Class 2: "Don Giovanni"

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2. Don Giovanni. The Gamut of Genre. Don Giovanni (1787) was the middle of three operas written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–91) and Lorenzo da Ponte (1749–1838); it premiered at Prague in 1787. It raises a basic question: what kind of opera is it? The title page calls it a dramma giocoso, or cheerful play. But the apocalyptic ending, the murder at the beginning, and the many moments of violence and sexual danger say otherwise. After analyzing two scenes from the end of the opera, we will go back to the start to see how Mozart sets up this unusual combination. The opening 40 minutes of the show constitute the featured sequence of the day.

We see Don Juan, the legendary seducer, in conjunction with three diffeent women: the aristocratic Donna Anna, his present; the bourgeoise Donna Elvira, his recent past; and the peasant Zerlina, his intended future. All three join with their male protectors to bring him to justice; all fail. It will take the supernatural intervention of the statue of Donna Anna’s father, the Commendatore, whom he has killed in the opening scene, to bring divine justice. rb.

Other resources will be posted immediately after class.

Handout Class Script

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VIDEO LINKS

Unfortunately the production we saw in class with Simon Keenlyside is represented only by videos of the two finales, the second in slightly better quality than the first; this is the only clip seen (in part) in class. There is also a brief interview with the director, Francesca Zambello, and two of the singers.

But there are several complete productions out there. I have chosen two: a traditional but quite sensitive production from Zurich with Rodney Gilfry in the title role, and an innovative one from Aix-en-Provence with the young and magnetic Philippe Sly; both have English titles. Both are complete, but I have cued them to the sections watched in class.

Finally, to show a little of the immense range out there, I have included a bunch of mostly-recent trailers from around the world. I chose them almost at random, looking mainly for productions that do something unusual. First on the list is the classic Joseph Losey film which, though made in 1979, is anything but a cookie-cutter Giovanni. The most recent is the 2024 Salzburg production by Romeo Castellucci whose sheer zaniness has me scratching my head with wonder—and I must say much delight! rb.

PRODUCTION SEEN IN CLASS
	London 2009	Act I finale (poor quality video) Act II finale (cued to Commendatore) Interview with Francesca Zambello
COMPLETE PRODUCTIONS
	Zurich 2001	Curtain-rise (complete, cued to scenes watched in class) Graveyard scene Commendatore's arrival
	Aix-en-Provence	Curtain-rise (complete, cued to scenes watched in class) Graveyard scene Commendatore's arrival
SOME TRAILERS
	Film 1979	Joseph Losey (all names below are directors)
	Salzburg 2012	Claus Guth — same production in Madrid (includes interview)
	London 2015	Kasper Holten
	Hambug 2019	Jan Bosse
	Berlin 2023	Roland Schwab
	Met 2023	Ivo van Hove (brief trailer of current production)
	Leipzig 2024	Katharina Thoma
	Salzburg 2024	Romeo Castellucci (DO WATCH THIS!)


IMAGES
The thumbnails below cover the slides shown in class, though there may be a few small discrepancies. Click the thumbnail to see a larger image. Click on the right or left of the larger picture to go forward or back, or outside it to close.