Florida Grand Opera: Don Giovanni

Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Don Giovanni is a serial seducer who answers to no one — not the women he ruins, not the men who challenge him, not even God. When he kills the father of his latest conquest in a duel, he simply moves on to his next target, brushing off guilt with a shrug and a laugh. His servant Leporello keeps a running tally of his master’s conquests while begging him to change his ways, but Giovanni is incapable of remorse. As betrayed lovers and grieving relatives close in around him, Giovanni remains defiant — even mocking the dead. But when the murdered man’s statue comes to life and offers him one final chance to repent, Giovanni refuses, and is dragged down to hell as the others look on. Mozart’s score swings from comedy to horror in an instant, asking an uncomfortable question: what happens when charm runs out and the bill finally comes due?