Mozart's "Don Giovanni"

Friede and I absolutely love Don Giovanni. it combines aspects of the opera seria with aspects of the opera buffa, thus creating a new kind of opera. Mozart called it a "dramma giocoso", a "drama with jokes".

The music is wonderful and goes hand in hand with the equally wonderful libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte. Al characters are wonderfully stupid - all the women (Donna Anna, Donna Elvira and Zerlina) for falling for the charm of Don Giiovanni (though Donna Anna not completely voluntarily, but she is a fool for other reasons as well, like her reaction to the improper proposal by Don Ottavio), the commander because he challenges a much younger and more agile man (Don Giovanni) to a sword fight (and dies as a result), Leporello because he still clings to his master although he gets him into lots of trouble, Don Giovanni because he refuses to repent when given the chance (and goes to hell for it), Masetto because he lets himself be fooled by Leporello in disguise, and the most stupid one being Don Ottavio, the fiancé of Donna Anna who possesses the stupidity to propose for Donna Anna when she has just discovered the dead body of her father.

there are so many musical highlights in this opera. standouts are probably the duet between Don Giovanni and Zerlina, "La ci darem la mano", the champagne aria of Don Giovanni, the register aria of Leporello and the appearance of the statue of the commander at the end. there is not a weak moment throughout, and it is always a pleasure to listen to it

For me the moment when the Commendatore irrupts to Don Giovanni is my favorite. I used to dislike this opera (or at least like it far less than other operas from Mozart) but the last few times I heard it (in Rene Jacobs glorious recording) I realized it's actually perfect. No other Mozart opera has such a perfect combination of a fantastic libretto and music. Le Nozze di Figaro has (for me) glorious music but the story tends to get lost, while Die Zauberflote with its masonic imagery and all is difficult to grasp (though again the music is sublime). Tito, Idomeneo, Seraglio, Tutte, all have strengths and weaknesses. Only Don Giovanni is really perfect. 

So many cultured people!  I have never seen an opera.