Why The Royal Opera love performing Don Giovanni

Kasper Holten’s visually striking production accentuates the beauty and invention of Mozart’s dazzling tragicomedy. Subscribe to our channel and find out more at www.roh.org.uk/productions/do....
Director Kasper Holten, cast Erwin Schrott (Don Giovanni), Malin Byström (Donna Anna), Myrtò Papatanasiu (Donna Elvira), Roberto Tagliavini (Leporello), set designer Es Devlin and conductor Hartmut Haenchen share their experience of rehearsing and performing in Don Giovanni.
Don Giovanni is the second of Mozart’s landmark collaborations with librettist Lorenzo da Ponte (after The Marriage of Figaro and before Così fan tutte). In it they created a work that has beguiled and entranced in equal measure since its premiere in 1787. Perfectly situated, as no other opera, between tragedy and comedy, this potent drama combines glorious music with a seductive central character who is endlessly fascinating in his complexity.
Kasper Holten’s 2014 production for The Royal Opera casts Don Giovanni as an artist who thrives on an audience enticed by his creative gifts. The visually spectacular set by award-winning designer Es Devlin features ingenious video designs by Luke Halls which provide an insight into the characters’ thoughts and emotions. But at the production’s heart are the beauty and invention of Mozart’s dazzling score.

[@Sunshine-zm1fx]

Thank you very much for the subtitles!

[@pirimpallopirimpalli4932]

I'm so fed up that I'm almost resigned to modern adaptations of Don Giovanni playing it like Donna Anna was actually Don Giovanni's lover. The libretto doesn't say so anywhere; every single part of the script says that Don Giovanni tried to force himself on her (happens right before the very first scene) she rejected him, she talks to him like she doesn't know who he is (because he broke into her room at night with a mask on), she tells him she won't let him get away with it; that's when her father comes in and fights him and then dies. But the direction on stage (and the singers and director in interviews) claim that Don Giovanni was her lover. That's just not true, Don Giovanni is an attacker, even though he didn't mean to kill her father he had planned to "seduce" her by introducing himself in her house, in her bed, uninvited and unidentified. I don't know if the reason for this take is that these days we don't want to have an almost-rapist as the main character we might empathize with, but in my opinion it's awful that in all these renditions Donna Anna is potrayed as lying. She was the victim of harassment and her father died for it.

[@sierraarata9417]

I know I'm late but you're the only person online I've seen who is appropriately enraged by this version, it's as if no one understood the very basics of the story. The characters consistently contradict what is laid out in the libretto. Masetto striking Zerlina well before batti batti o bel masetto? Why even bother with her singing 'I see you haven't the heart?' Zerlina staging her own rape? Donna Anna unbuttoning Don Giovanni's shirt during the opening rape scene? Even without all of the above, I still feel like the little irritants of Leporello's odd costume choice and the over-reliance of the projector would make it unbearable on their own. This is the only production of Don Giovanni I've ever seen in my life with absolutely no merit. I can't believe I wasted my money to see this.

[@pirimpallopirimpalli4932]

@@sierraarata9417 I can't speak for all of that, because frankly I couldn't get past the prologue, and that's in spite of the fact that I legitimately paid for the view on the ROH's website. And I'm not fed up just with this rendition: it is now everyone's way to direct the first scene like Donna Anna is having a willing encounter with Don Giovanni and then the rest of the opera like she's lying about it. Everyone. If you can find me a single stage direction in the 2000s where the attempted rape that sets everything in motion is in fact portrayed as an assault, please let me know, because I'm dying to see it.

[@DCI-Frank-Burnside]

@@pirimpallopirimpalli4932 I believe the 2001 Brian Large production does so, my nigga.

[@pirimpallopirimpalli4932]

@@DCI-Frank-Burnside thank you so much I'll dive on it. It's still 20 years ago and not a live performance I can watch in person, but I'm very grateful for it.

[@annann3745]

It's not so modern, since it was suggested by the Romantic writer E.T.A. Hoffmann in his short story "Don Juan" in 1814, but it's still disgusting and horrible. I wish I could once see Donna Anna bravely fighting Don Giovanni off during Leporello's aria - as well as Don Giovanni using some dirty trick to bring the Commendatore down!

[@98hamtaro]

sometimes I came here, on this video, to get inspired by the scenography BEAUTIFUL AND INNOVATIVE

[@anon2034]

Wonderful!

[@myselfploy]

I very like how that they teach the dancers to be very sensitive to the performing the was doing great btw I’m come from Thailand

[@ankar1757]

2:27 he is repenting??? So they cut the final scene where Don Giovanni literally says "I will not repent" ???

[@AH-ol2vn]

Erwin is wonderful!!

[@messianic_scam]

Is he real person ?!

[@OccyDaBoss]

2nd

[@totallynotsummermorrison33]

When you take pride in being the second one to comment on a video with great opera performers composed by one of the greatest composers of all time.

[@vlisdero]

Summer Morrison it doesnt get any more pedestrian than this.

[@Sunshine-zm1fx]

@@totallynotsummermorrison33 You could choose to be nice. Maybe it's some kid who chose to come watch this instead of go watch some dopey KZbinr.

[@OccyDaBoss]

jesus this is all kicking off init first some arrogant coffindodger shouts at me, then a rando replies, then an actually nice person steps in to intervene, @Summer Morrison i dont take pride its just funny.

[@totallynotsummermorrison33]

@@OccyDaBoss "Shouting at you", my comment was passive aggressive sure, but I see these comments far too often. You didn't even say anything nice about the video, I was trying to be sarcastic but I guess that doesn't come out well in type.