Mozart the master surveyor of man; part three

This writing will be in five parts; this is part three where we will cover Don Giovanni and the Commendatore, and the concept of the reprobate who will never repent nor have any fear of God.

We have already covered Don Giovanni rather extensively in the two first parts, but maybe we will be able to convey some new insight into this complex character of Don Giovanni. He has vexed many since his inception. We can state that he is a narcissist, he care only about himself, about quenching this lust and desire he have within himself, but the thing is that it is never quenched, it never ends, there is no remedy for his sickness, and there should be no remedy in continuing in sin, on the road to ruin. Had he only been a narcissist, people could just stay out of his way, but he is also violent narcissist, ready to commit heinous acts of violence to gain his goal. At the same time he is given the gift of sweet-talking women into bed. Let us from the beginning state that the world the opera Don Giovanni is depicting is world fallen into sin, we have unrepentant sinners depicted. This is mostly the world we see today. In it there is selfishness, there is the idolatry of self, of lust, of money, of power, all of them slaves under their own sins, slaves of the devil that in a way rule the order of this world. This is the world that Jesus Christ came to deliver us from, to redeem us from. 

Don Giovanni has come to the end, everything he touches dies, he is all alone, he meets the statue at the graveyard. Just before this he is meeting Leporello that just have escaped the wrath of Donna Anna and Don Ottavio, Donna Elvira, Zerlina and Masetto believing him to be Don Giovanni, and Don Giovanni is telling Leporello that he on the road found a woman that took him for Leporello, and she embraced and caressed him, showed him great love, he, of course, would want to use this situation to his advantage and make another name unto his book when he must again flee. Leporello cannot believe what he is hearing, his master has really no shame, no love, no understanding, he sees no one but himself. And Leporello asks, “Supposing she had been my wife?” Don Giovanni replies laughing, “Better still!” It is like this was the last nail into the coffin, the statute of the Commendatore  says to him, “Your laughter will be silenced before daybreak.” When they are reading the inscription of the Commendatore’s statue, it says, “Retribution here awaits the evildoer who sent me to my grave.” And Don Giovanni, a man who does not understand what to fear invites him to dinner.

At Don Giovanni’s residence, a great meal is served, and before judgment is Donna Elvira come one last time to ask Don Giovanni to change his life and to return unto her. He laughs at her, and continues to dine like there is no tomorrow, and Donna Elvira leaves with these words, “Stay there, you wretch; everyone will despise you as a horrible example of depravity!” (Three Mozart Libretti). Instead is the statue of the Commendatore entering saying, “Don Giovanni! You invited me to supper, and here I am.” And Don Giovanni, still not fearing, still blind and deaf, tells Leporello to put forth food to the Commendatore who says, “Wait a moment. Those who have tasted the food of heaven do not eat mortal viands. Other, weightier concerns, another aim has brought me hither!” Don Giovanni asks, “Tell me, then, what is it you want?” The statue: “You asked me to dinner; you know your obligation. Answer me: Will you dine with me?” Don Giovanni: “Never shall it be said that I’m a coward!” The statue: “Decide!” Don Giovanni: “I already have.” The statue: “Will you come?” Don Giovanni: “My pulse is steady: I’m not afraid, I accept.” The statue: “Give me your hand on it!” Soon will he understand judgment. Don Giovanni: “Here it is!… Oh, oh!” The statue: “What ails you?” Don Giovanni: “I’ve never felt coldness like this!” The statue: “Repent, change your way of life! This is your last chance!” Don Giovanni: “No, no, I refuse to repent! Begone, away from me!” And the statue gives Don Giovanni many chances to repent, and every time he refuses. At last he is cast into hell fire, saying, “What terror never felt before assails my spirits? Whence arise these tongues of livid fire?” Demons: “No doom can match your crimes! Come! Worse torments await you!” Don Giovanni: “I’m being torn apart! Something clawing at my vitals! What torture, what delirium! Hell and all its torments!” Let us also listen to this very chilling piece of the opera.

