Since the World Series finished the day before I attended Annapolis Opera’s Don Giovanni, I will say upfront that this small opera company won the game with a team effort, displaying excellence all around. Don Giovanni, first performed in 1787, remains one of the ten most often performed operas in the world. It is large in many regards – in terms of the number of principal soloists, orchestra size, and sets for frequent scene changes; it is a mainstay of large opera houses. Yet, the beauty of its music, vocals, and insights into human society and personal challenges, also lead to frequent productions by smaller companies. It is high entertainment that also teaches us something about ourselves. In fact, I contend that AO’s smaller scale, well-crafted staging kept a focus on the story’s messages that can be obscured by elaborate sets and staging, a staging that might seduce us the way that the character Don Giovanni would. Big has its advantages, but big is not necessarily better, or as reflective of real life.
The spirit of the Commendatore (Benjamin Sieverding) arrives to give Don Giovanni (Efrain Solis) one last chance to repent, while his servant Leporello (Samuel Weiser) hides behind chairs. Photo by Caroline Sykes; courtesy of Annapolis Opera.
Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte collaborated on three operas, all of which are popular classics. In addition to Don Giovanni, there are The Marriage of Figaro (1786) and Così fan tutte (1790). There might have been more, but Da Ponte lost his position and salary at court and left town, and Mozart died in 1791 at the age of 35. The social commentary in their operas was edgy for the times and drew contentious scrutiny by the censors. Giovanni is a rich nobleman who presents himself with deceptive charm to take advantage of women and men; Figaro centers on a servant who outwits his ruler, and Così displays young women who change partners rather easily. Giovanni is based on the Spanish legendary, fictional character, the wealthy Don Juan, whose calling in life was to romance and seduce women without regard to propriety or morality. The disarming, affluent, amoral aristocrat Don Giovanni sees men and women as being there for his pleasure and manipulation without regard to their feelings or well-being. In my younger days, he would have been called smooth-talking, someone to keep an eye on, someone who makes you keep your hand on your wallet.
Don Giovanni (Efrain Solis) calls on Leporello (Samuel Weiser) for assistance. Photo by Caroline Sykes; courtesy of Annapolis Opera.
The story begins with him being too forceful in the seduction of Donna Anna and then his killing of her father, who comes to her defense. Throughout, Donna Elvira, a previous seductee, tries to call him to account for his actions and protect others from him. At the same time, Giovanni continues his pursuit of one woman after another with the aid of his servant and enabler for hire, Leporello. He attempts to seduce young Zerlina at her wedding party, drawing the ire of her new husband Masetto. Finally, the spirit of the dead father, the Commendatore, appears to offer him a last chance at redemption. Don Giovanni is unrepentant and meets his fate.
Now, let’s talk about the fun stuff. Mozart’s exquisitely beautiful music in Don Giovanni is filled with melodies that are chart toppers among opera’s greatest hits. His music constantly reflects and supports the actions and emotions displayed on stage. Annapolis Opera’s Artistic Director and Conductor Craig Kier led the 24-piece Annapolis Symphony in fine fashion in terms of pace, emphasis, and timing with the singers. I greatly appreciated his decision to play the marvelous overture without silent action occurring on stage, allowing the music to be enjoyed without distraction. Just listening to this Annapolis Symphony’s playing of the music from Don Giovanni would be an excellent evening’s entertainment. The Annapolis Opera Chorus, under the direction of Chorus Master Joann Kulesza, added more delight.
Leporello (Samuel Wieser) shows Donna Elvira (Johanna Will) a list of women that Don Giovanni has made love to. Photo by Caroline Sykes; courtesy of Annapolis Opera.
The next pleasing aspect of this performance was the talented cast of eight soloists. One of the most enjoyable and notable parts of any Mozart opera is the ensemble numbers, ranging from duets to the entire cast; for me, he and Rossini stand out in this category. Sometimes I feel that Mozart is just showing off. This excellent cast delivered them well. Don Giovanni was played by baritone Efrain Solis, who has previously performed with AO, as well as Virginia Opera and Washington Concert Opera; one reviewer praised his premiere at the Metropolitan Opera this year as “sensational”. He has a powerful, attractive voice, and sings with apparent ease. He conveyed both Don Giovanni’s charm and vileness. His servant and sidekick, Leporello, sung by bass-baritone Samuel Weiser, whose voice has been correctly described as stentorian; he can bring the boom when needed, but also delivered some mean patter singing in this role. He displayed a character that was both ingratiating as he counseled Donna Elvira about the Don’s more than two thousand other lovers and was off-putting with his ‘if the price is right, I’ll look the other way’ attitude. In this production, the final scene of the original performance was deleted, as is often done, a scene where several of the characters gather briefly to moralize that Giovanni got what was coming to him. Personally, I like this change; the point had already been clearly made.
Don Octavio (Charles Calotta), Donna Anna (Sofia Scattarreggia), and Donna Elvira (Johanna Will) arrive wearing masks at the party. Photo by Caroline Sykes; courtesy of Annapolis Opera.
