Of all the characters Mozart brought to life in his operas, perhaps none is as despicable as Don Giovanni.
He’s a lecherous scoundrel. A rapist. A wholly unlikable human being who abuses his station as a nobleman to take what he wants without regard to the consequences.
He is a character that Arizona Opera took enormous delight in magnifying, capitalizing on all those flaws to create a truly unlikable villain in its production of Mozart’s treasured comedy-drama “Don Giovanni.”
Conductor/Artistic Director Joel Revzen assembled an enviable, spirited cast that included the company debut of bass Andrew Gangestad as Giovanni’s hapless gofer and go-between Leporello; and the return of soprano Twyla Robinson as Giovanni’s victim Donna Anna. The entire cast’s vocal gifts were packaged with equally gifted acting chops.
When he wrote the opera in 1787, Mozart modeled “Don Giovanni” after fictional womanizer Don Juan. The opera exploits the image of rich, powerful men taking whatever they want. In this case, Giovanni (bass-baritone Robert Gierlach) wants to have his way with as many women as he can. He has compiled a list of some 1,800 conquests and seems determined to grow the list, which Leporello is in charge of updating after each encounter. Whether the women were willing partners is questionable. But we get a hint early — after he tricks Donna Anna and then kills her father the Commendatory (bass Kurt Link) in a sword fight — that most are not.
Revzen and stage director Michael Scarola produced a steamy, sexually-charged take on “Don Giovanni.” Their villain, who Gierlach played with dynamic vigor in Saturday’s soldout opening night performance, couldn’t keep his paws off the ladies. He stroked their legs, grabbed their behinds and promised them the world with a sinister twinkle in his eye and evil intentions in his tone. He was so convinced of his invincibility that he brazenly continued piling up conquests while on the run from Donna Anna, her fiance Don Ottavio (tenor Jonathan Boyd) and his spurned lover Donna Elvira (mezzo Erin Elizabeth Smith).
Smartly, Revzen and Scarola didn’t limit the sexual energy just to the bad guy. During her second-act aria “Vedrai, carino,” the peasant Zerlina (soprano Sari Gruber) seduces her newlywed husband Masetto (baritone John Fulton) as he lay injured from Giovanni’s attack. Zerlina and Masetto shared another brief horizontal moment in the first act wedding scene as the guests gathered to celebrate their nuptials.
The wedding was quickly derailed when Giovanni spotted the young bride and decided he wanted her. Talk about a cad — he steals the girl with false promises while the groom scampers away.
There was not really a single weak link in Saturday’s cast; the lineup was almost entirely changed for Sunday’s final Tucson performance. Robinson showed off impressive technical proficiency and warmth particularly in her colortura runs for the aria “Non mi dir.” Boyd’s Ottavio was a bit puppy-dog pathetic, but his tenor was well suited for the tender, pleading aria “Il mio tesoro.” Don Giovanni has no arias to showcase the singer, but that didn’t stop Gierlach from impressing with his recitative and solo turns. Smith served up a sympathetic and pathetic Elvira through her powerful mezzo; Gruber, who portrayed Zerlina as seductively naive, sang with a stunning soprano that several times verged on show-stopping great; and Fulton, making his Arizona Opera debut as part of the company’s training program, was a bit stiff on stage, but showed off a clarion baritone.
But the star, judging by the audience’s ovation at the end, was Gangestad. His Leporello was funny and puppy-dog charming, with hints of being capable of his own deception. He employed a big, rich bass that was particularly impressive throughout “Madamina! Il catalog é questoas” as he unfurled Giovanni’s list of conquests for the spurned Elvira.
Revzen led the Arizona Opera Orchestra in a remarkable performance of Mozart’s ingenious score. He produced crisp drama in the overture that was matched by taut, well-timed and fluid performances throughout. Every now and again during the three-hour show, you could see Revzen pop up from the pit to direct the singers on stage, ensuring near perfect timing.
The production’s timeframe was a bit of a mystery. Costumes suggested mid-20th century, mingled with nods to 18th century. The scenery, periactoid sets that resembled bricks, tinted mirrors and stone facades, was mostly dark, accentuated by the mood-enhanced lighting and special effects that included dry ice fog and strobe lights. Black-dressed supernumeraries moved the heavy sets in between scenes, which at times delayed the action on stage. But the pause did allow the handful of late patrons to be seated before intermission.
Review
Arizona Opera’s production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni’ Saturdayat Tucson Music Hall. Run concludes with a 2 p.m. matinee today at the Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave.
