zerlina, Masetto becomes angry ("Ho capito! Signor, sì – I get it! Yes, my lord!"). Masetto, offended and escorted by Leporello, leaves with the rest of the wedding guests to Don Giovanni's palace, since he has promised to celebrate the betrothal with all possible pomp and waste.

Don Giovanni and Zerlina are soon alone and he immediately begins to exercise his arts of seduction. (Duet: "Là ci darem la mano – There we will kiss! hand"). Doña Elvira arrives and thwarts the seduction ("Ah, fuggi il traditor – Run away from the traitor!"). He leaves with Zerlina thus separating her from Don Giovanni. He is left alone and meets Don Ottavio and Doña Anna who ask him for help in their enterprise to avenge the death of Doña Anna's murdered father (the Commander), without being aware that he is the aggressor. Don Giovanni, relieved to find that he has not been recognized, quickly promises his help, and asks who has disturbed his peace. Before she can answer, Doña Elvira intervenes and warns Don Ottavio and Doña Ana of Don Giovanni's perfidy. Giovanni tries to convince Ottavio and Anna that Elvira is crazy. (Quartet: "Non ti fidar, o misera – Do not trust him, oh, wretch").

Finally, when saying goodbye, Don Giovanni says goodbye, and in doing so, Doña Anna vanishes, recognizing Don Giovanni as her father's murderer, by his voice. She tells Don Ottavio the unfortunate details of that tragic night and demands that, now that he knows the identity of the murderer, he fulfills his promise to avenge his father's death (Anna's Aria: "Or sai chi l'onore – He is the one who tried to steal my honor"). Ottavio, not convinced, decides to keep an eye on his friend. (& # 34; Dalla sua pace – On his peace, my peace depends & # 34;).

Leporello informs Giovanni that all the guests of the peasant wedding are at his house, that he distracted Masetto from his jealousy, but that Zerlina, returning with Elvira, made a scene and ruined everything. However, Don Giovanni remains cheerful and tells Leporello to throw a party and invite all the girls he can find. (Giovanni's "Champagne Aria": "Fin ch'han dal vino – Until Theyre Tipsy"). They rush to march to the palace.

Zerlina follows the jealous Masetto and tries to calm him down ("Batti, batti o bel Masetto – Hit me, oh, beautiful Masetto"), but just as she manages to convince him of her innocence, Don Giovanni's voice from offstage startles and scares her. Masetto, suspecting Zerlina again, decides to go into hiding to see for himself what Zerlina will do when Giovanni arrives. Zerlina tries to hide from Don Giovanni, but he finds her and tries to woo her again, until he stumbles upon Masetto's hideout. Confused, but recovering quickly, Giovanni reproaches Masetto for leaving Zerlina alone, and returns her temporarily. He then leads the two of them to his ballroom, which has been lavishly decorated. Don Ottavio, Doña Anna and Doña Elvira decide to also appear at the party disguised with masks. Leporello sees them and, without recognizing them, invites them in the name of his mistress to enter the palace. Ottavio and Anna pray for protection, and Elvira seeks revenge (Trio: "Protegga il giusto cielo – May the just heaven protect us").

Picture 4: Interior of the Palace of Don Giovanni

The party is held in the palace of Don Giovanni. There is a great commotion and with the help of Leporello who starts dancing with Masetto to distract him, Don Giovanni manages to momentarily separate Zerlina from Masetto, managing to take the girl to a room. At Zerlina's cries for help, Masetto and the other guests come, managing to free the peasant. Don Giovanni tries to confuse them by dragging Leporello into the room and threatening to kill him for assaulting Zerlina. But Ottavio pulls out a gun, the three guests remove their masks and declare that they know everything. But despite being denounced from all sides, Don Giovanni manages to escape by cutting his way through the guests.

Act II

Picture 1: In front of Donna Elvira's house

Leporello threatens to leave Don Giovanni, but his master calms him down with a peace offer of money. (Duet: "Eh via buffone – Come on, jester"). Wishing to seduce Elvira's maid, Don Giovanni convinces Leporello to exchange capes and hats. Elvira approaches her window, lamenting that her heart continues to love Don Giovanni, despite knowing that he is a traitor. (Trio: "Ah taci, ingiusto core – Ah, shut up, unfair heart"). Seeing an opportunity for a game, Don Giovanni hides and pulls out Leporello, dressed as Giovanni. From her hiding place, Don Giovanni sings a promise of repentance, expressing his desire to return to her, while Leporello pretends to be Don Giovanni and tries not to laugh. Elvira is convinced and goes down to the street. Leporello, continuing her charade as Don Giovanni, takes her away to keep her occupied while Giovanni serenades her maid on her mandolin. ("Deh vieni alla finestra – Come to the window").

