From the Conductor
There are few operas that have the extreme number of emotional and physical casualties as Don Giovanni. In under three hours, we witness one murder, two forced and unwanted attentions, three violent transgressions, and four flagrant displays of power structures of great imbalance before coming full circle with a dramatic display of supernatural retribution.
Musically, like all of Mozart’s works, this opera is surprising, with an outward simplicity wrapped in deceptive complexity. Listen to his rhythmic structures: while they appear easy, straightforward, they are never, ever predictable. His setting of Da Ponte’s text is at times raw and direct, and at others, filled with double meanings. Look into the pit and you will see an orchestra far less in number (and instrumental variation) than you would find in operas of later composers. Yet, Mozart creates an array of colors, emotions, and inventiveness with 40 musicians that would rival an orchestra with far greater forces.
I often thought that if one was fortunate to live long enough, one might meet or even inhabit each character in this opera. Perhaps it is that which makes Don Giovanni so universally revered and intriguing: in our most noble moments, we are Don Ottavio and Donna Anna; in our youthful discovery of life’s mysteries, we are Zerlina and Masetto; when finding ourselves in confounding and irrational states, we are Donna Elvira; put in circumstances that drive us to shameful, obsequious behavior, we are all Leporello.
And in our darkest and most private moments, whether we are willing to admit or not…"
— Judith Yan