Leslie Black PhotographyDon Giovanni, full title Il dissoluto punito, ossia il Don Giovanni, The Rake Punished, is an opera in two acts with music by Mozart and with a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered in the Estates Theatre in Prague on October 29, 1787. Read more …
Da Ponte's libretto was billed like many of its time as dramma giocosa, a term that denotes a mixing of serious and comic action. Mozart entered the work into his catalogue as an "opera buffa". Although sometimes classified as comic, it blends comedy, melodrama and supernatural elements.
A screen adaptation of the opera was made in 1979, and was directed by Joseph Losey.
Overall the production comes across as an uneven, at times rushed, theatrical intermezzo compared to Mozart’s grand work. An interesting experment in other words.
As a shorthand introduction to the Don Juan legend, this is a powerful shot of theatre; all written in fine rhyming couplets, and delivered with a blazing sense of imminent hellfire.
A Play, a Pie and a Pint, Glasgow from Monday June 27, 2011, until Saturday July 2, 2011. More info: http://playpiepint.com
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