Don Giovanni

And if we were to name the places at which Mozart in person premiered an opera of his and which still function as theatres, the one and only candidate in the world would be the Estates Theatre in Prague. The National Theatre Opera has proudly cherished this unique tradition for decades.

Our current production of Don Giovanni is actually the very first National Theatre adaptation by a non-Czech director of the world-famous “opera of operas” Mozart wrote for Prague. It was created by the Swedish-Norwegian stage director Alexander Mørk-Eidem in tandem with the German conductor and Mozart specialist Karsten Januschke. They were duly afforded wide scope for the portrayal of the world-famous profligate, who so easily magnetises women and wins their hearts. Is Giovanni an incorrigible slave to his instincts, or is he a provocateur, rebel, revolutionary even, human and symbol, or is he a mere catalyst around whom Mozart thoroughly depicts the constantly changing universe of female emotions? To what degree will the current Don Giovanni at the Estates Theatre break with tradition in this regard?