Michael M. Kaiser President Darrell M. Ayers Vice President, Education
Michael L. Mael Executive Director Francesca Zambello Artistic Advisor David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of WNO.
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT... ■
Operagoers tend to agree that Don Giovanni is an opera with a split personality; it has elements of the more serious operatic tradition of Mozart’s day, but also has lots of humor. Which characters seem serious to you? Which ones are funny? Why? Do some characters have both qualities?
■
Consider the three women in the opera. Which female character do you think handles herself best? What do you think Mozart and Da Ponte’s feelings were about these three ladies? Or about women in general? Do the music and lyrics for each character say something special about her? How?
■
Opinion is often divided about Don Giovanni. Do you think Mozart and Da Ponte meant him to be a villain? If so, who is the hero?
WHAT TO LISTEN AND WATCH FOR... ■
■
■
How the music of the very beginning of the opera and the music of the final spooky scene sound very similar. These musical moments are linked by the same set of notes or key. Do you think the key holds a special significance? What is it? How disguises and masks are used in the opera. Why do you think these are necessary to tell the story? Do you think the disguises work? Why or why not? How Mozart inserts popular tunes from other operas into the last scene. One of the songs (playing when Leporello says, “I know this tune well”) is a musical in-joke: It comes from Mozart’s own opera, Le nozze di Figaro.
The Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program is made possible through the generous support of The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. Support for Washington National Opera education programs is provided by Prince Charitable Trusts, The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, The Morningstar Foundation, The Jacob and Charlotte Lehrman Foundation, and National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs Program and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. Additional support for Performances for Young Audiences is provided in part by The Clark Charitable Foundation; Mr. James V. Kimsey; The Macy*s Foundation; The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; the Park Foundation, Inc.; the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; an endowment from the Ryna and Melvin Cohen Family Foundation; the U.S. Department of Education; the Verizon Foundation; Washington Gas; and by generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund, and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas.
WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA D R E S S R E H EAR SAL WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART’S
Don Giovanni Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte Directed by John Pascoe Conducted by Philippe Auguin
Prepare to meet the legendary Don Juan in this musical retelling of the ultimate womanizer’s famous story, considered perhaps one of the greatest operas ever written. Enter the corrupt and wicked world of Don Giovanni (Italian for Don Juan), a ladies’ man with no scruples who’s determined to break as many hearts as possible. Don’t worry though, the opera’s not all drama and despair. There’s plenty of comic relief along the way. So enjoy yourself…but watch out for talking statues.
www.kennedy-center.org/artsedge Cuesheets are produced by ARTSEDGE, an education program of the Kennedy Center. ARTSEDGE is a part of Thinkfinity.org, a consortium of free educational Web sites for K-12 teaching and learning. Learn more about Education at The Kennedy Center at www.kennedy-center.org/education The contents of this Cuesheet do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement from the Federal Government. © 2012 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Please recycle this Cuesheet by sharing it with friends!
PERFORMANCE GUIDE
David M. Rubenstein Chairman
Cuesheet
Don Giovanni fights his way out of a sticky situation.
Performances for Young Audiences is made possible by
MAIN CHARACTERS
About Mozart’s DonGiovanni Don Giovanni or Il dissoluto punito (“Don Juan” or “The Punished Degenerate”) marks the second collaboration between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Italian librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte, who was reportedly quite a ladies’ man himself. Evidence suggests Da Ponte stole most of the story from a rival composer/lyricist team, but he was most likely also inspired by several plays.
Later, Don Giovanni throws a party and daringly invites Zerlina and her (very jealous) fiancé, Masetto (mah-ZEHT-oh). Anna, Ottavio, and Elvira appear in masks and Giovanni, not recognizing them, allows them in. At the ball, Giovanni tries to whisk Zerlina away, but she screams and Masetto, Elvira, Anna, and Ottavio come to her aid.
ACT II ACT I Leporello (leh-pohr-ELL-oh), Don Giovanni’s (dohn jyoh-VAHN-ee) manservant, waits outside the home of the Commendatore (koh-men-dah-TOR-eh), while his master tries to seduce the Commendatore’s daughter, Donna Anna (DOHN-ah AH-nah). Things don’t go as planned and a masked Giovanni appears pursued by Anna, who screams that her honor has been insulted. Her father suddenly arrives, challenging Giovanni to a duel. In the scuffle, the Commendatore is killed by Giovanni. Finding her father dead, Donna Anna and her fiancé, Don Ottavio (dohn oh-TAHV-ee-oh), swear revenge on the disguised killer. At dawn, Don Giovanni crosses paths with Donna Elvira (DOHN-ah ell-VEE-rah), his former girlfriend. She, too, is bent on revenge, but Leporello distracts her by showing her a list of Giovanni’s many other lovers.
Leporello (disguised as Don Giovanni) taunts the lovesick Donna Elvria.
Don Giovanni and Leporello escape Elvira and discover a country wedding celebration, where Giovanni immediately sets his sights on the bride, Zerlina (tsehr-LEE-nah). Elvira stops him and saves Zerlina just as Donna Anna and Don Ottavio arrive and, ironically, ask Giovanni for help in avenging the Commendatore. Donna Elvira warns the couple that Giovanni is not what he seems, but she is ushered away. Alone with Ottavio, Anna realizes Giovanni is the man who attacked her.