Before Don Giovanni can finish his seduction of the maiden, Masetto and his friends arrive, looking for Don Giovanni and pretending to kill him. Don Giovanni (dressed as Leporello) convinces them that he hates Don Giovanni too, and joins the hunt. After deftly dispersing Masetto's friends (Giovanni's Aria: "Metà di voi qua vadano – Half of you go that way"), Don Giovanni, when left alone with Masetto, he takes his weapons, hits him and runs away, laughing, but without revealing himself as Don Giovanni. Zerlina arrives and comforts the badly injured Masetto. ("Vedrai carino – You see, my darling").

Picture 2: In the garden of Don Giovanni

Leporello, disguised as Don Giovanni, tries to run away from Donna Elvira. (Sextet: "Sola, sola in buio loco – Alone, alone, in this dark place"). When he tries to escape from her, Anna appears with Ottavio who is consoling her in her grief. Just as Leporello is about to slip through the door, which he hardly finds, Zerlina and Masetto open it and, seeing him dressed as Giovanni, catch him before he can escape. When Anna and Ottavio realize what is happening, they all go around Leporello, threatening him with death. Elvira asks for mercy for him, she is the only one who does it, trying to protect the man whom she believes to be Giovanni, saying that he is her husband. The other four are determined to punish the traitor, but Leporello takes off his disguise and reveals his true identity (quintet: & # 34; Mille torbidi pensieri-Thousand stormy thoughts & # 34;). He begs everyone's forgiveness and, seeing an opportunity, manages to run away (Aria from Leporello: & # 34; Ah pietà signori miei – Ah, mercy, my lords & # 34;). Given the circumstances, Ottavio is convinced that Giovanni was the murderer of Dona Anna's father (the late Commander) and swears revenge ("Il mio tesoro – My treasure" - although in the Vienna version this was cut.) Elvira is still furious with Don Giovanni for betraying her, but also sorry for him. ("Mi tradì quell'ungrateful soul – That unfortunate scoundrel has betrayed me").

Cemetery scene in Act II (Praga, probably 1790), the oldest stage design known for this opera.

Picture 3: Cemetery in Toledo

Don Giovanni arrives at the Seville cemetery, at the feet of the statue of the commander he assassinated, although he does not realize it. While Don Giovanni is monologue, Leporello arrives, who tells Don Giovanni about the risk he has taken, and Don Giovanni mocks him, saying that he has taken advantage of his disguise as Leporello, trying to seduce one of Leporello's friends. But the servant doesn't find it amusing, suggesting that she might have been his wife, and Don Giovanni laughs, saying "better still". The marble statue comes to life, heads towards Don Giovanni, and warns him that his laughter will not last beyond sunset. At an order from his master, Leporello reads the inscription on the base of the statue: "I am waiting for the revenge of my murderer." Leporello is terrified, but the brash Giovanni makes Leporello invite the statue to a dinner party that he will hold in his palace, threatening to kill him if he doesn't. Leporello makes several attempts to invite the statue to dinner but due to fear he does not finish the task. (Duet:"Oh, statuea gentilissima"–"Oh, the most noble statue"). Much to his surprise, the statue accepts the invitation, nodding its head in the affirmative. Don Giovanni, seeing the scene, decides to speak and asks the statue to speak, if he can, and say if he will go to dinner. The statue answers "Yes" and Don Giovanni and Leporello leave the cemetery scared.

Picture 4: Palace of the Commander

Don Ottavio asks Donna Anna not to delay their wedding any longer. However, she continues to delay the ceremony, rejects him, and tells him that he is inappropriate so soon after her father's death. He accuses her of being cruel, and she assures him that she loves him, and that he is loyal. ("Non mi dir"–"Don't tell me").

