Don Giovanni Tenorio
Encyclopedia
Don Giovanni Tenorio, o sia Il convitato di pietra (English: Don Giovanni Tenorio, or The Stone Guest) is the most famous opera
by the Italian composer Giuseppe Gazzaniga
. It belongs to the genre of dramma giocoso
and is in one act. Don Giovanni Tenorio was first performed at the Teatro San Moisè
, Venice, on February 5, 1787. The libretto
, by Giovanni Bertati
, is based on the legend of Don Juan
, leading to comparisons with Mozart's Don Giovanni
, which had its premiere later in 1787. Mozart's librettist, Lorenzo Da Ponte
, certainly knew the earlier opera. Gazzaniga's work is much shorter than Mozart's, however, and originally formed part of a double-bill with another piece, Il capriccio drammatico.
Don Giovanni and Pasquariello follow Ottavio when he visits the Commendatore's tomb. Pasquariello is terrfied when he hears the statue accept an invitation to dinner. Later that evening at Don Giovanni's house, Elvira pleads with the Don to mend his ways. She leaves when he refuses. Giovanni and Pasquariello enjoy their dinner and sing the praises of food, wine, and Venetian women. The statue suddenly arrives and drags Don Giovanni to his death. Ottavio and the women enter. Pasquariello and Lanterna describe Giovanni's fate to them. The opera ends as all rejoice at his downfall.
Gazzaniga: Don Giovanni – Kammerchor Stuttgart, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
by the Italian composer Giuseppe Gazzaniga
Giuseppe Gazzaniga
Giuseppe Gazzaniga was a member of the Neapolitan school of opera composers. He composed fifty-one operas and is considered to be one of the last Italian opera buffa composers.-Biography:...
. It belongs to the genre of dramma giocoso
Dramma giocoso
Dramma giocoso is the name of a genre of opera common in the mid-18th century. The term is a contraction of "dramma giocoso per musica" and is essentially a description of the text rather than the opera as a whole...
and is in one act. Don Giovanni Tenorio was first performed at the Teatro San Moisè
Teatro San Moisè
The Teatro San Moisè was an opera house in Venice, active from 1640 to 1818. It was in a prominent location near the Palazzo Giustinian and the church of San Moisè at the entrance to the Grand Canal....
, Venice, on February 5, 1787. The libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
, by Giovanni Bertati
Giovanni Bertati
Giovanni Bertati is an Italian librettist.In 1763, Bertati wrote his first libretto, La morte di Dimone , set to music by Antonio Tozzi. Two years later, L'isola della fortuna , based on Bertati's libretto and Andrea Luchesi's music, was performed in Vienna...
, is based on the legend of Don Juan
Don Juan
Don Juan is a legendary, fictional libertine whose story has been told many times by many authors. El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra by Tirso de Molina is a play set in the fourteenth century that was published in Spain around 1630...
, leading to comparisons with Mozart's Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
, which had its premiere later in 1787. Mozart's librettist, Lorenzo Da Ponte
Lorenzo Da Ponte
Lorenzo Da Ponte was a Venetian opera librettist and poet. He wrote the librettos for 28 operas by 11 composers, including three of Mozart's greatest operas, Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro and Così fan tutte....
, certainly knew the earlier opera. Gazzaniga's work is much shorter than Mozart's, however, and originally formed part of a double-bill with another piece, Il capriccio drammatico.
Roles
- Don Giovanni (tenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
) - Pasquariello, Don Giovanni's manservant (bassBass (voice type)A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
) - The Commendatore (bass)
- Donna Anna, the Commendatore's daughter (sopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
) - Duca Ottavio, Donna Anna's fiancé (tenor)
- Donna Elvira, a former lover of Don Giovanni (soprano)
- Donna Ximena (soprano)
- Biagio, a peasant (bass)
- Maturina, Biagio's fiancée (soprano)
- Lanterna, Don Giovanni's cook (tenor)
Synopsis
With his manservant Pasquariello keeping watch outside, Don Giovanni attempts to seduce Donna Anna. Donna Anna's father, the Commendatore, challenges Giovanni to a duel and is killed. Ottavio, Anna's fiancé, swears vengeance. Meanwhile Don Giovanni encounters his old lover. Donna Elvira. As Don Giovanni woos Donna Ximena, Pasquariello gives Elvira a detailed account all his master's amorous conquests. Maturina and Biagio, accompanied by a party of peasants, arrive. Maturina and Biagio are about to be married, but Don Giovanni chases off a furious Biagio and attempts (unsuccessfully) to seduce Maturina.Don Giovanni and Pasquariello follow Ottavio when he visits the Commendatore's tomb. Pasquariello is terrfied when he hears the statue accept an invitation to dinner. Later that evening at Don Giovanni's house, Elvira pleads with the Don to mend his ways. She leaves when he refuses. Giovanni and Pasquariello enjoy their dinner and sing the praises of food, wine, and Venetian women. The statue suddenly arrives and drags Don Giovanni to his death. Ottavio and the women enter. Pasquariello and Lanterna describe Giovanni's fate to them. The opera ends as all rejoice at his downfall.
Recordings
Gazzaniga: Don Giovanni – Orchestra e coro della RCA Italiana- Conductor: Herbert Handt
- Principal singers: Laerte Malagutti, Alfonso Nanni, James Loomis, Maria Minetto, Luciana Ticinelli-Fattori
- Recording date: ?
- Label: Nuova Era (CD)
Gazzaniga: Don Giovanni – Kammerchor Stuttgart, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra
- Conductor: Bruno Weil
- Principal singers: Douglas Johnson, Luciana Serra, Elzbieta Szmytka, Edith Schmid-Lienbacher, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Carlo Allemanno
- Recording date: 1991
- Label: Sony Vivarte (CD) SK 46693
Sources
- Amadeus Almanac
- Viking Opera Guide, ed. Holden (Viking, 1993)
External links
- Synopsis and essay on the opera by Jeremy Gray for Bampton Classical OperaBampton Classical OperaBampton Classical Opera is an opera company based in Bampton, Oxfordshire specialising in the production of lesser known opera from the Classical period...
.