The figure of Don Juan, Don Giovanni, first features in plays and literature dating from a play written by Tirso de Molina (1571-1641) and was followed by several others throughout the 1700s. Da Ponte's libretto for Mozart's opera is thought to be derived from a libretto written by Giovanni Bertati (1750-1815) for the opera by Giuseppe Gazzaniga (1743-1818).
The Characters
- The Commendatore, bass
- Donna Anna, his daughter, soprano
- Don Ottavio, her betrothed, tenor
- Don Giovanni, a young nobleman, baritone
- Leporello, his servant, bass
- Donna Elvira, a lady of Burgos, soprano
- Zerlina, a country girl, soprano
- Masetto, betrothed to Zerlina, baritone
Act I
Leporello is in a garden bemoaning his lot as servant to such a dangerous and adventurous master. Don Giovanni erupts into the garden, pursued by Donna Anna berating him. The noise awakens the Commendatore who draws sword, and in the resulting fight is killed by the Don. Don Ottavio tries to comfort Donna Anna, swearing vengeance on Don Giovanni.
Don Giovanni and Leporello, on the prowl again, see Donna Elvira mourning a lost lover. They don’t realise she is one of the Don’s past conquests. When she turns to them, the Don leaves Leporello to explain why he left her and Leporello catalogues 1003 women in the famous ‘list aria’.
In the countryside near Seville a group of singing peasants are celebrating the approaching marriage of Zerlina and Masetto. The Don, seeing Zerlina, orders Leporello to take the wedding party to his nearby chateau, leaving Zerlina. Masetto allows this, but lets the Don know he is not taken in. As the Don is taking Zerlina away, Donna Elvira appears warning Zerlina that he is not to be trusted, and takes her away. Donna Anna and Ottavio arrive and are found by Elivira when she returns, again denouncing him as a heartless deceiver. She leaves, followed by the Don, but Anna has recognized the voice of her father’s assassin.
In the garden of Don Giovanni’s chateau, Masetto chastises Zerlina but she begs his forgiveness, almost allaying his suspicions but for her apparent nervousness when she hears the Don’s voice. Later, at the wedding party, Masetto confronts the Don as he attempts to lead Zerlina away. Elivira, Anna and Ottavio arrive in masks. The Don succeeds in getting Zerlina away from the dance but is pursued by Masetto. The Don puts Leporello forward as the perpetrator, but Elvira, Anna and Ottavio come forward, unmask themselves and accuse him of murdering the Commendatore.
Act II
In front of Elvira’s house, the Don and Leporello swap clothes. As the Don, Leporello entices Elvira from the house while Don Giovanni sings a serenade to her maid. Just as the Don thinks he sees the maid, Masetto and his friends arrive in search of Don Giovanni. Thinking they have met with Leporello, they take his advice and divide up and go in four different directions to continue their search, while the Don keeps Masetto with him. He beats Masetto up and leaves him to be found by Zerlina.
Meanwhile, Leporello and Elivra have taken refuge in the courtyard of Donna Anna’s palace. Anna and Ottavio arrive, followed by Masetto and Zerlina who, seeing Leporello still dressed as the Don demand his death. Finding that it is Leporello in disguise, they reluctantly let him go.
The Don and Leporello meet in a churchyard where the statue of the Commendatore speaks to them, laying responsibility for the murder at Don Giovanni’s feet.
Back in his palace, Don Giovanni sings of the pleasures of life. Elvira arrives and demands that he mends his ways. He ignores her and she turns to go but rushes back through the room shrieking. Leporello is sent to investigate but he screams too, that the statue is outside. The statue advances into the room as the lights all go out. The statue commands the Don to welcome him to the meal, and Don Giovanni, taking its hand, is commanded to think upon his sins and repent. The Don refuses and is dragged by demons to his death.
Contemporary Epilogue
Originally, Mozart wrote an epilogue where the characters moralized on the Don’s end, but it was cut for a performance in Vienna in 1788. For most of the 19th and 20th centuries, it was felt that ending with the Don’s death kept the narrative within tragedy, while the ensemble took the audience back to the comic elements of the story, changing the dynamic at the end.
Don Giovanni is a mixture of operatic styles, with elements of opera buffa and opera seria evident in both music and libretto. However, like a number of his other operas there is the all important theme of everyday people going about their business. The scenes with the Commendatore bring in a component of the fantastic, which was very much to the taste of the then opera going public. For more Mozart Opera Synopses, see The Magic Flute and The Marriage of Figaro
Source: Kobbé’s Complete Opera Book, Putnam, London & New York, 1961.
Karen Finch - Karen is a Sydney based freelance writer, artist and musician. To learn more, click on her name to read her profile.
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