Mozart : Don Giovanni

Mozart : Don Giovanni

The main event of the 1998‘s Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, this production of Don Giovanni, marked the inauguration of the Lissner area at the head of the french Festival. This production had since been played in 1999 and in 2002. This DVD presents the 2002’s cast.

A colored square at the center of the stage. Everywhere some multicolor scholar’s desks, trestles and wood pieces have been drawed up the stage. Out of this central square, but always on the stage, stands up the continuo (Cello, harpsichordist) and benches on which the singers set down sometimes, when they are not interested in the action. So we can present the scenic set imagined by Peter Brook.

No historical reconstitution, it just needs imagination : trestles are transforming into windows, fences, or gates, desks and wood pieces into all what your mind can imagine. The Don Giovanni’s ghost will come back from hell accompanied by the Commandatore, and then he will join the still living people, eventually approving the Donna Elvira’s decision to enter a convent.

As Don Giovanni, Peter Mattei is a burning heart of fire destroying everybody around him. Condamned from the beginning, perverse, unhealthy, this Don Giovanni is so fascinating that the interpret have a oneiric physical aspect, an Herculean strength and a gorgeous voice. Others protagonists are exactly what they have to be in front of such a libertine: shadows ineluctably attracted by this intense emanation of vitality. Gilles Cachemaille is a convincing and solid Leporello, Mireille Delunsch a noble Elvira, Alexandra Deshorties a very beautiful Donna Anna, Lisa Larrson a lovely Zerlina and Mark Padmore gives his warm voice to Ottavio’s character.

At the head of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, the young Daniel Harding is conducting with passion and success the Mozart’s greatest opera.

Mozart : Don Giovanni

Opera in two acts

Music : Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Libretto : Lorenzo da Ponte

Don Giovanni : Peter Mattei
Leporello : Gilles Cachemaille
Masetto : Nathan Berg
Don Ottavio : Mark Padmore
Donna Anna : Alexandra Deshorties
Donna Elvira : Mireille Delunsch
Zerlina : Lisa Larsson
Il Commendatore : Gudjon Oskarsson

Mahler Chamber Orchestra

Conductor : Daniel Harding

Stage direction and costumes : Peter Brook

Scenic elements : Tom Pye
Lighting design : Jean Kalman