Mozart the master surveyor of man; part one

This writing will be in five parts; this is part one where we will cover Leporello, Donna Anna, and Don Ottavio in the opera Don Giovanni. Then we will continue with Le Nozze di Figaro and Così fan tutte, these will be one-parters. There are some repetitions in this text. 

I am still stuck in the opera Don Giovanni by Mozart. I do not seem to be able to finish with it. The music is so beautiful, and I am perusing the perfect recording and film that has caught the person of Don Giovanni best, and has the best singing, and the best music. There are many recordings done of this perfect opera. And people have many things to say about it. No one seems to see him as a reprobate; some say that the opera not even has a moral message, even if it even ends with just that, a message of repentance; repent or else. The opera ends in this way: “The wages of sin is death! And evildoers always die the death they have deserved.“ That is straight out of Scripture, Romans 6:23 states: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Some call the opera a mirror, and it might work as a mirror, but the thing is, this opera has so much to tell us about man and man’s depravity. Let us look at the characters of the opera, Don Giovanni will be the last character.

To note: I have read the opera by the libretto in the great recording by conductor Ferenc Fricsay from 1959 (remastered in 2019 by Deutsche Grammophon). It is easy to find the libretto online through a simple search, they are not all of them translated exactly the same. And I know that Mozart did not write his own librettos, but there is nothing to say that he had no influence at all on the librettos he put music to. And with Don Giovanni, we can see that the text and music are very much integrated in a remarkable way. Da Ponte, the librettist of Don Giovanni, was an ordained priest, and he should therefore understand the depravity of man from his studies as well as from his own depraved life, which was sinful and scandalous. The opera Don Giovanni is a remarkable study of man, you have love, deceit, revenge, forgiveness, judgment, justice, joy, sadness, despair, wrath, humour, lust, desire, assault, murder, sorrow, it contains most of what life is. Let us start with Don Giovanni’s servant, the first one we meet after Mozart’s incredible overture.

Leporello, is Don Giovanni’s manservant, he stands guard when Don Giovanni is seducing women, and he finds women for Don Giovanni. He is not innocent even if he himself gives all the blame unto Don Giovanni who has destroyed him, who has corrupted him. Like he himself has no will, like he himself is incorrupt but being corrupted by forces outside himself. 

Early in the opera, Leporello does say that to his master, you live an immoral life, and he is being reproached by Don Giovanni because of this. So he fears his master greatly, who also have a vile temper, and he loathes him, and he hates him in a way. He is “faithful” because of fear, and because of its remunerative yield, but he is not faithful because of love or out of the goodness of his heart.

Twice is he given up by Don Giovanni, and given the blame for his master’s sins, and nearly killed. There is no love between Don Giovanni and Leporello, but they are tied together in a way, and we do not know why, we do not know what has happened between them before, but they have had a long relationship, it is apparent since Leporello keeps the score of Don Giovanni’s seductions in a book which is very long, and they have passed through many countries, and left devastated women behind, scorned. And they will both soon understand the saying: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. We will disocver this when we introduce Donna Elvira.

Leporello starts to sing in the opera, “I want to be a gentleman of leisure, and not serve any more," and at the end of the opera he sings, “And I shall go to the tavern to find a better master.” What shall we say about Leporello? Has he come to some sort of conclusion at the end? To be a master like Don Giovanni and end up in hell is not what he want. He has seen the whole thing, and his conclusion is to find a better master. We will hope he will find it; he has learned a bitter and painful lesson: “Be not deceived: evil communications (company) corrupt good manners” (1 Corinthians 15:33). It has great impact on us with whom we keep company because we can easily be corrupted. 

Let us continue to Donna Anna, she is betrothed to Don Ottavio, and her father is the Commendatore. I must put a warning here. In some operas, or in this opera as a film, they make Donna Anna into someone that consents to what is happening, they make her into an fornicator, into an adulteress. Nothing in the libretto supports this, and no one should go beyond the libretto and put their own shameful thoughts into it. Some go beyond what the libretto says and let Don Giovanni rape Donna Anna on the scene, the libretto does not say that either. Donna Anna is a victim of a horrible sexual crime; is that not enough! But this is so modern, we put our own filth into the production to make it more approachable to a modern crowd. One soprano said that the web of lies that she is forced to have through the opera made it more interesting (that she is being either raped or consented to have sex with Don Giovanni), deceiving her betrothed Don Ottavio. They seem to think: We better put into it fornication apart from Don Giovanni’s, nakedness (some have full nudity), needless filth to make the crowd happy, which need something shocking to be kept awake. This is despicable. 

