Opera Don Giovanni Program Notes, Sheet Music and Recordings

Program Notes & Analysis

A Sinner Unrepentant: The Darkest Comedy

When Mozart traveled to Prague in 1787, he was a cultural hero. The city had embraced The Marriage of Figaro with a fanaticism that had eluded him in Vienna. He wrote to a friend, "Here they talk of nothing but Figaro. Nothing is played, sung, or whistled but Figaro." The Prague impresario, sensing a moment, commissioned a new opera for the following season. Mozart, reunited with his brilliant librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte, chose a subject that had been a staple of popular street puppet shows and commedia dell'arte for over a century: the story of Don Juan, the unrepentant lover and blasphemer who is dragged to hell by a stone statue. In the hands of Mozart and Da Ponte, this crude moralistic tale became a profound, terrifying, and psychologically complex masterpiece that transcended its folk origins and, in many ways, invented a new kind of musical drama.

Dramma Giocoso: The Perfect Hybrid

Da Ponte's libretto famously classified Don Giovanni as a dramma giocoso ("playful drama"), a term that perfectly captures its revolutionary blend of tones. The opera is not just a comedy, and it is not just a tragedy. It is, uniquely, both at the same time. The opera buffa (comic opera) elements are carried by Leporello, the long-suffering, wisecracking servant who is obsessed with lists and money, and by the rustic couple Zerlina and Masetto. The opera seria (serious opera) elements belong to the nobles: the grieving, vengeance-obsessed Donna Anna; her faithful, slightly ineffectual fiancé Don Ottavio; and the scorned, tormented Donna Elvira. At the center, defying all classification, is Don Giovanni himself. He is the engine of the plot, singing a comic "catalogue" of his conquests to Elvira one minute, and committing cold-blooded murder the next. Mozart’s score masterfully navigates these shifting worlds, often in the same ensemble. The famous Act I finale is a prime example: on stage, three separate orchestras play three different dances (a noble minuet, a rustic contredanse, and a fast German waltz) simultaneously, as characters from all social strata pursue their own agendas in a single, chaotic, and brilliant piece of music.

The Libertine Hero-Villain

Don Giovanni is one of the most compelling and terrifying characters in all of art. He is not a simple villain. He is a force of nature, a charismatic aristocrat who lives by a single creed: his own absolute freedom ("Viva la libertà!"). His famous "Champagne Aria" ("Fin ch'han dal vino") is a breathless, manic explosion of energy, a two-minute command to Leporello to prepare a party where he intends to seduce ten women at once. He is a creature of pure, anarchic, Enlightenment-era individualism. He defies social class (seducing peasant girls and noblewomen alike) and, ultimately, divine law. He is a rapist and a murderer, yet Mozart gives him some of the most beautiful and seductive music in the opera, most famously the duet "Là ci darem la mano" (There we will give each other our hands), a melody so pure and graceful that the peasant girl Zerlina (and the audience) is completely disarmed, her resistance melting away in real time.

A Score of Darkness and Light

The entire opera is built on a searing central conflict, which Mozart establishes in the first measures of the overture. It begins in the key of D minor, with stark, terrifying, syncopated chords. This is the music of the supernatural, the music of the Stone Guest, the music of divine judgment. This dark, opera seria introduction then suddenly, after a long, tense crescendo, gives way to the "true" overture in a brilliant, rushing, D major. This is the key of Don Giovanni's world—the key of champagne, of seduction, of life lived at a breakneck pace. This D minor/D major conflict defines the entire opera. The score is a perfectly crafted machine of dramatic portraits. Leporello's "Catalogue Aria" ("Madamina, il catalogo è questo") is a masterpiece of comic characterization, a patter song that musically illustrates Giovanni's conquests (slow and grand for the noblewomen, fast and common for the peasants). Donna Anna's "Or sai chi l'onore" (Now you know who sought my honor) is a blazing cry for vengeance, while Don Ottavio's "Il mio tesoro" is a model of lyrical, tenor elegance.

