"Don Giovanni" by W. A. Mozart
The medieval Spanish legend about the Punished Libertine Don Giovanni is one of the most popular plots in the history of world theatre. Many operas and ballets of prominent composers are based on the story about the romantic adventures of a famous lover. However, the most famous is the opera “Don Giovanni” written by the brilliant composer W. A. Mozart.
Don Giovanni’s story enabled Mozart to create a masterpiece at the intersection of two opera genres – opera seria and opera buffa (“serious” and “comic” operas) because his Don Giovanni personified courage, inexhaustible energy, deep optimism and love for life. That is cheerfulness that makes the main character so appealing to the audience. However, his egoism, violation of laws of honour and morality are the source of misfortune for everyone who Don Giovanni meets in his path. The composer emphasized the duality and contradictory of Don Giovanni. He is not only a punished libertine, as a majority of compositions present him, but also a strong personality who lives by his own rules.
The story of Don Giovanni gave Mozart a reason for raising the problem of a personality. His Don Giovanni personifies reckless courage, boundless energy, great optimism and love for life. It is cheerfulness that keeps the main secret of the hero’s charm. However, his egoism, violation of laws of honour and morality are the source of misfortune for everyone who Don Giovanni meets in his path. The composer emphasized the duality and contradictory of Don Giovanni. He is not only a punished libertine, as a majority of compositions present him, but also a strong personality who lives by his own laws.
“Ambivalence of Mozart has different levels of exposure. For example, Mozart defines the genre of the opera “Don Giovanni” as dramma giocosa (drama with jokes), which means a fusion of fundamentally different genres,” says conductor Yurii Bervetskyi.
A new production of the opera “Don Giovanni” was premiered in Lviv National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre named after Solomiya Krushelnytska in 2018. The revived opera, which was included in the program Ukrainian Breakthrough of the general director and artistic director of the theatre Vasyl Vovkun, surprises the audience with its unique modern interpretation of the famous composition.
“The problem of Don Juanism raises the same timeless questions of human existence as the problem of Faust. The motivation of Faust’s struggle is to find a sublime state of life, but in “Don Giovanni”- is to follow the natural instincts and feelings, as the greatest values,” says director Vasyl Vovkun.
Opera “Don Giovanni” by W.A. Mozart was premiered in Lviv in 1790 – three years after its world premiere in Prague. After the City Theatre (Lviv Opera) was built, the opera was presented on a new stage.
In 2015 a joint project of Lviv Opera and Lviv National Music Academy named after Mykola Lysenko was launched and opera “Don Giovanni” was performed by talented students of the academy and was directed by People’s Artist of Ukraine Vasyl Vovkun.
Later, in 2018, the opera about the story of sin and punishment was restaged by Vasyl Vovkun in a modern interpretation.
We kindly invite you to visit one of the most popular operas by W. A. Mozart performed by soloists, choir, ballet and orchestra of Lviv National Opera.