So the opera starts after the great overture with Leporello singing about how he hate being on guard in all sorts of weather, not being paid enough, and he does not find his situation unto his liking. And he hears something and hides because he does not want to be seen. And we can see how Don Giovanni is trying to escape Donna Anna, she is furious, she is now the assailer, she has broken free from the grip of Don Giovanni that clearly has tried to ravish her; she will not let him go, she does not know who he is, since Don Giovanni clearly is disguised, she will pursue him until death, she sings, “I will pursue you like an avenging fury” The singing here in the opera is fantastic with the tree voices of Leporello, Don Giovanni and Don Anna together with the perfect music of Mozart.

Then comes the Commendatore, Donna Anna’s father to her aid, and they fight, but Don Giovanni prevails and the Commendatore falls mortally wounded to the ground, and he prays before he dies that heaven shall guard his child. And unto Leporello Don Giovanni says that the Commendatore asked for it, and Leporello asks if Donna Anna also asked for what befell her, which make Don Giovanni furious, and Leprello holds his peace.

And then Donna Anna comes out and sees her father dead on the ground with her husband to be Don Ottavio coming after, the music by Mozart makes it clear that Donna Anna is horrified by the sight of her murdered father, the music is perfectly composed showing horror, fear, sorrow, hate and revenge, she sings, “Let me die too, now that he is dead, oh God, who gave me life”. Hear it, clip one Donna Anna seeing the dead body of her father; clip two the great sorrow she feels and is overwhelmed with, the music supports her and Don Ottavios every word.

It is beautiful without comprehension, the singing is incredible with Donna Anna and Don Ottavio, she wants to die because of her loss and Don Ottavio promises to be both her husband and her father, and promises to take revenge. They sing together, “What a dread oath, o heaven! What a heart-rending moment! A hundred emotions are warring in my breast.” The first scene of Don Giovanni is mighty, it is perfect in every bit. You cannot escape its power, I am at loss for words.

So, who is Donna Anna then? We do not know much. She is a strong woman that does not allow Don Giovanni to ravish her, strength comes to her, and It is clear that she loves her father very much and his murder by Don Giovanni is truly a terrorising moment in her life, she sings: “My father! Dear father! Beloved father! I’m going to faint… to die…” I am not sure Don Ottavio understands her devastation: “Your father… Do not dwell, beloved, on this painful memory… You have both husband and father in me.”

We know that she is betrothed to Don Ottavio, and their relationship seems a little shaky, Don Ottavio loves her very much, so much is clear. And it might be that the devastation of her father’s murder has made it into what we see and hear. I would say it is very much what I believe. She wants to grieve for her father before she is getting married because marriage should be a joyful moment. And later on, Don Ottavio shows that he understands her need for grieving before they can be joined in matrimony. Some seem to think that they have no future, which I believe they have. It is another thing with Zerlina and Masetto, which we will come to later.

Donna Anna and Don Ottavio hunts for her father’s murder and when they meet Don Giovanni it is clear that they know each other, Donna Anna asks Don Giovanni, “My lord! This is a providential meeting! Have you a heart? A kindly spirit,” and he answers, “What a question! Why?” They have need of friendship, and the ice-cold Don Giovanni says, “Command me! My friends and relatives, my hand, my sword, my possessions, my life’s blood are all at your service! But, lovely Donna Anna, why are you weeping like this? Who was the heartless man who dared upset the even tenor of your life?” He is truly an evil man, and then comes Donna Elvira, so we will have to return to this moment. And Don Giovanni says these words about Donna Elvira that will reveal unto Donna Anna who he is, “Poor thing! I’d better follow her; I do not want her to come to any harm. Forgive me, lovely Donna Anna; if I can be of service I shall expect you to call. Friends, farewell.”

