Don Giovanni
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Don Giovanni

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

In Italian with German and English surtitles

Dramma giocoso in two acts · Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte

Premiere: September 20, 2025

Synopsis

Murder, seduction, revenge and punishment – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” has all the makings of a varied and profound opera experience. Together with librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte, Mozart created what continues to be one of the most famous works in modern opera repertoires. Elements of comedy and tragedy blend together in the “dramma giocoso” surrounding the famous ladies’ man Don Giovanni. He leaves behind a trail of destruction in the lives of the women he meets, including Donna Anna, Donna Elvira and Zerlina, who is engaged to be married. Donna Anna swears she will avenge the death of her father, whom Giovanni murders at the beginning of the opera, while Donna Elvira keeps vacillating between love and hate.

The work’s central themes are questions of morality, the power of seduction and the unavoidable punishment for transgressions. In this opera, Mozart masterfully presents the deep-running emotions of his characters in a nuanced fashion: Donna Anna’s thirst for revenge, Donna Elvira’s being torn between love and fury and Zerlina’s insecurity and confliction between seducibility and loyalty. The moral of the story is manifested in a unique way in the finale of the opera.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) composed “Don Giovanni” as the third of the “Da Ponte operas”, i.e. his third opera with a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. The opera was commissioned by nobility in Prague, where it saw its world premiere in 1787. Even though Mozart was pressed for time when he composed it, he created a work that constitutes an ideal combination of drama and humour and is still a staple in opera programmes today.

Alexandra Liedtke has been working with the Salzburg State Theatre for more than ten years and has staged many memorable drama and opera nights. With the 2025/2026 season, she assumes artistic responsibility for the opera division as its principal director. She teams up with principal conductor Carlo Benedetto Cimento for the staging of Mozart’s score.

We offer introductory talks 45 and 30 minutes ahead of each performance.