Don Giovanni faces the stone guest in a painting by Alexandre-Évariste Fragonard, around 1830–35 (Museum of Fine Arts in Strasbourg)

Picture 5: In the dining room of Don Giovanni's palace

They are preparing dinner for the banquet that night. Don Giovanni is celebrating his return to Seville. Giovanni revels in the luxury of a grand dinner with musical accompaniment, three separate chamber orchestras performing on stage. Here Mozart includes two themes from his competitors at the time in Vienna, something unusual at the time: an aria from the opera & # 34; A rare thing & # 34; by the Spanish Vicente Martin y Soler and "Come un agnello" from the opera "While two argue, the third enjoys" by G. Sarti. The third piece is an excerpt from "The Marriage of Figaro" of Mozart himself. Leporello serves while. ("Finale" "Già la mensa preparata"–"The table is already set"). Elvira appears, saying that she no longer feels resentment for Don Giovanni, just pity. ("L'ultima prova dell'amor mio"–"The last test of my love"). Surprised by her lack of hatred, Don Giovanni asks her what he wants, and she begs him to change his life. Giovanni scoffs at her and then turns, praising the wine and the women as the "essence and glory of humanity." Hurt and angry, Elvira gives up and leaves. A moment later, she is heard screaming for her from outside the palace walls, and she turns back for a moment, only to flee through another door. Don Giovanni orders Leporello to go see what has upset her; peeking outside, the servant also yells and runs back into the room, stuttering that the statue has appeared as promised. They knock loudly on the door. Leporello, paralyzed by fear, cannot answer, so Don Giovanni himself opens the door. The dead Commander appears. The figure approaches Don Giovanni. With the supernatural music in D minor of the overture made even more haunting by the bass voice ("Don Giovanni! a cenar teco m'invitasti"–"Don Giovanni! You invited me to dinner with you"), the Commander offers him one last chance to repent, but Don Giovanni categorically rejects it. The statue sinks into the ground and drags Don Giovanni with it. Hellfire, and a chorus of demons, surround Don Giovanni as he sinks.

Doña Anna, Don Ottavio, Doña Elvira, Zerlina and Masetto arrive, looking for the villain. They find not him, but Leporello, hiding under the table, trembling from the unearthly horror he has witnessed. Don Giovanni is dead. Anna and Ottavio will marry when Anna's year of mourning is over; Elvira will spend the rest of her life in a convent; Zerlina and Masetto will finally go home for dinner; and Leporello will go to the tavern to find a better master.

The ensemble at the end expresses the moral of the opera – "Such is the end of those who do evil: the death of the sinner always reflects his life" ("Questo è il fin"-"This is the end"). In the past, the final set was sometimes omitted by conductors who intended the opera to end when the main character died. However, this approach has not survived, and today's directors almost always include the ending in its entirety. The return to the key of D major and the innocent simplicity of the last bars conclude this work.

Music and arias

The overture is made up of two parts, the first is an Andante, which will be repeated in the part of his death. The second part is a molto Allegro, of a festive nature. The first aria heard in the opera is Notte e giorno faticar, interpreted by Leporello, and there the comic-buffo character of the character is evident. Next, Anna and Don Giovanni make their entrance, performing a trio, Non esperar, se non m'uccidi. Later another trio appears, also played by Giovanni, Leporello and the Commander, Lasciala, indegno. The best-known aria performed by Don Ottavio, is Dalla sua pace de él .

One of the best-known arias from this work is Madamina, performed by Leporello dedicated to Donna Elvira, also known as the aria from the catalogue. Another well-known one is Là ci darem la mano, performed by Don Giovanni and Zerlina, which is a minuet. As an example of another of Mozart's groups, there is the quartet of Don Giovanni, Ottavio, Anna and Elvira, Non ti fidar, o misera. Next, comes one of the most important passages of the opera and which was an unparalleled display in the 18th century, which was the introduction of 3 orchestras playing on stage at the same time, each one with a different beat, while on stage they performed the Septet Venite pur avanti.

The sets in the opera are abundant and rich harmonically and rhythmically, interspersed with arias and recitatives that continue the plot. Such is the case of the quintet of the second act "Mille torbidi pensieri", by Leporello, donna Anna, Ottavio, Elvira and Zerlina.

We can also highlight the amusing and mysterious aria of the interview with the statue of the commander, "Oh statuea gentilissima", in which the statue itself intervenes.

