With Don Giovanni, Tom Goossens presents his second Mozart opera, once again one from the Da Ponte trilogy. The director knows his way around opera stories inside and out. That's what stuck with me from the engaging conversation he had on "The Connoisseur", the weekly much-praised Saturday program from my (former) colleague Katelijne Boon. He's proven his mettle on stage many times before. In the vast opera repertoire, viewers could see his other Da Ponte Mozart in June 2023 at OBV, The Marriage of Figaro.

Nocturne with Ladder

The opening is certainly striking: the performance seems to be over! The choir comes out to take their bows during the overture. Is the director subtly hinting that what we're about to see is a story that could repeat itself endlessly? In any case, the frame of the performance is completely undefined and timeless. The choreography the choir members perform during this telling overture is unnecessary. Such pointless choreography appears frequently throughout the piece. The fact that they're standing in their underwear is ugly and ridiculous, and it's another kind of "signature" of the production. I was relieved when Donna Elvira appeared with her aria "Ah, who will ever tell me" in a beautiful red dress. There's barely any scenery. The sparse stage is a large, dark, undefined space, with clouds drifting by here and there and lighting effects. The only way singers move around is by stepping up and down a long platform. A long strip used for the catalog aria is barely visible from the stalls. As charming as the chickens on Masetto's (imaginary) farm might be—after all, he's a farmer!—it's still a pathetic sight watching those creatures scurrying across the stage... Things turn grim when servants carrying (fake) roasted chickens on sticks parade past during the wedding feast. Clearly meant to be funny, we are in a dramma giocoso after all, but it lands rather bitterly... There's little character direction at work. Don Giovanni's seductive power gets lost between the barely recognizable peasant couple Zerlina and Masetto. The fact that poor Zerlina appears at her own wedding in a colorless, underwear-like outfit is bizarre at best. Fortunately, her groom Masetto has a nice sheer skirt he can get her to put on. We're waiting for the scene where Don Giovanni exchanges clothes with Leporello for the serenade at Donna Elvira's window "Come to the window" to see a successful attempt at seduction and deception. Leporello's amusing mimicking of Don Giovanni's gestures characterizes him as a servant who wants to be Don Giovanni's equal, yet is mocked by him and still can't break free. It's a shame this clever idea is repeated shortly after and thus loses its impact. Like smashing wine bottles when Don Giovanni flies into a rage. But this production misses the sharp balance between lust and love, freedom and respect, life and death. The interweaving of comedy and tragedy remains superficial.

The Commandatore

There's barely any sign of strong direction. The seductive power of Don Giovanni gets lost between the bride and groom, Zerlina and Masetto, who can hardly be recognized as a couple. The fact that poor Zerlina shows up at her own wedding in a colorless, underwear-like outfit is bizarre to say the least. Fortunately, her groom Masetto has a nice voile skirt he can have her put on. We're waiting for the scene where Don Giovanni swaps clothes with Leporello for the serenade at Donna Elvira's window. Come to the window to see a successful attempt at seduction and deception. Leporello's charming mimicry of Don Giovanni's gestures shows him as the servant who wants to be Don Giovanni's equal, but is mocked by him nonetheless and can't break free from him. It's a shame this good idea is repeated shortly after and thus loses its effect. Just like smashing wine bottles when Don Giovanni rages. But this production misses the sharp balance between lust and love, freedom and respect, life and death. The intertwining of comedy and tragedy remains superficial.

Commander

There is one striking and lasting feature in the set design: a long ladder. This ladder puts the Commendatore character front and center. In several crucial passages, the Commendatore climbs up and down the ladder, like a ghost who not only appears at the end, but has been keeping watch on Don Giovanni's reckless escapades throughout. With his penetrating gaze, he is the most sharply drawn psychological character in the opera. The father of Donna Anna (killed by Don Giovanni), will ultimately punish the criminal seducer of women with death, but he has followed him throughout the entire opera.

The music says it all

The big winner of the production is conductor Francesco Corti with the Symphonic Orchestra Opera Ballet Flanders. He has filtered all the nuances of seduction, drama, and irony clearly from Mozart's score and supports with the orchestra the emotional impact of the singers, who as actors show little expressiveness. Vocally, they generally perform well: Michael Arivony as Don Giovanni, Arianna Vanditelli as Donna Elvira are certainly acceptable, which cannot be said for Kateryna Kasper as Donna Anna, who especially in her aria "Or sai chi l'onore" shrieks out ugly high notes. Michael Mofidian steals the show as Leporello, exuberant and witty. The members of the Young Ensemble Opera Ballet Flanders certainly deserve mention. Sawako Kayaki was a solid Zerlina, no doubt about it, while Emanuel Tomljenovic sang a commendable Don Ottavio, a role with a difficult balance between sentimental and dramatic.