Performance Details
The Estates Theatre in Prague is the home of Don Giovanni. It was while staying in Prague that W.A. Mozart completed his work on the opera, and it was at the Estates Theatre that he personally conducted its world premiere in 1787.Don Giovanni is known as the "opera of all operas", and this magnificent opera house ensures its premier production retains this title. An impressive set design, vibrant costumes and a highly talented cast create a true sense of occasion.
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Act I begins in Seville in the 1600s. In the garden of the Commendatore’s house, Leporello is complaining about having to keep watch outside while his master, Don Giovanni, tries to seduce the Commendatore’s daughter, Donna Anna. Don Giovanni arrives in a mask, followed by Anna who is attempting to unmask him and find out his identity. She cries out for help but her pleas are answered by her father, the Commendatore. He challenges Don Giovanni to a duel as Anna rushes to find help. Don Giovanni kills the Commendatore during the duel and he and Leporello escape unnoticed before Anna returns with her fiancé, Don Ottavio. When Anna and Ottavio discover the Commendatore’s body, they swear vengeance on the culprit.
Leporello and Don Giovanni reach a square beside a local inn and encounter Donna Elvira, who flirts with Don Giovanni. He reciprocates until he realises she has already been a past conquest and then loses interest. Leporello is left to recite his master’s long list of conquests to Elvira so that Don Giovanni can escape. Elvira is furious at Don Giovanni’s spurn and vows revenge on him.
A wedding procession approaches the group, and Don Giovanni immediately sets his sights on the bride, Zerlina, while Leporello distracts the groom, Masetto. Elvira warns Zerlina about Don Giovanni’s exploits and takes her away. Don Giovanni is about to pursue the girls when Anna and Ottavio arrive to ask for his help in catching the Commendatore’s killer – not realising it is him.
Elvira interrupts the three and accuses Don Giovanni of being a prolific seducer. As Don Giovanni tries to placate her and leads her away from the group, Anna recognises Don Giovanni’s voice and realises that he is the masked assassin. Ottavio is not as certain as Anna but promises he will keep watch on Don Giovanni.
Leporello announces that all the wedding guests are drinking and eating in celebration and Don Giovanni encourages Leporello to supply more wine to the guests so he can continue adding to his list of conquests.
In Don Giovanni’s garden, Zerlina is convincing Masetto of her fidelity and promises that she did not succumb to Don Giovanni’s charms. Masetto is unconvinced and so decides to test her faith by hiding while Zerlina is alone with Don Giovanni. Zerlina is nervous at Don Giovanni’s arrival but he quickly discovers Masetto hiding. He is unnerved but playfully cautions Masetto against leaving his bride alone, before leading them to the ballroom.
Meanwhile, Elvira, Anna and Ottavio return to the party disguised with masks and intend on exposing Don Giovanni’s exploits. During the party, the three are keeping a watchful eye over Don Giovanni, and watch as he manages to corner Zerlina, who resists his charms. Her cries draw attention to the scene and Don Giovanni struggles to explain himself, placing the blame on Leporello by threatening him with a sword.
Anna, Ottavio and Elvira remove their masks and reveal that they know he was the one to kill the Commendatore. The guests are shocked and turn on Don Giovanni, and in the ensuing fight with Ottavio, the seducer narrowly escapes.
Act II
Outside Elvira’s house, Leporello is furious at how easily Don Giovanni used their friendship to get himself out of trouble. Don Giovanni offers him money to placate his protests and persuades him to switch cloaks with him so that he can seduce Elvira’s maid without being caught. As Elvira laments her love for Don Giovanni from her window, he gets Leporello to stand in front of her window while the real Don Giovanni sings of his love for her and asks for her to come down. Fooled into thinking that Leporello is Don Giovanni, Elvira lets him take away from her home, unaware that Don Giovanni’s intentions are for her maid.
As Elvira and Leporello leave, Masetto and some angry villagers arrive looking to kill Don Giovanni. As he is in Leporello’s clothes, Don Giovanni pretends that he is also furious and joins them. He tricks the rest of the mob into dispersing in different directions so that he and Masetto are left. Now alone, Don Giovanni attacks Masetto and runs away, mocking Masetto’s situation. Shortly after, Zerlina arrives to console her husband.
In a dark courtyard, Leporello is trying to get rid of Elvira. Anna and Ottavio arrive with Zerlina and a beaten Masetto. Thinking that he is Don Giovanni, they capture him and accuse him of the crimes the real Don Giovanni has committed. As they threaten him, Leporello reveals that he is in disguise and escapes from the group. Ottavio is incensed and vows revenge, while the upset Elvira begins to feel sympathy for Don Giovanni.
Leporello finds Don Giovanni in the cemetery where a statue of the Commendatore warns Don Giovanni of the danger he is in and tells him to repent now. Instead, Don Giovanni asks Leporello to invite the statue for dinner. However, Leporello is frozen with fear and unable to, prompting Don Giovanni to ask instead. The statue agrees and a dinner is set for that evening.
In Anna’s bedroom, Ottavio comforts Anna and reminds her that their wedding is close, but she finds it too painful so soon after her father’s death. At first Ottavio believes that she has changed her mind, but she assures him of her devotion and promises that they will marry once Don Giovanni is punished.
Don Giovanni is enjoying a bountiful feast at his home, only to be disturbed by Elvira who begs him to ask for forgiveness and save himself. He dismisses her and reaffirms his love for women, wine and his current lifestyle. Hurt, Elvira leaves him but returns shortly afterwards in fear. Leporello investigates the source of the young woman’s fear – only to recoil in fright as well. Don Giovanni opens the door and reveals the statue’s presence, having arrived for dinner as promised.
The statue of the Commendatore demands that Don Giovanni renounces his lifestyle and asks for forgiveness, but Don Giovanni refuses. Satisfied that Don Giovanni will never change, the earth opens up underneath the statue, and Don Giovanni is dragged to Hell as flames engulf his home.
Anna, Ottavio, Elvira, Masetto and Zerlina arrive in search for Don Giovanni, only to find Leporello hiding beneath a table in fear. As Leporello tells them what he witnessed, the group realise that Don Giovanni has been punished and they are now free to live their lives. Elvira, who still has feelings for Don Giovanni, decides to commit herself to a convent; Zerlina and Masetto return home as a newlywed couple; Anna and Ottavio decide to marry in a year’s time; and Leporello chooses to find a new master to serve. As the group look towards their futures, they contemplate Don Giovanni’s punishment and realise that wrongdoers always get what they deserve in the end. | 
