A Famous Scene from Don Giovanni

I've been volunteering as a violin teacher with UpbeatNYC, a free music school for children in the South Bronx. Richard Miller, the director of the program, wrote an arrangement of La Ci Darem La Mano for the UpbeatNYC Children's Orchestra. It's a duet from Mozart's opera Don Giovanni with charming music that conceals very sinister undertones. While I was teaching their parts in Richard's arrangement to the violin players in the UpbeatNYC Children's Orchestra, I became interested in reviewing the music's operatic context. What follows is a retelling of the plot up to that scene, followed by my comments on three contrasting performances that are posted on Youtube. If this interests you, keep reading.

Plot Synopsis

The title character in Don Giovanni is an amoral 18th-century Spanish nobleman who is an insatiable sexual predator. He will use charm, abetted by his wealth and power, to seduce women when he can, but he is not above using physical assault as a tactic for sexual conquest.

The opera begins with his invasion of Donna Anna's bedroom in the middle of the night. When the Commendatore, Donna Anna's father, responding to her cries for help, interrupts the attempted rape, Don Giovanni kills him with his sword and flees.

A bit later on in Act I, we meet Donna Elvira, a noblewoman who was seduced and abandoned by Don Giovanni. She pursues him to get him to make good on his promise of marriage. Leporello, Don Giovanni's servant, tries to explain to Donna Elvira the futility of her quest. He produces for her edification, a journal of the Don's conquests. The book lists 1,003 women in Spain, plus hundreds more from the Don's travels in other countries. Leporello tells Donna Elvira that the Don has already obtained what he wanted from her and has no further interest in her. Donna Elvira cannot accept this. She resolves to pursue Don Giovanni, hoping to save other women from her fate by reforming the Don into a monogamous relationship with her.

In the last part of Act I, Don Giovanni encounters a group of peasants gathered for the wedding of Masetto and Zerlina. The Don instantly sets his sights on Zerlina as his next conquest. He contrives to separate her from the party. Then, in a recitative, he tells her she was not born to be a peasant. He urges her to accompany him to his castle where they will be 'married" at once. The famous duet follows.

Three performances of La Ci Darem La Mano on Youtube

1. Samuel Ramey and Dawn Upshaw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ7PKtS2BR8

This is your grandmother's Don Giovanni. The characters are in period costumes. The bearded Don Giovanni seems gallant and charming. Zerlina is naive and frightened. Upshaw's light, sweet soprano voice conveys Zerlina's innocence and naiveté, In the end she is deceived by Don Giovanni's ardent approach and agrees to go with him to his castle. She is spared from what would have happened to her there by Donna Elvira's interruption of the scene. Children could watch this production.

2. Thomas Hampson and Isabel Bayakdarian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11HmAQWIVO8

This is a stark contrast with the preceding traditional staging of this scene. Gone are the 18th century costumes. We see Zerlina in a more contemporary bridal dress that exposes generous views of her legs and breasts. She does not at all look like a sweet young innocent. And there is the tall, dark and handsome Don Giovanni in a silk shirt and purple pants -- looking every inch the lounge lizard. During the duet, he produces a long black silk scarf from his pocket and shows Zerlina some of its possibilities as a sex toy. Zerlina quickly abandons her superficial reluctance and reveals herself to Don Giovanni as a ready and willing sexual partner. Bayakdarian's heavier soprano voice makes her well cast for this interpretation. The two characters look totally delighted with each other at the end of the scene. They both must have regretted Donna Elvira's intrusion.

3. Ildebrando D’Arcangelo and Manuela Bisceglie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffs6bThByWw

This bold European production is definitely not for children. Don Giovanni is dressed in an 18th century costume, with knickers, stockings, buckled shoes and a silky white blouse. No coat. We see Zerlina in a sleeveless white dress that looks like something from a catalog of summer clothing. Furthermore, she is barefoot. This seems a little much for a girl at her wedding, even for a peasant. Don Giovanni's seduction of Zerlina in this production is entirely physical. First he grabs her breasts. Then he picks her up and lays her down on the ground. Then he gropes her under her dress and expertly arouses her in a way she had never experienced before. After that she's willing to let him do what he will with her. It is amazing that these singers could sing their parts so well while doing all that. There are some strong comments from viewers on the youtube page. Some enthusiastically approved. Others were appalled and decried it as pornography.

I like all three of these scenes.

During my childhood in the 1950's, I saw an English language performance of Don Giovanni on television. As I recall it, it was very similar to the first version I listed here. This os probably not very different from the way it was done in Mozart's time. So what's not to like? It's one of the jewels of opera repertoire.

The second version here I found very interesting. Why can't Zerlina be a hot babe who meets the Don on his own terms? I think Bayakdarian's acting is superb, and I love the way Hampson laughs when Zerlina throws off her show of innocence and gives him that "come on big boy, let's go" look. Needless to say, their singing is outstanding too.

What can I say about version number 3? Yes, I like it. But it IS ugly. I watched all of the youtube excerpts from this production. D'Arcangelo's Don is a vile, despicable character. He has none of Ramey's or Hampson's charm. He's disgusting. I think that this is a very valid interpretation of the character. It's not what opera audiences are used to, but it may become so. During its penultimate season, New York City Opera presented a lurid production of Don Giovanni in which the characters spent much of their time cavorting about the stage in their underwear. No sword fight for Don Giovanni in the opening scene. The elderly-looking Commendatore entered in his pajamas. Don Giovanni grabbed him by his hair and bashed his head against the wall in an explosion of stage blood. I think the story warrants dark interpretations. They create a contrast between the violent action on stage with the beautiful music being played and sung.

Thanks for reading and watching. How did you like the three productions?