James Clayton delves into Don Giovanni for Ghost Light Opera

James Clayton dives into an aria from Don Giovanni for this week’s edition of the WA Opera’s Ghost Light Opera series.

Every Saturday night the West Australian Opera releases a clip of a performer singing a well known aria. The series takes it name from a ghost light – the single light left on the stage when a theatre is empty.

Don Giovanni was featured music by Mozart and a libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Premiering in Prague in 1787, it tells the story of the legendary fictional seducer Don Juan.

This aria Madamina, il catalogo è questo sees the character of Leporello tell the beautiful Donna Elvira that Don Giovanni is not worth her feelings for him. He explains that Dom Giovanni has had many loves and it notoriously unfaithful, listing his conquests as “640 women and girls in Italy, 231 in Germany, 100 in France, 91 in Turkey, but in Spain, 1,003.”

Leporello explains that his master loves all women including peasant girls, maidservants, city girls, countesses, baronesses, marchionesses, princesses, and has no barriers when it comes to age, body shape or hair colour.

Take a listen to James Clayton delivering the tune.

OIP Staff

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