The Kennedy Center - Opera House (Washington, DC)
Mozart's celebrated tragicomedy tells the story of the famous womanizer who is given one last chance to repent of his philandering ways. But when he adds murder and blasphemy to his lengthy list of sins, human and supernatural forces combine to enact a terrible punishment and avenge Donna Anna, Donna Elvira and thousands of other women.
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The last date listed for Don Giovanni was Thursday October 25, 2007 / 7:00pm. (view all dates)
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Fabulous. Breathtaking scenery. Worldclass performance by Erwin Schrott as Don Giovanni.
Costumes were extraordinary....Wonderful, sexy, and lusty performance.
Outstanding value to see an exciting performance at the opera. The singers were all very strong, and Erwin Schrott is a compelling Don Giovanni with a warm strong bass. The sets were just fine ... a little odd to see a Mozart opera re-set in Franco's Spain. Some of the costumes were bizarrely fetishistic and there were way too many guns shot off during the 3.5 hours of the opera. Poorly directed. Tempo was ponderous, robbing some of the energy from what I think of as usually some of the most exhilirating arias in opera. But, like I said, overall a wonderful evening out and well worth the price.
The Opera House is the second-largest theater in the Center, with 2,300 seats. It was designed for ballet, opera, and musical theater. Over the years, the Opera House has welcomed dozens of the world's great dance and opera companies and has hosted some of the most important artistic events of the last quarter century. With its distinctive red and gold silk curtain, a gift from Japan, and the e
Widely regarded as the greatest opera ever composed, Don Giovanni tells the story of the famous womanizer who is given one last chance to repent of his philandering ways. But when he adds murder and blasphemy to his lengthy list of sins, human and supernatural forces combine to enact a terrible punishment and avenge Donna Anna, Donna Elvira and thousands of other women.
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte
A new production; sung in Italian with English supertitles
With the extraordinary success of Le Nozze di Figaro—which was performed in Prague on January 17, 1787—behind him, Mozart returned to Vienna to begin work on an opera for the National Theatre’s fall season. He contacted librettist Lorenzo da Ponte, with whom he had worked on Le nozze, and together they poured through the text of Giovanni Bertati (Don Juan Tenori). The premise of a seductive libertine was not new in theater literature: Spain had its popular comedy El Burlador de Sevilla by Tirso de Molina (1630), France had its literary model with Molière (1665), and Italy had its interpretation of Goldoni (1735). Nevertheless, da Ponte used as his main source of inspiration Bertati’s Don Giovanni Tenori, though he introduced modifications in the writing and characterizations. Mozart brought the opera to Prague on October 1, 1787, but, as was typical for this composer, he wanted to finish polishing the score after hearing the chosen singers. Particularly for this opera, Mozart wanted to make sure that each voice adapted to the complex characterizations. Although the opening of Don Giovanni was slated for October 14, in honor of the Arch Duchess Maria Teresa, it was 15 days later before it actually reached the stage. Even Giacomo Casanova, a friend of Mozart’s and da Ponte’s, was said to be in the audience for the successful premiere. Months later, in May 1788, Mozart introduced Don Giovanni to audiences in Vienna.
Under the stewardship of General Director Placido Domingo, Washington National Opera continues to move confidently forward on a great adventure that began when the company was founded in 1956. Five decades and countless artistic leaps later, the Opera has achieved the stature of a world class company and plays to standing-room-only audiences at the Kennedy Center Opera House. The company recently received the designation "The National Opera" by the Congress of the United States of America.