DON GIOVANNI IN THE AGE OF CELEBRITY @ THE CON

This is a very exciting production, directed by Matthew Barclay, fresh and vibrant, updated to now and musically and vocally fabulous.

Mozart’s opera DON GIOVANNI is one of the most popular and frequently performed operas in the world. Here, it is a marvellous showcase for the Sydney Conservatorium of Music’s terrific vocal and orchestral students . It is slightly abridged to clarify the complicated plot, sung in the original Italian , with surtitles above the stage providing a snappy, witty translation. The pacing of the production was brisk and the narrative clear. Under the direction of maestro Dr Stephen Mould the orchestra was in impressive, glowing form.

This production is transposed to 2018 – the characters here become A list celebrities and there is much use of mobile phones, paparazzi and so on. There are witty visual jokes (for example, the photo shoot at interval, the huge bucket of KFC and the way the Conservatorium is shown in the set designs as Don Giovanni’s castle), and musical ones (the quote from Mozart’s own The Marriage of Figaro in Act 2 for instance).

Costumes by Isabella Andoronos are terrific, with some stunning dresses for Donna Anna and Donna Elvira in particular, while their assistants wear severely cut black and white suits ( and have fun picking out the Batman, Superman and Cleopatra costumes for example in the masked ball in Act 2 ). The staging is set as if it backstage at a film lot or theatre with revolving panels , various clothes racks etc .The statue of the Commendatore is one of several Oscar like statues on plinths.

We follow the last days of the life of a narcissistic, lecherous, hedonistic, filthy rich playboy, convinced he can live beyond the laws of God and man – and in doing so cheat punishment and death.As Don Giovanni Haotian Qi was terrific and suave, a more than lusty Lothario, sophisticated and in glorious seductive voice . he was menacingly predatory, seemingly charming but dangerous, saucily vicious and yet frustrated at the way the complicated events often frustrate him. He is defiant and pleasure seeking right to the end.

His put upon servant Leporello was excellently portrayed by Jeremy Dube. His generally sardonic, rumpled, bespectacled rogue is an engaging blend of good fellow who fantasises about being bad, and a bad guy who wishes he was good . His ‘Catalogue Aria’ where he delights in recounting every detail to a devastated Donna Elvira is a show stopper.

The three main female parts are given extremely strong, feisty performances : As Donna Anna, Esther Song reveals her vulnerability and how Anna is essentially ‘good ‘, seeking not dramatic vengeance ( although she somewhat fantasises about it ), while still terribly hurt and angry, but also to reform Don Giovanni. Her Non mi dir – Tell me not- for example is a wonderful showpiece and throughout the show she easily handles the difficult tessitura and lets off sparkling coloratura.  She is torn between her unexpected attraction to Don Giovanni and her loyalty to Don Ottavio.

Her betrothed, the somewhat wavering, priggish and restrained yet frustrated Don Ottavio was given a fine performance by handsome Gavin Brown with a captivating, clear tenor voice.

Jilted Donna Elvira, who seeks to redeem Don Giovanni, was splendidly sung by Gabrielle Penney.

Playful, capricious Zerlina,  innocent bride on her wedding day was given a delightful performance by Josi Ann Ellem. Don Giovanni’s attempted seduction (La ci darem la mano – there we will entwine our hands) is lushly romantic – no wonder she succumbs!  Rather naive and trusting, she is somewhat out of her depth at the masked ball/orgy. Her Batti , batti teasing her groom Masetto is sultry and seductive.

Massetto, her groom to be (Henry Wright),  is awkward and rather apprehensive when dealing with his ‘betters’ but could be regarded as bullying when it comes to his wife to be.

The sepulchral Commendatore, Donna Elvira’s father, was given a chilling , quite scary performance by Nik Roglich, with his rich, rumbling ominous bass voice.(In this production he is not stabbed to death by Don Giovanni but injured by a full bottle of champagne ).

This exciting production of DON GIOVANNI ,one of Mozart’s most memorable and stirring operas , makes us think about the morals of society and saving one’s soul – suggesting unrestrained free will and pleasure is an illusion and there is a divine power and justice.

DON GOVANNI is playing the Conservatorium of Music until 20 October. Remaining performances are tonight at 6:30pm, Thursday 18 October 11:30am and  Saturday 20 October 2:00pm.

https://boxoffice-music.sydney.edu.au/WebPages/Show/ShowDatesCombo