Something here, we do not know what, reveals to Donna Anna that Don Giovanni is her attacker and her father’s murder. Was it something in his tone, such things can be very revealing? We do not know, but Donna Anna says to Don Ottavio, “For pity’s sake, assist me,” he asks her to have courage, and Donna Anna says that this was her father’s murder, “There’s no longer any doubt! The last words the villain spoke, his voice throughout, recalled that of the base wretch who entered my apartment…,” and she starts to tell Don Giovanni what happened this night. She tells him that Don Giovanni come during the darkness of night clothed in a cloak, and she first thought him be Don Ottavio, but she soon understands her great mistake when Don Giovanni tries to embrace her, and when she tries to free herself he grips her tighter, and she screams, but no one comes, and he is attempting to silence her with his other hand, this so aggressively “that I thought I must succumb,” Don Ottavio cannot believe what he is hearing, and Donna Anna continues, that the shame, the horror of such vile attack gave her strength, that she manages to get free, and she starts again to scream for help and Don Giovanni flees, and here starts the opera for us, when Donna Anna is pursuing him, “becoming the assailant,” so now know Don Ottavio who “sought to sully my honour… who murdered my father. I ask you to avenge me, your heart seconds plea.” Don Ottavio promises to discover the truth and to avenge her. 

Here we must stay at Don Ottavio’s aria, it is very beautiful and reveals true love for Donna Anna, “On her peace of mine my own depends; her wishes are the breath of life to me, her griefs stab me to the heart. When she sighs, I sigh too, I share her anger and her tears. And there’s no joy for me is she has none.” Listen to it.

This is true love that he has for her. Some say that Donna Anna does not love Don Ottavio, or that she was complicit in a love affair with Don Giovanni. This is fantasies. What we see are true love with Don Ottavio, and true devastation and heartbreak with Donna Anna. It is strange what people can read into the libretto that just is not there. It is unforgivable. When Donna Anna and Elvira and Don Ottavio enter Don Giovanni’s party masked, she sings, “I fear for my dear betrothed, and for us as well,” and they sing together, “May a righteous heaven protect the zealousness of my heart! May a righteous heaven avenge the betrayal of my love!” 

Later, in Donna Anna’s house, they have a disagreement, Don Ottavio calls Donna Anna cruel that does not want to marry him in this situation, and she sings that his words grieve her, and to postpone the happiness of marriage grieves her, but she must finish with her grief and sorrow, “You know how much I love you, that my word, once given, is firm.” Time and time again in the opera is their true love for each other confirmed.

In the last scene of the opera does Donna Anna and Don Ottavio enter Don Giovanni’s home together with Zerlina and Masetto, they are come for retribution, and Leporello is telling them what has happened to him, and Don Ottavio asks for marriage once more, and Donna Anna says once more, “Dearest, wait another year until my heart has healed,” Don Ottavio yields, “To the beloved’s plea true love perforce must yield.” He has understood, his fear and maybe doubt is gone in this instant. 

Conclusion: When modern directors of the opera make Donna Anna into an complicit fornicator with Don Giovanni, I must protest. Nothing supports it. Donna Anna is a strong woman who loves her father very much, and she loves Don Ottavio, there is no doubt about it. Don Ottavio has a true love for his betrothed. He is ready to make any sacrifice for her.

Leporello shows us how important it is in life to have guiding principles and to abhor bad company. Anyone can fall into sin, especially them that do not fear God and know his perfect law: Thou shalt have no other gods before me; thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; honour thy father and thy mother; thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not commit adultery; thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not bear false witness; thou shalt not covet anything that is not yours (Exodus 20). 

Donna Anna shows remarkable strength and love both to her father and Don Ottavio, she does not give up, she has principle, she has true grief; she does not rest until justice is done. And Don Ottavio has true love, and the only thing he wants is to marry Donna Anna. We do not know why they have not yet married before this tragedy, the libretto does not reveal that to us. But Donna Anna could not get a husband with greater support and love than she has in him. 

Da Ponte and Mozart has truly pictured these three persons with great care and depth. Donna Anna and Donna Elvira and Zerlina are especially carefully painted with great detail and depth in the opera, and of course Don Giovanni himself. You can continue to listen, and watch this opera forever, you learn new things every time, and its music is so captivating, and has great depth, and is a great study of man, of both his depravity and his greatness. And it tells us something about the sinfulness of sin, about righteous justice and judgment, about the man let alone by God, “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Matthew 15:14). It tells us about the reprobate.