Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART

EVENINGS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC -   BAHRAIN   -

PROGRAMME FOR 22 MARCH 2000

25 GREAT COMPOSERS SERIES This evening features 1 more composer (no 12 in the series)

12

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART  (1756-91)

DON GIOVANNI, K527

Opera in two acts Libretto: Lorenzo da Ponte Premiere: 29 October 1787 in Prague

CAST Don Giovanni Leporello Donna Anna Don Ottavio Donna Elvira Zerlina Masetto Il Commendatore

-  Thomas Allen -  Claudio Desderi -  Edita Gruberova -  Francisco Araiza -  Ann Murray -  Susanne Mentzer -  Natale de Carolis -  Sergej Koptchak

Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala, Milan conducted by RICCARDO MUTI Recorded 1987 at La Scala, Milan Theatrical Director: Giorgio Strehler Art Director: Ezio Frigerio Costume Design: Franca Squarciapino

THE STORY The scene is set in Seville ACT 1           The action opens outside Donna Anna's house. Don Giovanni is inside, masked and trying to seduce her. (He may perhaps have succeeded: interpretations of the opera vary on this point.) The first voice we hear is that of Leporello, Giovanni's servant, who is waiting outside and complaining at the drudgery of his life.           Giovanni appears from the house, with Anna holding on to him: she wants to identify her masked attacker. Her old father, referred to as the Commendatore ( a title of honour with no special relevance to the action) comes out and insists on fighting Giovanni. In the ensuing duel the Commendatore is killed.           Giovanni and Leporello escape. Anna, attended by her betrothed, Don Ottavio, discovers her father's dead body; before they leave she makes Ottavio swear vengeance on the unknown attacker.           Giovanni and Leporello are in a street when a woman appears, singing about a lover who has deserted her. Giovanni decides she needs his 'consolation' - but then, addressing her, sees that she is Donna Elvira of Burgos whom he himself has deserted. He slips away and leaves Leporello to play the cruel trick of forcing Elvira to listen to a catalogue of Giovanni's international conquests: Madamina, il catologo.           The scene changes to a nearby village. Two peasants, Masetto and Zerlina, are about to be married. Giovanni approaches, gives Leporello the task of hustling Masetto away and has no difficulty in exerting his aristocratic charm on Zerlina: La ci darem la mano (There we will give each other our hands). Giovanni is on the point of leading Zerlina away when Elvira steps in, sings an aria warning Zerlina, and guides her off.           Anna and Ottavio enter. In a quartet, Elvira tells them that Giovanni is a rogue, while he says that she is unbalanced. From Giovanni's voice Anna recognises the masked attacker of the previous night. She announces her discovery to Ottavio: Or sai chi l'onore (You know now who attempted to rob me of my honour). Alone, Ottavio sings Dalla sua pace (On her peace, mine depends).           Now Giovanni sings of his intention to invite the country-folk to a party (Champagne aria) and add to his list of conquests. As Giovanni leaves, Masetto returns, offended with his flirtatious Zerlina. But Zerlina twists him round her little finger and they are reconciled: Batti, batti, o bel Masetto (Beat me, beat me, oh dearest Masetto). Giovanni enters again, but Masetto's wish for vengeance is side-tracked when all are invited to the party. Ottavio, Anna and Elvira, masked, plan to join the party uninvited and trap Giovanni there. The three utter a short but intense prayer: Protegga il giusto cielo (May heaven's eternal justice).           At the party a minuet (for the gentry), a contre-danse (for the villagers) and a German dance (Which Leporello insists Masetto shall dance with him) are heard together. Giovanni again makes an attempt on Zerlina's virtue and, when she screams, drags forward Leporello as the supposed villain. But he is confronted and denounced by Ottavio, Anna and Elvira, who have unmasked. ACT 2           For a moment, Giovanni's quarry has changed again: now it is a maid of Elvira's. He exchanges cloaks with Leporello for the purpose. After Giovanni has played another cruel trick on the passionate Elvira (luring her on to believe he still loves her, and sending her off with the disguised Leporello), he serenades the maid, with a mandolin: Deh vieni alla finestra (Pray come to your window).           Masetto arrives with friends to kill Giovanni. But Giovanni in Leporello's cloak pretends in the darkness to be Leporello; he sends Masetto's friends away and contrives to give Masetto himself a sound beating. Zerlina arrives and consoles Masetto: Vedrai carino (Come, my dear one).           Elvira and the disguised Leporello encounter Zerlina and Masetto, then Anna and Ottavio. Thinking he is Giovanni, the four threaten him, but to their surprise, Elvira defends him. Leporello is, however, forced to identify himself, in a sextet; and then, with an aria, he manages to escape. Ottavio sings again of his love for Anna: Il mio tesoro intanto (The one I treasure); and Elvira yet again voices her sense of betrayal: Mi tradi quell'alma ingrata (The ungrateful one betrayed me).           In a cemetery, Giovanni and Leporello see a statue of the murdered Commendatore. The statue speaks, admonishing Giovanni. Leporello is terrified, but Giovanni not so. Giovanni audaciously invites the statue to supper and the invitation is accepted.           To Ottavio, Anna excuses her delay in marrying him: Non mi dir (Tell me not that I am cruel).           Later, Giovanni is dining cheerily at home. His private band is playing and Leporello is waiting on him. (Properly, by the Italian words sung, Giovanni has female company, but in most modern productions, he dines alone). Elvira comes in with another entreaty to him, but again it is in vain. As she leaves, she screams at something she has seen outside. So does Leporello when he goes to look. It is the statue of the Commendatore, approaching to fulfil the invitation to dine with Giovanni. It enters, speaks, and drags the still defiant Giovanni down to hell as flames arise and an invisible chorus of demons sings.           When the others enter, bent on vengeance, Leporello has to explain that they have been anticipated. Severally, thy settle their affairs  -  Elvira will go to a convent, Anna will observe a year's mourning before marrying Ottavio, Zerlina and Masetto will go home to supper, and Leporello will seek a new master. All, light-heartedly, tell the audience to learn a serious lesson from Giovanni's face. (The story is extracted from 'The Wordsworh Book of Opera  -  Arthur Jacobs and Stanley Sadie')

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART

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