The Stone Guest and the Trombones of Hell

The genius of the opera culminates in its terrifying finale, a scene that changed music forever. In the 18th century, trombones were not standard members of the opera orchestra. They were "archaic" instruments, used almost exclusively in churches for sacred music to represent the voice of God or the underworld. Christoph Willibald Gluck had used them to great effect in his own "reform" operas like Orfeo ed Euridice to evoke the world of the dead. Mozart, remembering this, keeps the trombones completely silent for the entire opera, until the moment the Stone Guest, the statue of the murdered Commendatore, knocks on the door. When the statue enters, it is accompanied by the full, terrifying chorale of three trombones. This sound, after nearly three hours of string- and wind-driven music, is shocking. It is the sound of a different world, the sound of divine judgment, breaking into the human one. The statue, singing in the cold, unshakeable key of D minor, commands Giovanni to repent. Giovanni, in a final act of heroic, terrifying defiance, refuses ("No!"). He is then surrounded by a chorus of demons and dragged, screaming, into the flames.

A Troubled Reception and Romantic Legacy

Prague, as expected, adored the opera's power and darkness. Vienna, however, found it "difficult" and "too much for their throats." For the Vienna premiere, Mozart was forced to cut parts and even add a comic, buffa-style duet for Leporello and Zerlina to lighten the mood. It was the 19th-century Romantics who truly recognized the opera's towering genius. For them, Don Giovanni was not a comedy at all, but the first great Romantic tragedy. The writer E.T.A. Hoffmann wrote a famous, influential story casting the opera as a "daemonic" struggle. Ludwig van Beethoven, while disapproving of the "immoral" subject of Così fan tutte, revered Don Giovanni. Its influence is all over his own "dark" works, particularly the D-minor/D-major struggle of his Ninth Symphony. Composers from Wagner to Richard Strauss saw it as a "work of works," a perfect, seamless fusion of dramatic truth and musical form that, to this day, has never been equaled.

The Story of the Opera

Act I

The opera opens in the dead of night outside the Commendatore's palace. Leporello, Don Giovanni's servant, complains about his miserable life ("Notte e giorno faticar" - "Night and day I slave away"). Suddenly, his master, Don Giovanni, rushes out, his face masked, pursued by a struggling Donna Anna. She has been assaulted in her bedroom and tries to unmask her attacker. Her father, the Commendatore, hears her cries and challenges Giovanni to a duel. Giovanni, contemptuous at first, is goaded into fighting and kills the old man. As he and Leporello escape, Donna Anna returns with her fiancé, Don Ottavio. Finding her father dead, she makes Ottavio swear a solemn oath to avenge him ("Fuggi, crudele, fuggi!" - "Fly, cruel one, fly!").

In the morning, Giovanni and Leporello encounter a woman raging about a lover who abandoned her. This is Donna Elvira, a noblewoman Giovanni had previously seduced and "married." Giovanni, realizing who she is, pushes Leporello forward to "explain" and makes a quick escape. Leporello, in the famous "Catalogue Aria" ("Madamina, il catalogo è questo"), unrolls a massive scroll and details his master's thousands of conquests across Europe, driving Elvira to even greater fury.

Later, a peasant wedding procession passes. Don Giovanni is immediately taken with the bride, Zerlina. He orders Leporello to dispose of the jealous groom, Masetto, by taking the entire wedding party to his palace for a feast. Left alone with Zerlina, Giovanni flatters her, promising marriage and a better life, and they sing the seductive duet "Là ci darem la mano" (There we will give each other our hands). Just as Zerlina is about to give in, Donna Elvira rushes in and warns her off, revealing Giovanni's true character. Donna Anna and Don Ottavio then arrive, asking Giovanni for help in finding her father's killer. Elvira interrupts again, trying to warn them, but Giovanni dismisses her as a "poor, crazy woman." As Giovanni leaves, his voice and departing words cause Donna Anna to have a sudden, horrifying realization: she recognizes him as her attacker and her father's murderer.

