The ominous D minor chord that ushers in the overture of “Don Giovanni” speaks volumes. It is ominous, even supernatural, foreshadowing that this is not one of Mozart’s more lighthearted sex comedies. Though Da Ponte infuses the opera with plenty of humor, there is no escaping the darkness that kicks off the drama giocoso. Interestingly, Mozart also set his Requiem {…}
Teatro Grattacielo will present a free performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni on June 17, 2023 at the Riverside Theater in New York City. The performance, which is directed primarily at disadvantaged and underserved schools and communities in New York, will feature artists from the Teatro Grattacielo and Camerata Bardi Vocal Academy, including Enes Pektas, Lucas Bouk, Ashton Jones, Logan Dooley, {…}
(Credit: Karen Almond / Met Opera) On May 5, 2023, the Metropolitan Opera finally put on its new production of “Don Giovanni” for a packed house. For those who don’t remember, this production was set to premiere during the previously announced 2020-21 season, but of course, we all know what happened. Fortunately, Ivo Van Hove’s production is finally here and {…}
The Metropolitan Opera is set to close out its 2022–23 season with two Mozart works in new productions. The productions will be “Don Giovanni” with Ivo van Hove directing and “Die Zauberflöte” with Simon McBurney directing. “Don Giovanni,” which will be performed between May 5 and June 2, will star Peter Mattei in the title role, Adam Plachetka, Federica Lombardi, {…}
Connecticut Lyric Opera is set to present a production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” this May. The opera will star Robert Garner as Don Giovanni, Nathan Resika as Leporello, Erin Duane Brooks as Don Ottavio, Jurate Svedaite as Donna Anna, Rebecca Almeida as Donna Elvira, Steven Fredericks as Commendatore, Jeremy Griffin as Masetto, and Stephanie Foster as Zerlina. Conductor Adrian Sylveen {…}
Glyndebourne has announced that it will add another performance of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” due to popular demand. Per an official press statement, Artistic Director Stephen Langridge noted, “at a challenging time for the opera sector, it’s been a huge boost to see strong sales for our upcoming Festival. Our new production of ‘Don Giovanni’ is proving particularly popular, having already sold {…}
Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) is set to present Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” this spring, April 27-May 9, 2023 in Center City, the Main Line and Bucks County. The production will close the 2022-23 opera season and will be the first time the school presents the work since 2015. This season the production will feature a special addition, alumnus Griffen {…}
Ouroboros Opera is set to present Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” in Chicago’s Rosehill Cemetery. Baritone Lucas Bouk makes his title role debut beside baritones Jeremiah Strickler as Leporello, Zachary Mendenhall as Masetto, Timothy Krueger as Commendatore, sopranos Katherine Bruton as Donna Anna, and Jessie Lyons as Donna Elvira, respectively. Kay Flynn sings Zerlina, and tenor Vincent McPherson plays Don Ottavio. Alexandra {…}
Vincent Huguet is one of the most promising directors of today’s operatic world. Since his debut with “Lakme” at the Montpellier Opera in 2012, he has staged the “Mozart Da Ponte Trilogy” at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin—conducted by Daniel Barenboim and with the three shows performed over four days during the Berlin Festtage, Massenet’s “Manon” for Paris {…}
Teatro Grattacielo has announced its 2022-23 season. The company will kick things off with “Don Giovanni” in co-production with the Mid-Atlantic Chamber Orchestra. Jason Tramm will conduct while Stefanos Koroneos directs. The performance will feature Enes Pektas, Lucas Bouk, and Ashton Jones as Don Giovanni; Logan Dooley as Leporello; William Mouat and Rick Agster as Commendatore; Sara Kennedy, Ashia Barnes, {…}
(Photo credit: Keith Saunders) The designation of Lorenzo Da Ponte’s libretto for Mozart’s 1787 opera “Don Giovanni” is “dramma giocosa” – that is, playful or jocular drama. However, Don Giovanni (aka the legendary Don Juan) roamed Europe seducing women (2,065 of them by calculation of the servant Leporello in Mozart’s version of the tale), and the 19th century’s Romantics saw {…}