- In full:
- The Libertine Punished; or, Don Giovanni
- Italian:
- Il dissoluto punito; ossia, il Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
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What is Don Giovanni?
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte. It premiered in Prague on October 29, 1787.
The opera tells the story of Don Juan, a licentious nobleman, and his eventual descent into hell. Mozart's music underscores the action, like in the "Catalogue Aria," where Leporello lists Don Giovanni's conquests, or the entrance of the vengeful ghost, set to formidable music foreshadowing the villain's fate. Despite initial mixed reactions, Don Giovanni is now recognized as one of the greatest operas.
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Who composed the opera Don Giovanni?
Don Giovanni, an opera admired for its blend of comedy and tragedy, was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte, who drew from earlier Don Juan stories.
The opera premiered in Prague in 1787, achieving great success. Don Giovanni tells the story of a licentious nobleman and is known for its complex characters and dramatic finales. Mozart's music underscores the action, matching musical characteristics to adjectives and emotions.
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What language is Don Giovanni usually performed in?
Don Giovanni was composed by Mozart with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. The opera blends opera seria elements with the comic style of opera buffa, featuring both elevated arias for noble characters and buffo singing styles for lower-class characters.
While originally written and performed in Italian, Don Giovanni, like many operas, is performed in various languages based on the preference of the production company or the audience it aims to reach.
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Who is the main character in Don Giovanni, and what is his personality like?
Don Giovanni, which premiered in Prague in 1787, tells the story of Don Juan, a licentious nobleman, and his eventual descent into hell. The opera identifies Don Giovanni as a nobleman and rake (baritone).
His personality is that of a notorious libertine, as evidenced by the "Catalogue Aria" in Act I, where Giovanni's servant, Leporello, lists his master's conquests: 640 in Italy, 231 in Germany, 100 in France, 91 in Turkey, and 1,003 in Spain. Giovanni's rebellious character and demonic nature have fascinated audiences and critics alike.
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What is the basic storyline of Don Giovanni?
Don Giovanni, a licentious nobleman, faces the consequences of his actions in Mozart's opera. The story unfolds in Seville, where Giovanni's servant, Leporello, recounts his master's conquests, including 1,003 women in Spain alone. Giovanni's attempted seduction of Zerlina is thwarted, and he is confronted by the vengeful ghost of the Commandant, whom he murdered. Refusing to repent, Giovanni is dragged to hell by demons. The surviving characters, including Anna, Ottavio, Elvira, Zerlina, and Masetto, reflect on the events, reaffirming social order and warning against libertine behavior.
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Why is Don Giovanni considered an important opera in music history?
Don Giovanni is an important opera in music history because of its dramatic musical impact, complex characters, and its exploration of moral and social issues. Commissioned by the impresario of the Prague theater due to the popularity of Mozart's previous opera, The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni underscores the action with music, matching musical characteristics to adjectives and reflecting emotional unity through harmony.
The opera portrays the traditional figure of a licentious nobleman, but with a more serious treatment of character than a typical opera buffa. The "demonic" character of the opera has fascinated audiences, giving rise to extensive critical analysis. The opera's clever musical touches, like the foreboding chords in the overture that foreshadow Giovanni's fate, add to its dramatic power.
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Don Giovanni, opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Italian libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte) that premiered at the original National Theatre in Prague on October 29, 1787. The opera’s subject is Don Juan, the notorious libertine of fiction, and his eventual descent into hell. For Mozart, it was an unusually intense work, and it was not entirely understood in his own time. Within a generation, however, it was recognized as one of the greatest of all operas.
Background and context
The great popularity in Prague of Mozart’s previous opera, The Marriage of Figaro, led the theatre’s impresario to commission a new work from the composer. Mozart wanted to keep the same librettist, da Ponte, for the new work. The librettist was extremely busy writing for other composers at the Viennese court and decided to adapt an existing libretto on the subject of Don Juan. Although there were hurdles and delays in bringing the opera to the stage, Don Giovanni was a great success in Prague and remained in the repertoire there for years.
Mozart revised the opera for Vienna, where it was performed in May 1788. His changes included substituting a simpler aria for “Il mio tesoro” (Don Ottavio in Act II) and adding a comic scene between Leporello and Zerlina. Although Vienna’s audiences were less enthusiastic than Prague’s, Don Giovanni was appreciated by sophisticated music lovers there.
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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 has come to demand repentance of the villain; otherwise he is prepared to take Giovanni to hell. The music by which the ghost appears is some of the most formidable that Mozart would ever write. He had placed hints at the beginning of the overture; the foreboding chords symbolize Giovanni’s fate and foreshadow the massive movement of the statue that will end the libertine’s adventures. The scene is so powerful that many performances in the 1800s ended with Giovanni’s descent into hell rather than with Mozart’s light final scene.
Cast and vocal parts
- Don Giovanni, nobleman and rake (baritone)
- Don Ottavio, Anna’s fiancé (tenor)
- Leporello, Don Giovanni’s servant (bass)
- Donna Anna, the Commandant’s daughter (soprano)
- Donna Elvira, Don Giovanni’s former lover (soprano)
- Masetto, a peasant (bass)
- Zerlina, Masetto’s fiancée (soprano)
- Peasants, musicians, dancers, chorus of demons.
Setting and story summary
Don Giovanni is set in and around Seville (now Sevilla), Spain, in the 17th century.
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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, as long as 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.