Don Giovanni is Mozart at the top of his game

HPO and COSA (Centre of Opera Studies and Appreciation) are bringing one of the world’s favourite operas, an entertaining tale of an unredeemed, morally repugnant man, to Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre. 

Four hundred years ago in Spain, Tirso de Molina set into a play the archetype of Don Juan for the very first time: that of a serial seducer, ever defiant, unwilling to repent under any circumstances, regardless how many people might be hurt by his insatiable lust. In the Don Giovanni opera, written by composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 150 years later with text by Lorenzo da Ponte, the loyal but morally ambiguous servant of the same character consoles one of the betrayed conquests of his master: “Calm yourself! You are not, were not and will not be either the first or the last. Look: this fat little book is entirely full of the names of his sweethearts.” This leads into one of the most iconic arias of the operatic repertoire as a whole, Madamina, il catalogo è questo (Madam, this is the catalogue). 

Since Mozart’s Don Giovanni, audiences around the world have never ceased to not only enjoy, but discuss and debate all the aspects of the tale of Don Juan, which had become a popular story through many different formats – for example in Molière’s play Dom Juan, which remains one of his most popular works. Music lovers have been delighted by the masterful composition of Mozart, who signed through his opera one of his most vivid, powerful, and at times humorous scores he ever wrote. Don Giovanni is very much Mozart at the top of his game, and it is no wonder that it is considered one of the most popular operas of all time. 

On Feb. 7, the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, and COSA (Centre of Opera Studies and Appreciation), bring this opera to life at the Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre. Served by an excellent professional cast, and staged by acclaimed director Melissa Bencic, the production will consist of a staged 90 to 100-minute version of the opera, with a chamber ensemble from the HPO in the pit, conducted by yours truly. 

It’s in this intimate setting that our audience will hear more about the adventures of Don Giovanni. In the “Madamina” aria alone, we get a pretty good picture already: “In Italy, six hundred and forty; in Germany, two hundred and thirty-one; a hundred in France; in Turkey ninety-one. In Spain already one thousand and three.“ We discover a hedonist character who seduces “peasant girls, maidservants, city girls, countesses, baronesses, marchionesses, princesses, women of every rank, every shape, every age” and who weirdly enough does not seem to concern himself with appearances, or any particular traits, as a matter of fact.

But surely this disturbing and lustful “quest” must end at some point, right? Well, at least the victims of Don Giovanni seem to think so, and indeed there are many. They consist not only of the women he wronged, but also of the men who, in a way or another, have tried to defend them, avenge them or protect their own honour. Through the opera, we see these groups of people whom Don Giovanni wrongs, sometimes in hilarious ways, and sometimes in pretty disturbing fashion, and inevitably these different “factions” band together to seek revenge: “Ah, death to the ingrate who has betrayed me!”, they sing in a chorus as they are about to get it … or so do they think.

Because, yes, at its heart, Don Giovanni is a tale about a man who reveals himself in his crimes, schemes, and who always seems to get away with it. The kind of people we see all over the world, and whose actions have been horrifying people for hundreds and hundreds of years. And it seems that no matter how far the morally repugnant, yet dramatically compelling, Don Giovanni will go, how extreme his intentions are (“But what if this girl had been my wife?” asks the servant Leporello. “Better still!” is the answer he gets), we start to frankly doubt whether the cohort of wronged characters running after him since the very beginning of the opera will ever be able to catch him. 

But when the justice of men is not enough anymore, and when the disgrace is so unbearable, surely something must be able to put an end to it? That is the question raised by Mozart, da Ponte, Molière and de Molina. Right when all efforts to stop Don Giovanni seem to have failed, and when even his acolyte seems to be distressed and fed up, the opera takes a supernatural turn, as if the infamy has risen to such a level that the barriers of reality themselves seem to crumble. Without spoiling too much of the rest of the opera, it involves a living statue and an invitation to dinner gone wrong. Whether Don Giovanni ever gets what he deserves at the end of the opera, is something our audiences will be able to see on Feb. 7 (or alternatively, a quick look on Google will provide the answer).

But still, – minor spoilers ahead – the question remains. How satisfied can we be, when Don Giovanni is never redeemed, never renounces his ways, and never seems to be caught by his peers? The vivid debates that the ending sparks are part of the appeal of the tale, and why it still resonates with us today. They are one of the reasons why this story is very much alive today and why this opera is performed hundreds of times every year all over the world, alongside the other burning subjects that are addressed in the story: how are we supposed to react when those who do the most wrong are the ones closest to us? How far are we ready to go for love? At what point does revenge become counterproductive? What can we do when those who have power abuse it to harm and bully those around us? And the list goes on.

Mozart and da Ponte delivered a story of incredible wit and darkness, which interrogates us on all these subjects while at the same time providing extraordinary entertainment. In opera, the stage director becomes a key vector to frame these questions, provide elements to answer them, or bring to light new ones that could be overlooked at first glance. And the conductor guides this entire world during the performance, making sure that the story is served optimally by the music written for it. For all these reasons, you could be tempted to attend our show and, if you are, you might want to hurry, as it seems we are down to our last few tickets available!

NEED TO KNOW

Don Giovanni
HPO and COSA (Centre for Opera Studies and Appreciation)
Feb. 7, 7:30 p.m.
Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre
357 Wilson St. E., Ancaster
Tickets are here