The scene shifts to Don Giovanni's palace, where he is preparing for a party. He sings his wild "Champagne Aria" ("Fin ch'han dal vino"), ordering a celebration to confuse everyone and allow him to add more names to his list. Meanwhile, Masetto, Zerlina, and the peasants are celebrating. Three masked guests arrive: Donna Anna, Don Ottavio, and Donna Elvira, who have come to unmask Giovanni. He invites them in, unaware of their true identities. The finale begins: a grand ballroom scene with three orchestras. During the dancing, Giovanni drags Zerlina into a private room. Her screams for help interrupt the party. Giovanni tries to blame the crime on Leporello, but the masked avengers reveal themselves. The act ends in a chaotic, thunderous ensemble as a storm brews and the nobles, joined by Masetto and Zerlina, close in on Giovanni, who brazenly defies them all.

Act II

The second act opens with Giovanni and Leporello in the street. Giovanni, unrepentant, is already planning his next conquest: Donna Elvira's maid. He forces Leporello to switch cloaks and hats with him. When Elvira appears on her balcony, still lamenting her love for Giovanni, Giovanni hides and, in his servant's voice, sings a beautiful serenade, drawing her down. Leporello, now dressed as his master, is forced to play along and lead the deluded Elvira away, while Giovanni, in Leporello's cloak, sings a delicate, mocking serenade, "Deh, vieni alla finestra" (Oh, come to the window), accompanying himself on the mandolin.

His serenade is interrupted by Masetto and a group of armed peasants, all hunting for Giovanni. Giovanni, still disguised as Leporello, plays the part of a loyal servant and offers to help them, directing them on a false chase. He then tricks Masetto, seizes his weapons, beats him severely, and runs off. Zerlina finds the bruised Masetto and comforts him with the tender aria "Vedrai, carino" (You will see, my dear).

Meanwhile, Leporello (still in Giovanni's clothes) is cornered in a dark courtyard by Donna Anna, Don Ottavio, Donna Elvira, Zerlina, and Masetto. Believing him to be Giovanni, they prepare to execute him. Terrified, Leporello reveals his true identity and, in the ensuing confusion, manages to escape.

Later that night, Don Giovanni meets Leporello in a graveyard. He boasts about his night's adventures, but his laughter is interrupted by a deep, unearthly voice. It comes from a large, equestrian statue. Leporello, terrified, reads the inscription: "I await vengeance on the ungodly man who slew me." It is the statue of the Commendatore. Giovanni, ever defiant, mocks the statue and, in a final act of blasphemy, orders his terrified servant to invite the statue to dinner. The statue bows its head, and the unearthly voice accepts.

The scene moves to Giovanni's dining room for the final, famous supper scene. Giovanni dines in high spirits while his private orchestra plays popular tunes of the day (including a "quote" from Mozart's own Figaro). Donna Elvira makes one last, desperate appearance, begging Giovanni to repent and change his life. He laughs at her and offers her a glass of wine, praising "women and good wine" as the "glory of mankind." Heartbroken, she runs out, only to scream in terror from the hallway.

There is a slow, heavy, "knock, knock, knock" at the door. Leporello is too terrified to open it. The knocks grow louder. Don Giovanni, fearless, opens the door himself. It is the Stone Guest, the Commendatore's statue, accompanied by the chilling sound of trombones. "Don Giovanni!" the statue booms, "You invited me to dinner, and I have come." The statue refuses food, stating that "he who dines on heavenly food has no need for mortal food." It then extends its hand, inviting Giovanni to dine with him. Don Giovanni, his pride and courage unwavering, accepts and grasps the statue's icy, marble hand.

"Repent!" the statue commands. "No!" Giovanni shouts. "Repent!" the statue insists. "No, you old fool!" Giovanni defies him. The statue declares his time is up. Flames and a chorus of demons rise from the earth, and Don Giovanni, finally screaming in pain and terror but never in repentance, is dragged down into hell.

The opera, in its original Prague version, ends here. For the Vienna premiere, Mozart added a final sextet, the scena ultima. The other characters rush in, having seen the flames. Leporello stammers out the story. They all then sing the opera's moral: "Questo è il fin di chi fa mal" (This is the end which he who does evil makes), and they make plans for their (now less interesting) lives. Don Ottavio will marry Donna Anna, Elvira will retire to a convent, and Zerlina and Masetto will go home to dinner.

