Some of today’s male celebrities may think they have cornered the market when it comes to seducing women, but there’s one man who has made a career out of it – for centuries.
Don Giovanni spends much of his life seducing members of the opposite sex and constantly sets his sights on his next, unsuspecting conquest.
Arrogant, audacious, and living life from one opportunity to the next, he’s a big player in 17th-century Venice, a city of darkness and shadows, where danger lurks in every alleyway and corruption is rife.
The passion and danger of the life and times of Giovanni are brought to life in Scottish Opera’s vivid new production of Mozart’s masterpiece, which can be seen in Inverness this week.
This dark legend of seduction is directed by Sir Thomas Allen, who has made Don Giovanni his signature role on stage, having performed the part around 300 times, and is designed by the award-winning Simon Higlett.
The pair’s trademark flair for great storytelling has thrilled audiences across Scotland over recent seasons with their definitive productions for Scottish Opera of The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute, and now they turn their attentions to Mozart’s most dramatic masterpiece.
Allen and Higlett have chosen to move away from Don Giovanni’s traditional backdrop of Seville in favour of the mysterious backstreets of 17th-century Venice, full of corruption, lust and darkness.
The Don, played by Jacques Imbrailo, who is building up a reputation as the hottest young baritone on the block, leads us and his servant Leporello, played by internationally renowned singer Peter Kalman, through the backstreets and canals of Venice and into the shadows and danger.
It is there that he meets and sets his sights on Donna Anna, sung by Australian soprano Anita Watson due to the continued indisposition of Susan Gritton.
When Donna’s father intervenes, it costs him his life and Don Giovanni flees with blood on his hands.
But as the shadows close in and the mistakes of his past begin to catch up with him, the Don’s tangled web of lies and betrayal begins to unravel. But have his demons finally caught up with him?
Also making a welcome appearance is acclaimed Aberdonian soprano Lisa Milne, returning to Scottish Opera for the first time since 2005’s Semele, to sing Donna Elvira.
Dynamic new conductor Speranza Scappucci makes her Scottish Opera debut conducting the orchestra.
But it’s not just audiences who are excited at seeing the Don on stage once more.
Director Sir Thomas Allen said: “It feels as if my work with Scottish Opera up until now has been leading me to this most exciting prospect, that of reacquainting myself with the old devil that is Don Giovanni.
“The Don, ever an elusive character, occupies my thoughts disproportionately to this day.
“With the prospect of each new production, I always set myself the challenge of beginning from scratch, wiping the slate clean, and telling myself that I must invent him anew every time.
“It’s not a problem to sing the role.
“The musical demands are relatively straightforward, but playing the man is another matter, requiring a quicksilver ability to change mood and direction in a heartbeat.
“No one should be comfortable around the Don, audience and cast alike.
“We plan the moves of a production, but the man himself must remain supple, ready to invent with every minuscule change in the chemistry of the human condition.
“This changeability is something that should lie within every staged performance, but seldom does. From the very outset, I want the performers to feel they are in a work that evolves from night to night.
“So, Don Giovanni will be well rehearsed, of course, but, more important, I want it to be a living, changing entity.”
General director of Scottish Opera Alex Reedijk said: “Don Giovanni is one of the most important operas in the canon, and I can think of nobody better to lead us through this tale than Sir Thomas Allen.
“It’s the title that I have most wanted to see him present ever since he first directed for us with The Barber of Seville in 2007.
“It’s a huge honour that he will be looking at Don Giovanni from the other side of the curtain for the first-time for Scottish Opera’s audiences.”
The opera will be sung in Italian with English subtitles to make it easy for non-Italian speakers in the audience to follow the action.
The show runs for more than three hours, and can be seen at Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, with 7.15pm performances tonight and on Saturday.
Ticket holders can also attend a free Don Giovanni unwrapped event tomorrow at 6pm and a pre-show talk at 6pm on Saturday.
Contact: 01463 234234 or visit www.eden-court.co.uk