The Arts in New York City
Despite the crowded atmosphere and the far away seats, the performance itself was spectacular. Even though I was not able to see the faces of the performers, and sometimes unable to detail the speaker, I was astonished at the whole Opera, especially the conclusion. From the moment the curtain opened, I was amazed at the set, and instantly reminded of my childhood, a time when I used to go to plays and performances similar to this one with my parents. The details of the set were a great touch and I was very glad that cardboard cutouts being used to depict trees and houses was a thing of the past.
Watching the opera, I was torn between enjoying the performance and watching the translation. Even though I read the libretto, I still felt like I was missing out when people would laugh and I didn’t understand why, so I began watching the translation. Whenever my focus shifted back to the performance however, more laughter would erupt, and again I would feel lost. In the end felt like I was in a deadlock, unable to enjoy the play because I either couldn’t understand it, or watch it to the fullest extent.
As far as the characters go, Don Giovanni is inarguably a deviant and licentious man. Desiring nothing more than the satisfaction of adding another member of the opposite sex to his list of “conquests” he continually seduces women, and gains their favor, no matter how whimsical the situation may be. The epitome of this is Donna Elvira, who is continuously persuaded by Don Giovanni, with simple words, of his fidelity and kindness, despite repeated offences of betrayal and abandonment on his part. It’s interesting to note her gullibility as well as the gullibility of the rest of the women in the play. Despite repeated wrongdoings, and sometimes blatantly obvious lies, they continue to trust their aggressor and dismiss any previous transgressions. One can’t help but wonder if Mozart’s inspiration for such portrayal of women came from real life experiences.
During the concluding scenes, I was expecting lumbering golem to walk onto the stage, but the gigantic model was just as satisfactory. Because we were so high up, I was not able to see the face of the statue, and this in itself was a bit of a nuisance. As the opera approached its climax, I was sure that Don Giovanni would get sucked under the table, or something of that nature. I did not however expect the floor to open, nor did I expect flames to come shooting out, within inches of the performers. When the columns of flames erupted from the floors, my eyes shifted around the whole scene, but then locked on to Leporello, who was hugging the table in order to avoid the flame. Honestly, I was surprised he still had his eyebrows considering how close the flame was to his body. Overall it was a great show, the opera went up and above my expectations and despite the less than appealing seats, it was something I would definitely go see again.
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Nice review, I definitely expected the Met performance of Don Giovanni to be a more metaphorical exploration of the themes and set pieces used. But they definitely brought it to life. The stage was rotating and really managed to expand the uses for that static set imagery. I understand how someone would be distracted by the translation and actually acting on stage. I, fortunately, did not have much of a problem because I am so used to watching subtitles – in my watching of foreign movies. Something I wasn’t expecting was so many people to laugh in such an enthusiastic manner. This play is not modern and does not use the conventions of humor in the way we do now, but it was nice how we all appreciated the humor that was directly proportioned out of the libretto. It would be interesting if Mozart’s own escapades inspired this opera, however it may be doubtful only because he was so dedicated to his work – driven by his father. The opera was not as exaggerated as I was expecting – or maybe it didn’t bother me that it was so exaggerated. The floors opening up and drawing Don Giovanni to hell was something unexpected, but appreciated. I agree with your point about going to the Met again if the opportunity arises, because this experience changed all of my preconceived notions about operas.
Great review! I liked that you expressed your torn connection between reading the translation and watching the play itself, for this was a common dilemma between many, especially the Macaulay students. I was one of the lucky people. I found reading the translation and watching the play itself as an advantage for me as I was able to connect the translation to watching the play itself with ease. I also liked the insight that you placed on Mozart’s perspective of his characters, such as Don Giovanni and the women in the opera, especially when you questioned whether the women Mozart created on women were due to women he actually knew. I liked the questioning, although it was extremely likely that the women in the opera were not actually based off of real women but based on sexist stereotypes that are prevalent in the past and even in the present at times. I also enjoyed the fire scene the most. I did have the same expectation and reaction as yours when coming to the scene thus describing my experiences perfectly. Overall, this review was descriptive, personal and insightful.