Program Notes & Analysis

A Sinner Unrepentant: The Darkest Comedy

When Mozart traveled to Prague in 1787, he was a cultural hero. The city had embraced The Marriage of Figaro with a fanaticism that had eluded him in Vienna. He wrote to a friend, "Here they talk of nothing but Figaro. Nothing is played, sung, or whistled but Figaro." The Prague impresario, sensing a moment, commissioned a new opera for the following season. Mozart, reunited with his brilliant librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte, chose a subject that had been a staple of popular street puppet shows and commedia dell'arte for over a century: the story of Don Juan, the unrepentant lover and blasphemer who is dragged to hell by a stone statue. In the hands of Mozart and Da Ponte, this crude moralistic tale became a profound, terrifying, and psychologically complex masterpiece that transcended its folk origins and, in many ways, invented a new kind of musical drama.

Dramma Giocoso: The Perfect Hybrid

Da Ponte's libretto famously classified Don Giovanni as a dramma giocoso ("playful drama"), a term that perfectly captures its revolutionary blend of tones. The opera is not just a comedy, and it is not just a tragedy. It is, uniquely, both at the same time. The opera buffa (comic opera) elements are carried by Leporello, the long-suffering, wisecracking servant who is obsessed with lists and money, and by the rustic couple Zerlina and Masetto. The opera seria (serious opera) elements belong to the nobles: the grieving, vengeance-obsessed Donna Anna; her faithful, slightly ineffectual fiancé Don Ottavio; and the scorned, tormented Donna Elvira. At the center, defying all classification, is Don Giovanni himself. He is the engine of the plot, singing a comic "catalogue" of his conquests to Elvira one minute, and committing cold-blooded murder the next. Mozart’s score masterfully navigates these shifting worlds, often in the same ensemble. The famous Act I finale is a prime example: on stage, three separate orchestras play three different dances (a noble minuet, a rustic contredanse, and a fast German waltz) simultaneously, as characters from all social strata pursue their own agendas in a single, chaotic, and brilliant piece of music.

The Libertine Hero-Villain

Don Giovanni is one of the most compelling and terrifying characters in all of art. He is not a simple villain. He is a force of nature, a charismatic aristocrat who lives by a single creed: his own absolute freedom ("Viva la libertà!"). His famous "Champagne Aria" ("Fin ch'han dal vino") is a breathless, manic explosion of energy, a two-minute command to Leporello to prepare a party where he intends to seduce ten women at once. He is a creature of pure, anarchic, Enlightenment-era individualism. He defies social class (seducing peasant girls and noblewomen alike) and, ultimately, divine law. He is a rapist and a murderer, yet Mozart gives him some of the most beautiful and seductive music in the opera, most famously the duet "Là ci darem la mano" (There we will give each other our hands), a melody so pure and graceful that the peasant girl Zerlina (and the audience) is completely disarmed, her resistance melting away in real time.

A Score of Darkness and Light

The entire opera is built on a searing central conflict, which Mozart establishes in the first measures of the overture. It begins in the key of D minor, with stark, terrifying, syncopated chords. This is the music of the supernatural, the music of the Stone Guest, the music of divine judgment. This dark, opera seria introduction then suddenly, after a long, tense crescendo, gives way to the "true" overture in a brilliant, rushing, D major. This is the key of Don Giovanni's world—the key of champagne, of seduction, of life lived at a breakneck pace. This D minor/D major conflict defines the entire opera. The score is a perfectly crafted machine of dramatic portraits. Leporello's "Catalogue Aria" ("Madamina, il catalogo è questo") is a masterpiece of comic characterization, a patter song that musically illustrates Giovanni's conquests (slow and grand for the noblewomen, fast and common for the peasants). Donna Anna's "Or sai chi l'onore" (Now you know who sought my honor) is a blazing cry for vengeance, while Don Ottavio's "Il mio tesoro" is a model of lyrical, tenor elegance.

