Kevin Parker, Creative Programer, tells us more about Broadway Theatre's upcoming opera.
Don Giovanni is coming to Letchworth’s Broadway Theatre on 8 February and it’s not to be missed. If you’ve never been to an opera before, this is a great one to start with.
The opera is generally regarded as one of Mozart’s supreme achievements and one of the greatest of all time. That's a pretty bold statement, but however you rank it, Mozart's opera is a brilliant combination of stark human tragedy and touching comedy, set to music of limitless genius.
Here are some lesser knows facts about this opera:
- The full title of Don Giovanni is actually Don Giovanni, or the Rake Punished.
- The story of Don Giovanni had been in circulation since the middle ages, and was first published as Don Juan in Spain in the 17th century as a morality tale.
- It is the first opera to use a trombone.
- It was scheduled to premiere in Prague on October 15, 1787, but had to be pushed back to October 29.
- In early performances, the roles of the Commendatore and Masetto were played by the same person.
- The real Casanova (who lived in Prague at the time of Don Giovanni's premiere) bears a startling resemblance to Giovanni and is said to have had similar life experiences.
- In addition to collaborating with Mozart, Don Giovanni's librettist, Lorenzo Da Ponte, found employment as a priest, teacher, professional gambler, secretary, poet to the court of Emperor Joseph II, owner of a bookstore, proprietor of a grocery store, Italian tutor, impresario, and finally as a Professor of Italian Language and Literature at Columbia University.
A staple of the standard operatic repertoire, Don Giovanni is ninth on the Operabase list of the most-performed operas of the 2017-18 season. Tickets can be booked at broadway-letchworth.com/theatre/whats-on/don-giovanni. We look forward to welcoming you to Broadway Theatre.