From the last painting, the aria Già la mensa è preparata stands out above all, in which Leporello has in theory to sing while eating, giving this fragment a lot of complexity. At that moment, there is an orchestral moment, in which they interpret fashionable melodies that Don Giovanni has chosen for his dinner, among which are songs by Vicente Martín y Soler (Una Cosa Rara, with libretto by da Ponte too), by Giuseppe Sarti and even by Mozart. The opera ends with the sextet Ah, dov'è il perfido and with the fragment Questo 'e il fin, fugado.

At the end of the opera, a chorus of infernal spirits joins, and several trombones are added, since it is an instrument that has been associated in many operas with the supernatural and the infernal.

Libretto

Lorenzo da Ponte drew the script from the myth of Don Juan, especially El burlador de Sevilla, by Tirso de Molina, from 1630. Legend has it that Giacomo Casanova was present at the premiere of the opera in Prague, and it is even said that he was directly involved in writing the libretto, since he was a personal friend of da Ponte. Although thanks to this work Mozart obtained a contract at the court of José II, the content was not strictly limited to myth. Actually, there was an important social charge in the whole performance, following in a way the libretto of his previous opera, The Marriage of Figaro.^{[citation needed]}

Since the beginning of the work, this tendency can already be seen, where the first aria is interpreted by a servant, Leporello, in which he talks about the disadvantages of being a servant, about how bad it is, and that he he would like to be a gentleman, clearly subversive in content. Furthermore, the fact that the opera did not open with one of the main protagonists, but with a servant who is complaining about his own situation, was something revolutionary indeed. Somehow, it is wanted to be interpreted as the licentious and libertine life of Don Juan, was actually the licentious life of the aristocracy. In one of the arias of the party, before the end of the first act, Don Giovanni and other characters toast to the cry of Viva la libertà, Long live freedom. Although it is the character of Don Giovanni who started the toast, barely two years before the start of the French Revolution, seeing such a declaration of intent on stage must have been very offensive.

Unlike the prevailing Christian tradition at the time, the protagonist, Don Giovanni, does not repent, but is directly sent to hell. The finale of the opera, at its premiere in Prague, ended with a sextet performed by the survivors of Don Giovanni, cheerful and carefree in character and with moral connotations, which was suppressed at the premiere in Vienna, as well as in a good part of the representations of the XIX century, more in keeping with the Romanticist style. Currently, this final sextet is also omitted in performances of the Vienna version.

Discography

Cultural influence

Philosophy and literature

The Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard wrote a long essay in his book Enten-Eller (Either (either) or (the other) ), in which he defended the proposition that this opera is the greatest work of art ever made. The German romantic author Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann also wrote a brief and very interesting story Don Juan, based on Mozart's, with a game of reality, representation and introspection.^{[quote required]}

Cinema

Don Giovanni, was also a film adaptation, directed by Joseph Losey in 1979. The interesting and already quoted essay on Don Giovanni by E.T.A. Hoffmann in his story-essay & # 34; Don Juan & # 34; It was adapted to the cinema by Ricard Carbonell in his short film Don Giovanni (2006). The last free adaptation of the myth, recreating Mozart's environment, was the film Io, Don Giovanni (2009) by Carlos Saura.

Some fragments of the opera are included in the soundtracks of the films Amadeus (1984) and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011).

Music

Chopin made some variations for solo piano, based on one of the opera's themes, the aria Là ci darem la mano, performed by Zerlina and Don Giovanni, with the same title, in B flat Major, Op. 2. Beethoven also made some variations on this same theme, for wind trio, for two oboes and an English horn, with the same title and without Opus number. Franz Liszt composed a piano work entitled Reminiscences of Don Juan and Fantasy on Figaro and Don Juan motifs, inspired by this opera. Robert Schumann composed a work for piano, Album for Youth, Op. 68, based on a fragment of Don Giovanni, Zerlina's aria. In 1828 Hector Berlioz composed some variations on Là ci darem la mano de Don Giovanni. Paganini composed in 1828 a Capriccio on Là ci darem la mano , for violin and orchestra, which is currently lost, he also composed a capriccio for solo guitar on the same theme. Already in the XX century, Nino Rota composed his Fantasia on twelve notes of Don Giovanni, for piano and orchestra.