Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-01
BY DAY THORPE

niversary of the birth of Mo-
zart Wednesday when they
perform don Giovanni. or
it may be that they are in
volved in an annual event.
Last year they did "Cosi fan
lutte" without the excuse Of
a commemoration but to the
great delight of everybody con-
cerned: next year is likely to
. see THE Magic Flute" or
1.-THE Abduction Prom the
Seraglio."
Universal Popularity
It is interesting to speculate
on the uniyersalsand timeless
popularity of Don Giovanni"
Ia popularity that has con-
tinued without lapse since its
first performance in Prague
on October 20. 1887, surviving
almost alone of all its COM
poser's masterpieces, even the
era when the romantic music
of Wagner and Brahms rel-
egated that of Mozart in the
common esteem to the place
of a charming and naive fore
runner Of the great things to
come.
Dramatically, Don Clio
yanni" is all beginning and
end, with a iabored middle
that often does little except
achieve the necessary length
of an evenings entertainment.
Musically it is perfect In every
detail. when one considers, as
one should, the music of an
opera to be only a single aspect
of a complete work of art.
The music of Don Giovsn-
nj listened to abstractly as q
score, on the other hand, has
not the completely of en-
semble of lie Nozze di Figaro"
the extreme brilliance in its
arias of the "Seraglio." the
Intoxicating. almost exagger-
ated, superabundance of en-
semhles of ''Cosi," norstne SIM
plicity and eerie religious &c
stasy of 1.-THE Magic Flute"
Duel Forced Upon Hero
The hero, a gentleman and,
rs da Ponte calls him. IAN ex-
tremely licentious nobleman. "
meets his fiery and spectacular
fend in punishment for a short
and happy life of non-connu-
~bial amatory bliss and for the
killing Of a doddering old busy
body with decisions of prowess
as q swordsman. The death OF
the Commentators is not the
Don's choice; the duel is forced
on him.
While the libertine does not
enjoy the outspoken blessing
of the Bible Belt, I have not
noticed that he usually eyokes
the condemnation of the gen.
eraI run of his fellow mortalS.
w. C. Fields aroused q nation
to mock-hatred by kicking
dogs and taking candy away
from babies; If his stock prop
erty had been an elaborate
harem movie-goers would have
censured him less than they
enyied him. incidentally,
while there is little question
that Don Giovanni was a great
ladies' man, having enjoyed
.2.O65 mistresses, it is ironic
that he has no success with the
ladies of the opera. Donna
Anna escapes. Zerlina is saved
twice In the nick of time, Ell
vira's maid, though possibly
willing, is necessarily aban-
doned by the Don on the ap-
pearance Of Masetto and his
credulous ruffians, and the
story the Don tells Leporello
In the graveyard seems to me
to have the earmarks OF a
boast rather than of history.
perhaps singers are too busy
for love-making).
An Uncouth Nemesis
Although supernatural. the
Commentators is an uncouth
nemesis. In the first act he
insists on getting himself
killed, to the deep damnation
Of Don Giovanni, a man who,
1t should be remarked, bears
his rival no animosity. He is,
in fact, no more interested IN
him than Tarzan would be In
Ferdinand the Bull.
In the last act, the Com
mendatore, this granite wow
ser, accepts the Don's invitation
to dinner, and when his host
goes to the trouble and ex-
pense of a lavish banquet,
complete with private dinner
music. arrives unforgivably
late and grumbles that he
can't stomach it because he is
used only to celestial food
If he could swallow nothing
but milk and honey. one sus-
poets it was because he suf-
fered from an ulcer. What
did he expect at Don Giovan-
mis- table--ambrosia?
If Don Giovanni" is then
so lamentable a farce, why has
1t captivated every public as
no other opera ever has, and
why has it appealed to and
provoked hundreds of intel
ligent and susceptible indi-
viduals--Bernard Shaw, Kier-
kegaard, Hoffman, Byron,
and countless others? Is il
not because Don Giovanni
is an opera, as Hamlet Is
a play, inexhaustible in its
human nature?
Eight Rare Characterization
Mozart and da Ponte be-
tween them peopled the stage
with eight characters of the
most diverse and remarkable
4 4 - ID