SYNOPSIS

CD 1

[1] Overture

Act One

[2] Leporello is waiting for his master outside the Commendatore’s house. Don Giovanni, masked, comes out, pursued by Donna Anna, who is calling for help and determined to frustrate his escape. The Commendatore appears and challenges Giovanni. As Anna goes off to fetch help, they fight, and the Commendatore falls, fatally wounded. Giovanni and Leporello make their escape before [4] Anna, returning with Don Ottavio, finds the Commendatore’s body. She demands that he take an oath of vengeance on her father’s murderer.

[6]The scene changes to a Seville street, where Giovanni is searching for fresh entertainment. [7] Donna Elvira enters, distractedly seeking the man (Giovanni, of course) who won her and deserted her. Giovanni steps forward to console and woo her, but then realizes who she is; he quickly excuses himself, and leaves Leporello to explain that Elvira is but one of his many victims: [9] Leporello has even compiled a catalogue of his master’s conquests. Elvira swears to be revenged.

[10] A group of peasants are celebrating the wedding day of Zerlina and Masetto. [11] Giovanni is immediately interested in Zerlina, and sends everyone else off to be wined and dined at his house, instructing Leporello to look after [12] the resentful Masetto. [13]-[14] Telling Zerlina he will make her his wife, he invites her to his villa; her initial reluctance fades and she agrees to go. [16] Suddenly Elvira enters, denounces Giovanni to Zerlina and leads her off.

[17] Anna and Ottavio enter and greet Giovanni. [18] Elvira returns, and warns them that he is a betrayer. In spite of his efforts first to explain that she is unbalanced, then to silence her, the suspicions of Anna and Ottavio are aroused. [20] When Elvira and Giovanni have left, it comes to Anna that he is the man who made an attempt upon her honour and killed her father. [21]-[22] She again demands that Ottavio exact vengeance.

CD 2

[1] Giovanni meets Leporello and plans the evening’s party; [2] he looks forward to a night of new amorous conquests.

[3]-[4] In the garden of Giovanni’s house, Zerlina is trying to overcome Masetto’s anger. [5] Eventually she succeeds, but then Giovanni’s voice is heard and her nervousness again arouses Masetto’s suspicions. Giovanni comes, and all three go off to the dance. Now Elvira, Anna and Ottavio enter, masked; they intend to confront Giovanni. They are seen from a window by Leporello who invites them in. [11] At the ball, Giovanni is flirting with Zerlina. He has Leporello force Masetto to dance while he manoeuvres Zerlina towards the door. Soon her scream is heard; Elvira, Anna and Ottavio, as well as Masetto, make to rescue her. Giovanni re-enters, dragging Leporello and denouncing him as the miscreant. No-one however believes him, and the act ends in confusion with Elvira, Anna and Ottavio facing Giovanni and calling down vengeance upon him.

Act Two

[15] In a street, Leporello tells Giovanni that he intends to leave him, but his determination flags when he is handed a purse of money. Giovanni is now interested in Elvira’s maid, and to improve his chances with her he wants to wear servant’s clothes; he and Leporello therefore exchange cloaks. [17] The first step is to draw Elvira herself away, and for that purpose Leporello, in Giovanni’s cloak, is required to enact a wooing scene. Elvira, on her balcony, sees Giovanni and hears his real voice pleading love and penitence. Despite herself, she comes down to join him and is led off by the disguised Leporello. [20] Giovanni seizes the opportunity to serenade the maid. Masetto, armed with a pistol and a musket, enters the street with some villagers. Taking care to disguise his voice as Leporello’s, Giovanni greets them and agrees to help them find and kill his master. [22] He sends the villagers off in various directions then, when Masetto, alone, shows him his weapons, gives him a thorough beating and leaves him. Zerlina, searching for Masetto, finds him lying there in pain, reproaches him for his jealousy, and [25] offers him the ultimate in comforts.

[26]-[27] In a courtyard outside Anna’s house, Leporello tries to free himself from Elvira. Just as he sees a route of escape, first Anna and Ottavio enter, and then Zerlina and Masetto, who confront him. All, of course, take him for Giovanni himself, and are astonished to find Elvira pleading on his behalf. [31] Threatened, Leporello throws off his disguise, to everyone’s amazement. He tries to excuse himself, and slips away. [33] Ottavio sends the others to follow Anna and comfort her.

CD 3

[1] Left alone, Elvira reflects that despite Giovanni’s misdeeds, she still pities him.
[3] Giovanni and Leporello meet in an enclosed cemetery where they find the statue of the Commendatore on his grave. Giovanni commands the terrified Leporello to invite him to dinner. [4] The statue accepts with a nod of the head.
[5] In a room in Anna’s house, Ottavio offers to make her his wife the next day; she asks him to wait until some time has elapsed since her father’s death, and [6] defends herself when he accuses her of cruelty.

[9] A meal is to be served in Giovanni’s banqueting hall while musicians play favourite airs. Elvira bursts in, with a final plea to Giovanni to mend his ways. He refuses, and she departs. Knocking is heard. Giovanni opens the door himself and admits the Commendatore’s statue. [11] The stone guest demands Giovanni’s repentance. He steadfastly refuses, and the statue consigns him to the flames.

[13]-[15] Elvira, Anna, Ottavio, Zerlina and Masetto enter with police officials to arrest Giovanni. Leporello describes what has happened. Anna and Ottavio will marry in a year, Elvira wants to retire to a convent, Zerlina and Masetto go home for dinner, while Leporello will find a better master at the inn. All six remember the moral: that evildoers come to a bad end.