The Stone Guest and the Trombones of Hell

The genius of the opera culminates in its terrifying finale, a scene that changed music forever. In the 18th century, trombones were not standard members of the opera orchestra. They were "archaic" instruments, used almost exclusively in churches for sacred music to represent the voice of God or the underworld. Christoph Willibald Gluck had used them to great effect in his own "reform" operas like Orfeo ed Euridice to evoke the world of the dead. Mozart, remembering this, keeps the trombones completely silent for the entire opera, until the moment the Stone Guest, the statue of the murdered Commendatore, knocks on the door. When the statue enters, it is accompanied by the full, terrifying chorale of three trombones. This sound, after nearly three hours of string- and wind-driven music, is shocking. It is the sound of a different world, the sound of divine judgment, breaking into the human one. The statue, singing in the cold, unshakeable key of D minor, commands Giovanni to repent. Giovanni, in a final act of heroic, terrifying defiance, refuses ("No!"). He is then surrounded by a chorus of demons and dragged, screaming, into the flames.

A Troubled Reception and Romantic Legacy

Prague, as expected, adored the opera's power and darkness. Vienna, however, found it "difficult" and "too much for their throats." For the Vienna premiere, Mozart was forced to cut parts and even add a comic, buffa-style duet for Leporello and Zerlina to lighten the mood. It was the 19th-century Romantics who truly recognized the opera's towering genius. For them, Don Giovanni was not a comedy at all, but the first great Romantic tragedy. The writer E.T.A. Hoffmann wrote a famous, influential story casting the opera as a "daemonic" struggle. Ludwig van Beethoven, while disapproving of the "immoral" subject of Così fan tutte, revered Don Giovanni. Its influence is all over his own "dark" works, particularly the D-minor/D-major struggle of his Ninth Symphony. Composers from Wagner to Richard Strauss saw it as a "work of works," a perfect, seamless fusion of dramatic truth and musical form that, to this day, has never been equaled.

The Story of the Opera

Act I

The opera opens in the dead of night outside the Commendatore's palace. Leporello, Don Giovanni's servant, complains about his miserable life ("Notte e giorno faticar" - "Night and day I slave away"). Suddenly, his master, Don Giovanni, rushes out, his face masked, pursued by a struggling Donna Anna. She has been assaulted in her bedroom and tries to unmask her attacker. Her father, the Commendatore, hears her cries and challenges Giovanni to a duel. Giovanni, contemptuous at first, is goaded into fighting and kills the old man. As he and Leporello escape, Donna Anna returns with her fiancé, Don Ottavio. Finding her father dead, she makes Ottavio swear a solemn oath to avenge him ("Fuggi, crudele, fuggi!" - "Fly, cruel one, fly!").

In the morning, Giovanni and Leporello encounter a woman raging about a lover who abandoned her. This is Donna Elvira, a noblewoman Giovanni had previously seduced and "married." Giovanni, realizing who she is, pushes Leporello forward to "explain" and makes a quick escape. Leporello, in the famous "Catalogue Aria" ("Madamina, il catalogo è questo"), unrolls a massive scroll and details his master's thousands of conquests across Europe, driving Elvira to even greater fury.

Later, a peasant wedding procession passes. Don Giovanni is immediately taken with the bride, Zerlina. He orders Leporello to dispose of the jealous groom, Masetto, by taking the entire wedding party to his palace for a feast. Left alone with Zerlina, Giovanni flatters her, promising marriage and a better life, and they sing the seductive duet "Là ci darem la mano" (There we will give each other our hands). Just as Zerlina is about to give in, Donna Elvira rushes in and warns her off, revealing Giovanni's true character. Donna Anna and Don Ottavio then arrive, asking Giovanni for help in finding her father's killer. Elvira interrupts again, trying to warn them, but Giovanni dismisses her as a "poor, crazy woman." As Giovanni leaves, his voice and departing words cause Donna Anna to have a sudden, horrifying realization: she recognizes him as her attacker and her father's murderer.