Having escaped the party unscathed, Giovanni and Leporello exchange clothes so Giovanni, dressed as a servant, can woo Donna Elvira’s pretty maid. Elvira unexpectedly appears, confessing she still loves Giovanni. Giovanni then forces Leporello to play the part of his master, flatter Donna Elvira, and take her away. Once alone, Giovanni serenades his new love, but barely finishes before Masetto bursts in with an angry mob, looking to capture the Don. Giovanni pretends to be Leporello and tricks the men into leaving him alone with Masetto, whom he mercilessly beats. After surviving a confusing confrontation with Elvira, Anna, Ottavio, Zerlina and Masetto, Leoprello meets up with Don Giovanni at a cemetery. As the two discuss Giovanni’s wicked deeds, Giovanni laughs defiantly, only to be cut short by a mysterious voice telling him to, “Leave the dead in peace.” The two men discover that the voice comes from the statue of none other than the Commendatore. Unfazed by this, Don Giovanni orders Leporello to invite the statue to dinner. As Don Giovanni readies his dinner table, Donna Elvira appears and pleads with him to repent, but Giovanni refuses and sends her away. As she leaves, she lets out a bloodcurdling scream. The statue ghost has arrived. Giovanni boldly opens the door, resigned to accept his fate—whatever it may be.
Don Giovanni, a young nobleman Leporello, his servant Commendatore, a noble military commander Donna Anna, his daughter Don Ottavio, her fiancé Donna Elvira, Giovanni’s former love Zerlina, a peasant girl Masetto, her fiancé
ABOUT WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Boy genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) was born in Salzburg, Austria to a family of musicians (his father was a well-known composer and his sister was an accomplished instrumentalist). A keyboard whiz by age four and a composer by age five, Mozart traveled and performed throughout much of Europe, eventually settling in Vienna as a freelance artist. Mozart mastered a variety of musical forms from concertos to symphonies to operas and beyond, and his unique and unmistakable sound is a trademark of Western music’s Classical era.
ABOUT WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA Originally founded in 1956, Washington National Opera (WNO) ranks as one of today’s largest American opera companies. As an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, WNO presents several operas each year at the Kennedy Center Opera House and performs throughout the city, offering training and enrichment programs year-round. In the past decade, WNO has reached worldwide audiences through international broadcasts. To learn more about opera visit www.kennedy-center.org/artsedge and click the tag “opera” All photos by Karin Cooper
MAIN CHARACTERS
About Mozart’s DonGiovanni Don Giovanni or Il dissoluto punito (“Don Juan” or “The Punished Degenerate”) marks the second collaboration between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Italian librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte, who was reportedly quite a ladies’ man himself. Evidence suggests Da Ponte stole most of the story from a rival composer/lyricist team, but he was most likely also inspired by several plays.
Later, Don Giovanni throws a party and daringly invites Zerlina and her (very jealous) fiancé, Masetto (mah-ZEHT-oh). Anna, Ottavio, and Elvira appear in masks and Giovanni, not recognizing them, allows them in. At the ball, Giovanni tries to whisk Zerlina away, but she screams and Masetto, Elvira, Anna, and Ottavio come to her aid.
ACT II ACT I Leporello (leh-pohr-ELL-oh), Don Giovanni’s (dohn jyoh-VAHN-ee) manservant, waits outside the home of the Commendatore (koh-men-dah-TOR-eh), while his master tries to seduce the Commendatore’s daughter, Donna Anna (DOHN-ah AH-nah). Things don’t go as planned and a masked Giovanni appears pursued by Anna, who screams that her honor has been insulted. Her father suddenly arrives, challenging Giovanni to a duel. In the scuffle, the Commendatore is killed by Giovanni. Finding her father dead, Donna Anna and her fiancé, Don Ottavio (dohn oh-TAHV-ee-oh), swear revenge on the disguised killer. At dawn, Don Giovanni crosses paths with Donna Elvira (DOHN-ah ell-VEE-rah), his former girlfriend. She, too, is bent on revenge, but Leporello distracts her by showing her a list of Giovanni’s many other lovers.
Leporello (disguised as Don Giovanni) taunts the lovesick Donna Elvria.
Don Giovanni and Leporello escape Elvira and discover a country wedding celebration, where Giovanni immediately sets his sights on the bride, Zerlina (tsehr-LEE-nah). Elvira stops him and saves Zerlina just as Donna Anna and Don Ottavio arrive and, ironically, ask Giovanni for help in avenging the Commendatore. Donna Elvira warns the couple that Giovanni is not what he seems, but she is ushered away. Alone with Ottavio, Anna realizes Giovanni is the man who attacked her.