A highlight of Don Giovanni is the arias given by Mozart to a trio of women that Giovanni beds or attempts to, Donna Anna, Donna Elvira, and Zerlina. Donna Anna, who wants to avenge her father’s death, was played by Sofia Scattarreggia, an Italian American soprano living in Spain. My impression on hearing her in the opening of Act 1 was that, though she sang well, her voice might be light for this role; however, her gorgeous singing in Act 2 of “Non mi dir, bell’idol mio”, where she pleads for understanding from her fiancé Don Octavio, won me over completely. Soprano Johanna Will portrayed Donna Elvira. She wields her attention-commanding voice with emotion and finesse. She sang Donna Elvira’s signature aria, "Mi tradì quell'alma ingrata", in Act 2 when she expresses her conflicted feelings for Giovanni with grace and beauty. Soprano Sara LeMesh played the role of Zerlina with the coquettish charm one might expect a young bride to have. That, combined with the prettiness of her voice and her dexterity in high registers, made her singing of “Vedrai, carino” in Act 2 a special delight, where she offers her love as a pain reliever to a battered Masetto.
There are three more guys to mention: Don Octavio, Masetto, and the Commendatore. Tenor Charles Calotta sang the role of Octavio. My first thought was that with a golden tenor voice this bright and powerful, Mr. Calotta has a great career ahead of him. He displayed convincingly his love and concern for Donna Anna in his beautiful and tender rendition of “Dalla sua pace” in Act 1. Baritone Brandon Bell sings well and had the stature to portray Zerlina’s young, jealous hothead of a husband with a tender side. His singing of “Ho capito! Signor, sì” where he has to capitulate to Giovanni while filled with jealous anger, had the correct comic touch. Benjamin Sieverding was not especially notable in the opening sequence where he is dispatched, but his return as a talking statue of himself was impressive. He commanded the stage in his statue scene with his presence and singing of his invitation to Don Giovanni to dine with him; it gave one shivers.
Don Giovanni (Efrain Solis) is confronted by Don Octavio (Charles Calotta) while in between, Masetto (Brandon Bell), Donna Anna (Sofia Scattarregia), and Donna Anna (Johanna Will) look on. Photo by Caroline Sykes; courtesy of Annapolis Opera.
Ah yes, the staging. The set is limited for this production, mainly consisting of wall panels that appear as stone walls with side entrances and exits. Some additional distinguishing features are added to help convey the setting, such as the party scene and an effective use of lighting, especially in the final scene. The 18th-century costumes were spectacular, but I thought we needed to grade the sets on a curve since the stage at Maryland Hall is small, and AO likely does not have a large budget for staging. Director Stephanie Havey did a good job of moving the characters about as needed, and there were a lot of scene changes. The swordplay, with added gunshots, worked well enough. However, about halfway through Act 1, I realized that the sets and staging were working. I was getting caught up in the action and the drama. I cared about these people, each with their unique challenges. I think the key element was the smooth flow of the story in this staging that emphasized the storytelling and not special effects or peripheral issues. The set for the last scene was striking and effectively designed with the statue that speaks confronting Don Giovanni. Well done to Director Havey, Lighting Designer Christopher Brusberg, Scenic Designer Steven C. Kemp, Wardrobe Supervisor Sharlene Clinton, Wig/Make-up Designer Priscilla Bruce, and Fight Director Casey Kaleba.
Newlyweds, Zerlina (Sara LeMesh) and Masetto (Brandon bell) at their wedding party. Photo by Caroline Sykes; courtesy of Annapolis Opera.
As I reflected on this opera now, I remember a comment I made in my report on a previous version I saw years ago: “… presenting the Don Juan story in the #MeToo era makes it extremely timely, as does its first use of the element of horror in opera, so prevalent in today’s movies and TV shows.” Well, #MeToo has matured, but the issues haven’t disappeared, and smooth-talking charlatans with power over others are still around. These characters have their charm and appeal, which makes us vulnerable. In her insightful program note, Director Harvey discusses Giovanni’s ability to “lull his victims into a sense of safety so they willingly surrender” and how by creating chaos “…he draws desires and aggression out of those around him and creates confusion that dislocates a social hierarchy. Through diversion and chaos, he slips through the fingers of his enemies.” She discusses how three strong women are forced to confront their own issues of autonomy, and how, in defining moments, each character must decide where their allegiance lies, as do we all.
In addition to the beautiful singing and the gorgeous music, Annapolis Opera delivers the moral questions and lessons of Don Giovanni clearly, with large impact.
The Fan Experience: Performances of Don Giovanni were scheduled for October 31 and November 2. The opera was sung in Italian with English supertitles shown on screens adjacent to the stage. The opera with intermission lasted about 3.5 hours. A pre-opera talk was given an hour prior to the performance.
Parking at Maryland Hall is free and plentiful but arrive early. Parking is not ordered which can make arriving close to parking time a little anxiety producing in finding the empty spots.