Mozart : Don Giovanni 11/2023

Opera in staged version

Mozart : Don Giovanni

Cast

Presentation

Video

Homepage Mozart : Don Giovanni 11/2023

Cast

Robert Gleadow Don Giovanni
Arianna Vendittelli Donna Elvira
Florie Valiquette Donna Anna
Riccardo Novaro Leporello
Jean-Gabriel Saint-Martin Masetto
Enguerrand de Hys Don Ottavio
Éléonore Pancrazi Zerlina
Nicolas Certenais The Commander
Ballet de l’Opéra Royal
Chœur de l’Opéra Royal
Orchestre de l’Opéra Royal
Under the high patronage of Aline Foriel-Destezet
Gaétan Jarry Conductor
Marshall Pynkoski Staging director
Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg Choreography
Roland Fontaine Sets
Christian Lacroix Costumes
Hervé Gary Lighting

Presentation

The opera of operas?

Don Giovanni was commissioned by the Prague Opera immediately after the success of The Marriage of Figaro: Mozart and Da Ponte wanted to build on their success and chose a subject that had triumphed just a few weeks earlier in Venice, a Don Giovanni composed by Giuseppe Gazzaniga. Revisiting the theme of the Seville Cheat – a prevalent subject in theatre since the mid-17th century, especially through Molière’s powerful incarnation, and in a ballet by Gluck in Vienna in 1761 – Da Ponte focused the work on the libertine character of Don Juan, no doubt drawing inspiration from his friend Casanova (who in fact helped make changes to Act 2, Scene 9, and attended the Prague première).

The result is dazzling: the audience is never granted even the slightest respite between murders, scenes of seduction, devious scheming and fantastical apparitions; a great spectacle that bears the musical influence of Gluck at his best, with an urgency and violence unheard of in opera buffa, elevated by extraordinary music. An absolute masterpiece and an utter triumph in Prague! The piece was played everywhere, and the impressive finale in which Don Giovanni refuses to repent and plungers into the underworld remains one of the most powerful moments in the lyric arts.

Marshall Pynkoski transports the characters through dramatic turmoil, embellished by the fantastical costumes by Christian Lacroix; Robert Gleadow finally takes on the role of Don Giovanni, and Gaétan Jarry makes the Orchestra of the Opéra Royal truly shine.

Production Opéra Royal / Château de Versailles Spectacles

This show is supported by the Fonds de dotation Françoise Kahn-Hamm

The Centre de musique baroque de Versailles makes available its backdrops designed by Antoine Fontaine.

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