The scene shifts to Don Giovanni's palace, where he is preparing for a party. He sings his wild "Champagne Aria" ("Fin ch'han dal vino"), ordering a celebration to confuse everyone and allow him to add more names to his list. Meanwhile, Masetto, Zerlina, and the peasants are celebrating. Three masked guests arrive: Donna Anna, Don Ottavio, and Donna Elvira, who have come to unmask Giovanni. He invites them in, unaware of their true identities. The finale begins: a grand ballroom scene with three orchestras. During the dancing, Giovanni drags Zerlina into a private room. Her screams for help interrupt the party. Giovanni tries to blame the crime on Leporello, but the masked avengers reveal themselves. The act ends in a chaotic, thunderous ensemble as a storm brews and the nobles, joined by Masetto and Zerlina, close in on Giovanni, who brazenly defies them all.

Act II

The second act opens with Giovanni and Leporello in the street. Giovanni, unrepentant, is already planning his next conquest: Donna Elvira's maid. He forces Leporello to switch cloaks and hats with him. When Elvira appears on her balcony, still lamenting her love for Giovanni, Giovanni hides and, in his servant's voice, sings a beautiful serenade, drawing her down. Leporello, now dressed as his master, is forced to play along and lead the deluded Elvira away, while Giovanni, in Leporello's cloak, sings a delicate, mocking serenade, "Deh, vieni alla finestra" (Oh, come to the window), accompanying himself on the mandolin.

His serenade is interrupted by Masetto and a group of armed peasants, all hunting for Giovanni. Giovanni, still disguised as Leporello, plays the part of a loyal servant and offers to help them, directing them on a false chase. He then tricks Masetto, seizes his weapons, beats him severely, and runs off. Zerlina finds the bruised Masetto and comforts him with the tender aria "Vedrai, carino" (You will see, my dear).

Meanwhile, Leporello (still in Giovanni's clothes) is cornered in a dark courtyard by Donna Anna, Don Ottavio, Donna Elvira, Zerlina, and Masetto. Believing him to be Giovanni, they prepare to execute him. Terrified, Leporello reveals his true identity and, in the ensuing confusion, manages to escape.

Later that night, Don Giovanni meets Leporello in a graveyard. He boasts about his night's adventures, but his laughter is interrupted by a deep, unearthly voice. It comes from a large, equestrian statue. Leporello, terrified, reads the inscription: "I await vengeance on the ungodly man who slew me." It is the statue of the Commendatore. Giovanni, ever defiant, mocks the statue and, in a final act of blasphemy, orders his terrified servant to invite the statue to dinner. The statue bows its head, and the unearthly voice accepts.

The scene moves to Giovanni's dining room for the final, famous supper scene. Giovanni dines in high spirits while his private orchestra plays popular tunes of the day (including a "quote" from Mozart's own Figaro). Donna Elvira makes one last, desperate appearance, begging Giovanni to repent and change his life. He laughs at her and offers her a glass of wine, praising "women and good wine" as the "glory of mankind." Heartbroken, she runs out, only to scream in terror from the hallway.

There is a slow, heavy, "knock, knock, knock" at the door. Leporello is too terrified to open it. The knocks grow louder. Don Giovanni, fearless, opens the door himself. It is the Stone Guest, the Commendatore's statue, accompanied by the chilling sound of trombones. "Don Giovanni!" the statue booms, "You invited me to dinner, and I have come." The statue refuses food, stating that "he who dines on heavenly food has no need for mortal food." It then extends its hand, inviting Giovanni to dine with him. Don Giovanni, his pride and courage unwavering, accepts and grasps the statue's icy, marble hand.

"Repent!" the statue commands. "No!" Giovanni shouts. "Repent!" the statue insists. "No, you old fool!" Giovanni defies him. The statue declares his time is up. Flames and a chorus of demons rise from the earth, and Don Giovanni, finally screaming in pain and terror but never in repentance, is dragged down into hell.

The opera, in its original Prague version, ends here. For the Vienna premiere, Mozart added a final sextet, the scena ultima. The other characters rush in, having seen the flames. Leporello stammers out the story. They all then sing the opera's moral: "Questo è il fin di chi fa mal" (This is the end which he who does evil makes), and they make plans for their (now less interesting) lives. Don Ottavio will marry Donna Anna, Elvira will retire to a convent, and Zerlina and Masetto will go home to dinner.