Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Don Giovanni

Glyndebourne in England is a Mecca for opera lovers from all over the world. Here one can experience the masterpieces in brilliant interpretations within the framework of a summer festival. In 2010, the season was dominated by Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” – one of the most popular operas ever. Gerald Finley as the title character, Kate Royal as Donny Elvira, Anna Samuil as Donna Anna and Luca Pisaroni as Leporello provided brilliant and dramatically fulfilling singing, while the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under Vladimir Jurowski provided authentically colourful accompaniment in the orchestra pit. Now the production is released on DVD

Not only the musical realization, but also the staging by Jonathan Kent enthused audiences and critics alike. “Magnificent,” was the headline of the Wall Street Journal, for example the critic saw in this directorial work confirmed what the philosopher Kierkegaard once wrote about Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”: it was the “perfect, flawless work of art par excellence”. This, of course, lies in the tremendously turgid characterization of the characters, whom Mozart sends from one dramatic, touching or erotically charged scene to the next. The decision to perform the Viennese version of the work at Glyndebourne, with which Mozart went one better after the overwhelming Prague premiere success – and provided opportunities for comic as well as erotic directorial ideas – was also warmly welcomed.