Organization

Festtage Berlin

Singer

Baritone

Michael Volle

Don Giovanni

Bass

Peter Rose

Commendatore

Soprano

Slávka Zámečníková

Donna Anna

Tenor

Bogdan Volkov

Don Ottavio

Elsa Dreisig

Donna Elvira

Riccardo Fassi

Leporello

David Oštrek

Masetto

Serena Sáenz

Zerlina

Stage director

Vincent Huguet

Conductor

Daniel Barenboim

Lighting designer

Irene Selka

Costume designer

Clémence Pernoud

Set designer

Aurélie Maestre

Video designer

Robert Pflanz

Dramaturge

Louis Geisler

Chorus master

Martin Wright

Adam Palka

Thomas Guggeis

State Opera Berlin

Orchestra

Staatskapelle Berlin

Others

Staatsopernchor Berlin

Italian

Berlin

Germany

Don Giovanni
‘Dramma Giocoso’ in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte
First performance in Prague, 29 October 1787

Recording: April 17 2022 - Staatsoper | Berlin
Director: 
Duration: 03:45

Staatsoper Unter den Linden

Question of the day (4/17/22): According to legend, when did Mozart compose his famous Overture from Don Giovanni? Answer here for a chance to win a prize!

On 29th October 1787, the curtain of the National Theater in Prague rose upon the set of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, now regarded as one of the world’s greatest operatic masterpieces. Over two centuries later, the magic lives on in the Staatsoper Berlin’s spectacular adaptation under the musical direction of Thomas Guggeis! An all-star cast, including celebrated baritone Michael Volle as Don Giovanni and renowned sopranos Elsa Dreisig and Slávka Zámečníková as Donna Elvira and Donna Anna, breathe exhilarating life into the vision of stage director Vincent Huguet.

The opera revolves around the escapades of libertine seducer Don Giovanni, who attempts to court Donna Anna (Don Ottavio’s fiancée), Donna Elvira (a former, forgotten lover), and Zerlina (Masetto’s fiancée), with the help of his servant Leporello. Passion clashes with melodrama as the incorrigible protagonist blazes the path to his own demise by killing II Commendatore (Donna Anna’s father) in a duel. After dismissing the advice of II Commendatore’s ghost, Don Giovanni is forced to endure the consequences of his sinful behavior and perishes in the flames of Hell.

Termed an opera buffa by the composer himself, Don Giovanni is an outrageous blend of supernatural and comic, burlesque and tragedy. Drawing inspiration from Molière’s play Don Juan and the myth of Tirso de Molina, Mozart treads the musical crossroads of fantasy and reality with the guidance of Lorenzo Da Ponte’s libretto. From the thundering and imposing cadence of the Overture (composed during the night of October 28-29, 1787, the night before the first performance), to the mellifluous tone of the Dalla sua pace aria, Don Giovanni represents the best of classical opera— with Tchaikovsky remarking that he was “in the presence of divinity” upon seeing the original manuscript.

IN THE PROGRAM
Don Giovanni
'Dramma Giocoso' in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte
Premiere in Prague, October 29, 1787

Recording: April 17, 2022 - Staatsoper | Berlin
Director: Andy Sommer
Duration: 03:03

© Matthias Baus

Mozart, Don Giovanni
2022, State Opera Unter den Linden
Duration:
 
03:03
h

Notice

Split
conductor :
Daniel Barenboim
staging :
Vincent Huguet
Orchestra :
Staatskapelle Berlin
Soloist Vocals :
Michael Volle
Peter Rose
Slavka Zamečníkova
Bogdan Volkov
show more
contents
The poet ETA Hoffmann called Mozart's Don Giovanni "the opera of all operas". The work has been highly regarded since its premiere in Prague in 1787, and it triumphed throughout Europe. Mozart drew on the full potential of his musical creativity - and his congenial librettist Da Ponte succeeded in telling the well-known story in a new and lively way.

Characters with individual contours move on stage with an amazing wealth of emotions. Comedic elements are just as present as the abysmal and demonic - when the title hero is confronted with death, the events grow to tragic proportions. With just eight people singing and playing, a whole world unfolds that once again clearly shows the audience what music and theater can achieve. The Mozart-Da-Ponte trilogy, which director Vincent Huguet and conductor Daniel Barenboim designed together, is completed with »Don Giovanni«.

Production booklet

Further reading