The music conveys all this fear, anxiety, doom, and judgment. It is incredible how Mozart through all his operas so masterfully colour the libretto with his music. So Don Giovanni is in hell, judged as the depraved reprobate he was to eternal fire. The Commendatore will have to symbolise the judge, and in this case, the executioner. We will all one day be standing before the judgment seat of Christ, let us all do that in Christ, so that our rightful judgment already has fallen unto Jesus Christ who has atoned all our sins, and lived a perfect life, which God has imputed to every true believer, and to everyone that trusts in Christ, and has repented of his sins. 

When all has heard from Leporello what has happened to Don Giovanni, they all sing, “The wages of sin is death! And evildoers always die the death they have deserved.” Listen.

This is the end of one of the greatest opera ever composed. Sadly, many try to destroy it in the name of being modern. It is like in itself it is not depraved enough. Sometimes when viewing this opera on a DVD or a Blu-ray, one wants just to cry. It is like they must put today's depravity into it. Like da Ponte in the libretto has put so much leeway that they can make Donna Anna into an adulteress that through the opera is put through this web of lies, and that she has no love at all for Don Ottavio, which is pictured as a modern fool this cunning woman just plays with, and uses for her own amusement; this is not true. Or that Don Giovanni sleeps with Zerlina; I might not have very much over for Zerlina because she is not trustworthy at all. I would never trust her in a million years, but they make her into a kind of quickie that Don Giovanni can put into his book, this is not true. They make changes to its settings, and put naked women into it, or put its settings into a sordid hotel, public bathrooms, slaughterhouse, put orgies in it. It is sickening. The older film recordings never have this; this is a modern phenomena. 

Don Giovanni is a reprobate, in the KJV is the noun ἀδόκιμος (adokimos) translated into reprobate, and the Greek noun has the meaning of something being worthless, morally reprehensible, being phony, not standing the test, unqualified. Don Giovanni fails every test. Perkins defines the decree of reprobation as such, “The decree of reprobation is that part of predestination whereby God according to the most free and just purpose of His will has determined to reject certain men to eternal destruction and misery, and that to the praise of His justice.” In reformed theology, they teach that man’s salvation is all of God. Without God and his grace no one would ever be saved. Man is not even able so seek God, to change himself, to repent of his sins, all is of God. Turretin says that reprobation is a double act, one negative, which includes the negative act of preterition (some are elected to glory others not, and this is done before the foundation of the world, and is a sovereign secret act within God after his good pleasure), and desertion to their own sins and depravity. The other act is positive, where God is determined to punish the men passed by in their state of corruption. In this state does God destinate them to destruction, and punishes them with an intermediate judgment which are blinding and hardening. And a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit, but will be hewn down and cast into the fire. And Shedd is saying that the reprobate is destitute of regenerating grace not of common grace, which all men receive from the Creator. This is very clear when viewing Don Giovanni, he is passed by, he is corrupt, he is blind, he is hardened, he is judged for his sins. 

The opera Don Giovanni can function as an important reminder of the grace of God, we all would be like Don Giovanni without God’s redeeming grace, reprobated, deserving hell fire. And it reminds us of the true Word of Scripture, “for the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). Don Giovanni is not only a great gift to us with insights into man, sin, depravity, it gives us music that are so beautiful, and music is truly God’s gift to man. But let me remind you that very few modern settings of this opera has anything worth seeing, but it seems to be exceptions. The latest Don Giovanni 2023-2024 at the Metropolitan opera is in a modern setting, and it is done mostly well (the singing is top-notch, and you have the Blu-ray from the Arena di Verona 2015), while they here in Sweden has sat up a very sordid play. The play at Salzburg at 2021 is in my eyes horrible. It starts with a completely naked woman running over the scene, I do not know what she has to do with the story since in the libretto Donna Anna chases away Don Giovanni, and is the assailer. And in this way it continues. We must stay a way from all that is evil, sordid, and prove everything, and this proving is done beforehand. Let us all use the discernment and wisdom God has given us.