Having escaped the party unscathed, Giovanni and Leporello exchange clothes so Giovanni, dressed as a servant, can woo Donna Elvira’s pretty maid. Elvira unexpectedly appears, confessing she still loves Giovanni. Giovanni then forces Leporello to play the part of his master, flatter Donna Elvira, and take her away. Once alone, Giovanni serenades his new love, but barely finishes before Masetto bursts in with an angry mob, looking to capture the Don. Giovanni pretends to be Leporello and tricks the men into leaving him alone with Masetto, whom he mercilessly beats. After surviving a confusing confrontation with Elvira, Anna, Ottavio, Zerlina and Masetto, Leoprello meets up with Don Giovanni at a cemetery. As the two discuss Giovanni’s wicked deeds, Giovanni laughs defiantly, only to be cut short by a mysterious voice telling him to, “Leave the dead in peace.” The two men discover that the voice comes from the statue of none other than the Commendatore. Unfazed by this, Don Giovanni orders Leporello to invite the statue to dinner. As Don Giovanni readies his dinner table, Donna Elvira appears and pleads with him to repent, but Giovanni refuses and sends her away. As she leaves, she lets out a bloodcurdling scream. The statue ghost has arrived. Giovanni boldly opens the door, resigned to accept his fate—whatever it may be.
Don Giovanni, a young nobleman Leporello, his servant Commendatore, a noble military commander Donna Anna, his daughter Don Ottavio, her fiancé Donna Elvira, Giovanni’s former love Zerlina, a peasant girl Masetto, her fiancé
ABOUT WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Boy genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) was born in Salzburg, Austria to a family of musicians (his father was a well-known composer and his sister was an accomplished instrumentalist). A keyboard whiz by age four and a composer by age five, Mozart traveled and performed throughout much of Europe, eventually settling in Vienna as a freelance artist. Mozart mastered a variety of musical forms from concertos to symphonies to operas and beyond, and his unique and unmistakable sound is a trademark of Western music’s Classical era.
ABOUT WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA Originally founded in 1956, Washington National Opera (WNO) ranks as one of today’s largest American opera companies. As an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, WNO presents several operas each year at the Kennedy Center Opera House and performs throughout the city, offering training and enrichment programs year-round. In the past decade, WNO has reached worldwide audiences through international broadcasts. To learn more about opera visit www.kennedy-center.org/artsedge and click the tag “opera” All photos by Karin Cooper
Michael M. Kaiser President Darrell M. Ayers Vice President, Education
Michael L. Mael Executive Director Francesca Zambello Artistic Advisor David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of WNO.
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT... ■
Operagoers tend to agree that Don Giovanni is an opera with a split personality; it has elements of the more serious operatic tradition of Mozart’s day, but also has lots of humor. Which characters seem serious to you? Which ones are funny? Why? Do some characters have both qualities?
■
Consider the three women in the opera. Which female character do you think handles herself best? What do you think Mozart and Da Ponte’s feelings were about these three ladies? Or about women in general? Do the music and lyrics for each character say something special about her? How?
■
Opinion is often divided about Don Giovanni. Do you think Mozart and Da Ponte meant him to be a villain? If so, who is the hero?
WHAT TO LISTEN AND WATCH FOR... ■
■
■
How the music of the very beginning of the opera and the music of the final spooky scene sound very similar. These musical moments are linked by the same set of notes or key. Do you think the key holds a special significance? What is it? How disguises and masks are used in the opera. Why do you think these are necessary to tell the story? Do you think the disguises work? Why or why not? How Mozart inserts popular tunes from other operas into the last scene. One of the songs (playing when Leporello says, “I know this tune well”) is a musical in-joke: It comes from Mozart’s own opera, Le nozze di Figaro.
The Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program is made possible through the generous support of The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. Support for Washington National Opera education programs is provided by Prince Charitable Trusts, The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, The Morningstar Foundation, The Jacob and Charlotte Lehrman Foundation, and National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs Program and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. Additional support for Performances for Young Audiences is provided in part by The Clark Charitable Foundation; Mr. James V. Kimsey; The Macy*s Foundation; The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; the Park Foundation, Inc.; the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; an endowment from the Ryna and Melvin Cohen Family Foundation; the U.S. Department of Education; the Verizon Foundation; Washington Gas; and by generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund, and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas.
WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA D R E S S R E H EAR SAL WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART’S
Don Giovanni Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte Directed by John Pascoe Conducted by Philippe Auguin
Prepare to meet the legendary Don Juan in this musical retelling of the ultimate womanizer’s famous story, considered perhaps one of the greatest operas ever written. Enter the corrupt and wicked world of Don Giovanni (Italian for Don Juan), a ladies’ man with no scruples who’s determined to break as many hearts as possible. Don’t worry though, the opera’s not all drama and despair. There’s plenty of comic relief along the way. So enjoy yourself…but watch out for talking statues.
www.kennedy-center.org/artsedge Cuesheets are produced by ARTSEDGE, an education program of the Kennedy Center. ARTSEDGE is a part of Thinkfinity.org, a consortium of free educational Web sites for K-12 teaching and learning. Learn more about Education at The Kennedy Center at www.kennedy-center.org/education The contents of this Cuesheet do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement from the Federal Government. © 2012 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Please recycle this Cuesheet by sharing it with friends!
PERFORMANCE GUIDE
David M. Rubenstein Chairman
Cuesheet
Don Giovanni fights his way out of a sticky situation.
Performances for Young Audiences is made possible by