Don Giovanni

08/14/09

German word of the day is dei dir, which means at your place

The evening of Friday the 14^th was our much anticipated trip to the opera to see the closing performance of Don Giovanni. Every member of our group got dressed up as classy as we could, and we headed out to the theater on the Naschmarkt near our classroom. The first thing that struck me about the Viennese in their evening finery was a distinctly more courteous demeanor in comparison to the indifference usually displayed in day to day life. This was quite surprising to me, because I had the preconception that those that would be attracted to the opera would also have a greater tendency toward being dismissive. After getting return smiles from several people that I got into close quarters with, I decided that the Viennese were probably more willing to be kind to somebody that they figured to be of a better stock, such as somebody that is dressed up nicely and going to the opera. When out and about in the town they could easily see us for what we were; tourists that wanted nothing better than to waste their precious time. But here at the opera I was just a smiling young man that had on decent clothes and was doing something cultured, and I decided that this must be why they were seemingly more predisposed toward friendliness. Of course, it could have just been a coincidence.

Knowing the basic story of Don Giovanni made watching the opera a perfectly bearable experience, but it was my first experience with prolonged opera-watching, which as most know can be extremely trying. Fortunately for us, the cast was so incredible that they could carry the show for anybody with even a passing interest in music, which of course I have. The lead actor was particularly impressive, and as I was lucky enough to sit next to Laurel (who actually performs in operas) I knew for sure that he was beyond talented. The most enjoyable parts of the show all featured Leporello, especially the scenes in which he is bantering back and forth with Don Giovanni. Of course the infamous “List” aria was my favorite part, the modern take on the play made Leporello’s antics all the funnier. Being able to throw around lingerie and bring out beautiful women as examples made the scene entirely clear from start to finish, regardless of the fact that I can neither speak Italian nor read German.

The most confusing part of the opera was without a doubt the ending, which seemed different from the version that we read beforehand. Of course in a modern adaptation of the opera it makes sense that not everything is exactly as it was originally, but it was especially confusing for those of us that could not understand what was going on to begin with. The first confusing thing was the cast’s appearance of great age in the final scene, when I had been under the impression that they were the same age as they had been the entire show. I suppose this must have been done to show that Don Giovanni never repents, even after so much time has passed, but I think that the message would have been just as strong if he had remained the same age. The statue of the Commendatore bursts through the floorboards rather than knocking on the door, which is understandable but the effect was somewhat diminished by the fact that the “statue” seemed to have trouble breaking through the floorboards. This lead to the slightly embarrassing moment of a disembodied hand appearing from nowhere to help clear the path, but sometimes those sorts of things are necessary to keep the show running along. I had also been under the impression that they would use the Concluding Chorus to clarify what the moral of the story was, as is very common in modern performances of the show. Of course not being an opera enthusiast I cannot really judge as to whether this would have improved the show or not, it was still slightly confusing that the show just seemed to end after Don Giovanni’s descent into hell.

All in all the cast more than deserved the fifteen minute standing ovation that they received at the end of the show, particularly because it was the final performance of a long run. I was incredibly lucky to have this show be my first opera experience, and if I ever have a second opera experience I will know to have the entire story down pat before setting foot in the theater.