| Abstract |
A high-ranked but dissolute character invites to dinner the funerary statue of a nobleman he killed in a duel after dishonoring his daughter. Thus the stage is set for the most dreadful of punishments, arguably the central moment in the life of Don Giovanni--one of the most fertile and suggestive myths of Western culture. The celebrated character who would captivate Mozart, Byron, Richard Strauss, and Stravinsky, among others, comes down to us through a complex history, whose origins are as intriguing as they are seldom explored. In a study both concise and comprehensive, the author masterfully traces the roots of the Don Giovanni legend in the European musical theater. Beginning with the seventeenth-century play by the Spanish author Tirso de Molina, El burlador de Sevilla, the author examines the major stage productions that were to lead to Mozart's unparalleled version, reconstructed here in a riveting, scene-by-scene analysis. Conceived as a book for non-specialists, Don Giovanni's Progress far exceeds these boundaries, as in discursive presentation delivers a sophisticated discussion of performing strategies and musical scores. What also emerges from Pirrotta's study is a vivid account of the human resources that came into play over the many decades of artistic collaborations, frequent borrowings, and unique fascination for this "sublime" yet doomed character--in all, a prime contribution to the history of music and literature. |
