Trapped in Don Giovanni's labyrinth

For Don Giovanni, there is no such thing as normality. He needs excess, he cannot lead a ‘normal life’. However, the day we experience in the opera is indeed different from any other. It is the first time that Don Giovanni kills someone. This murder of the Commendatore determines his life from now on.

Besides the character on stage, for me it's about the essence of Don Giovanni: the chaos and the force that sets our lives in motion and confronts us with the question of who we want to be. That's what happens to all the characters in the play. And it is the same for us as audience members. Don Giovanni represents the wild side in all of us. It exerts an attraction on us that we can't easily control. In the end, we have to take a stand. The stage design takes us into Don Giovanni's inner labyrinth, into which all the characters fall and have to reorient themselves. If Don Giovanni wants to exist, he has to feed himself with new emotions and at the same time influence the people around him. He lacks any empathy for others and does not allow anyone to penetrate deeper into his innermost being. He never has enough, he just consumes and does what he wants. But in a society, it is not just the wishes of the individual that take centre stage, there are always other people too.

Yes, he is an incredibly attractive man, and not just on the outside. He manages to awaken everyone's desires. The women that Leporello lists in his register aria have definitely fallen for him.

We are shown three different female characters: Donna Elvira, who loves him and just can't get over him. Zerlina, who is attracted to Don Giovanni at first, but then decides in favour of but then decides in favour of life with Masetto. And Donna Anna, who has already decided in favour of Don Ottavio. She does not Don Giovanni, she fights against him.

All the characters we encounter in the opera are forced to position themselves opposite Don Giovanni. Don Ottavio is, of course, the complete opposite of Don Giovanni. He is friendly, down-to-earth and wants to lead a peaceful life. In my eyes, Don Ottavio is not weak, but very empathetic. Then there is Masetto. He is also very empathetic, but he is young and doesn't have that much life experience yet. He initially blames Zerlina, but then realises that the problem is not her, but Don Giovanni. And then there is the Commendatore. To understand this character, we need to return to Don Giovanni's different levels of meaning. If Don Giovanni is the embodiment of licentiousness, of chaos, then the Commendatore symbolises the law that makes it possible to build a society. He stands for the recognition of boundaries in life. We need people like the Commendatore. Our society today is full of Don Giovannis and if there are only Don Giovannis in power, we are finished.

He is a father who sacrifices his life for his daughter Donna Anna. That is an act of love. I don't think he wants to take revenge on Don Giovanni for this. Instead, he gives him the chance to say ‘no’. He doesn't kill Don Giovanni in the end, he just opens the gate to the abyss and Don Giovanni crosses the threshold himself.

I believe that Donna Elvira and Don Giovanni have gone very far in their relationship. The libretto even mentions marriage, which I at least interpret as a deep, inner connection. But it was a toxic love and Elvira lost control of herself. She is basically a very strong and passionate person who is very empathetic. Elvira only sees the bright side of Don Giovanni and blocks out everything dark. She has experienced how beautiful and full of energy life can be with him and she thinks that she is nobody without him. Of course, this is not true. When Don Giovanni left, she lost herself.

I don't think Donna Anna is attracted to Don Giovanni. She was attacked by him and lost her father that same night. She is devastated and has no strength left. And the moment she collapses, Don Ottavio is there for her. And it is only because he is there for her that she can understand and come to terms with what happened that night. I trust Donna Anna and Mozart's music and believe that she tells Don Ottavio the truth: she was attacked by Don Giovanni. The fact that Donna Anna initially believed it was Don Ottavio who entered her bedroom only shows, in my opinion, that Donna Anna and Don Ottavio also have a physical relationship. There is a very deep connection between them, it's a very grown-up love. True love.

Of course! Don Ottavio also shows that he is in despair for a moment. It is not easy for him to be with someone who is suffering. But Donna Anna assures him that she loves him, she just needs time. Her final aria ‘Non mi dir, bell'idol mio’ is a great declaration of love, and here too I trust the music. Anna and Ottavio do not forget what has happened, but they manage to overcome their crisis together.

They manage it too! It's fantastic how the two of them decide to enjoy life together in the end. They are the youngest in the opera. At the beginning, they are at a point in life where everything is still fine. Then they get to know the dark side. I also trust Zerlina. Of course, she doubts her life for a moment when Don Giovanni flirts with her. She is definitely attracted to him, to his power and the possibility of a new experience. But when she realises that she would lose Masetto, she decides against Don Giovanni. The music and the libretto are also very clear here: in the finale of the first act, she wants nothing more to do with Don Giovanni. She cries for help. Masetto initially questions Zerlina's trust in him, but he manages to forgive her.

I don't know. He definitely needs time to process everything and he won't find another Don Giovanni. Leporello is the most mysterious character of all. In the opera, we see how he struggles with himself, whether he should stay at Don Giovanni's side and whether he wants to become like him. He would like to be as free as Don Giovanni. He feels inspired by him. But unlike Don Giovanni, Leporello feels empathy for other people. He even believes that Don Giovanni could change, but in the end he has to let him go. And what remains is the feeling of emptiness after the adventure of his life is over, but perhaps also the realisation that this has not been real life. Fireworks are fantastic, but they don't warm or light up your house and if you set off too many fireworks, your house can burn down.