0:00:02 > 0:00:06Don Giovanni, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera of all operas,
0:00:06 > 0:00:10is to me one of the greatest artistic achievements of all time.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15Over two centuries, Don Giovanni has been continually restaged
0:00:15 > 0:00:17and reinvented in the world's finest opera houses.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22The finale is terrifying and unforgettable.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27If you see one opera before you die, make sure it is this one.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33But what would it have looked and sounded like in 1787,
0:00:33 > 0:00:36during its first ever public performance?
0:00:36 > 0:00:39To find out, I've come here to Prague,
0:00:39 > 0:00:41where the premiere took place.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44We are going to restage Don Giovanni's finale
0:00:44 > 0:00:47to understand the challenges Mozart faced,
0:00:47 > 0:00:50so we can all see and hear it as the first audience did.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57I will find out how the instruments sounded...
0:01:00 > 0:01:03..what the performers wore...
0:01:03 > 0:01:05and the special effects Mozart used.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10He was not only an amazing and extraordinary musician,
0:01:10 > 0:01:12but also a very courageous artist.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15He took the conventions of his day, transformed them,
0:01:15 > 0:01:19played with them and created his own way.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24My name is Rolando Villazon and I am an opera singer.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29I'm going to throw myself into the 18th century world
0:01:29 > 0:01:31in which Mozart moved...
0:01:32 > 0:01:35..explore the social and political ideas that surrounded
0:01:35 > 0:01:37and inspired him
0:01:37 > 0:01:43and bring us close to Don Giovanni, as Mozart himself imagined it.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46The house was packed with 12,000 people.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49The emperor in Vienna was unsure about whether, you know,
0:01:49 > 0:01:52the court would like this piece.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55This is the dark side of the enlightenment.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58How far can libertines go before they become dangerous?
0:01:58 > 0:02:02So...get ready, fasten your seat belts, here we go.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16HE SINGS IN AN OPERATIC STYLE
0:02:17 > 0:02:20I became an opera singer after someone heard me
0:02:20 > 0:02:23singing in the shower.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25Mozart's operas are among my favourites.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28They express what it is to be human, what brings us together,
0:02:28 > 0:02:30and what pulls us apart.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35I have become fascinated with the maestro, and immersed myself
0:02:35 > 0:02:39in his life through his music and through his letters.
0:02:40 > 0:02:45SINGING CONTINUES
0:02:49 > 0:02:52I have performed in Mozart's opera Don Giovanni many times,
0:02:52 > 0:02:55though not as the star of the show, Don Giovanni himself.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59That part was written for a baritone, a deeper voice than mine.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04Don Giovanni is a womanizer whose sins catch up with him when he
0:03:04 > 0:03:09commits murder and unleashes vengeance from beyond the grave.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16My first stop in Prague really has to be the Estates Theatre
0:03:16 > 0:03:21where the first performance took place on October 29th 1787.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26I can just imagine these cobbled streets rattling with carriages
0:03:26 > 0:03:28carrying Prague's nobility.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32Coachmen helping ladies cross the muddy roads without ruining
0:03:32 > 0:03:34their finest dresses.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37The tickets sold out, the box office shut early,
0:03:37 > 0:03:39the excitement in the air.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46And me? I have dreamed of walking onto this stage.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52Wow.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00HE LAUGHS
0:04:00 > 0:04:01Wow.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11It's quite special.
0:04:13 > 0:04:14History was made here.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Look at this beautiful theatre.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23It's...
0:04:26 > 0:04:29It's hard to find the words to describe the feeling
0:04:29 > 0:04:31of being in a place that...
0:04:33 > 0:04:36..that means so much to music...
0:04:37 > 0:04:39..but as well to humankind.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Because this opera is about the human soul.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51It's just beautiful.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59I...I almost can hear the laughter, the people, the chat...
0:05:03 > 0:05:06..the nervousness. That must have been quite a night.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11The performers getting ready to sing this masterpiece...
0:05:11 > 0:05:13and the orchestra tuning.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Quite special. And look.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23This plaque marks the spot
0:05:23 > 0:05:26where Mozart conducted that night.
0:05:30 > 0:05:36Just imagine: Mozart gives an indication and the first notes
0:05:36 > 0:05:40of this monument of music come out...
0:05:40 > 0:05:44right from this place.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01HE SINGS
0:06:18 > 0:06:22Mozart received three standing ovations that night.
0:06:22 > 0:06:23He loved applause.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29When Mozart and his wife, Constanze, arrived for the premiere,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32he was only 31 but a living legend,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35at the height of his creative powers.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38And he wanted his genius recognised and celebrated.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42So, why was the premiere in this theatre in Prague?
0:06:42 > 0:06:45The maestro was used to the prestigious venues in Vienna,
0:06:45 > 0:06:47where he lived and composed.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Mozart thrived in the Age Of The Enlightenment,
0:06:52 > 0:06:56when the traditional social order gave way to reason and new freedoms.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04The American constitution was being framed,
0:07:04 > 0:07:06and Mozart's previous opera, The Marriage Of Figaro,
0:07:06 > 0:07:09had been a subversive comedy about the nobility.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13Simon, why did Mozart come to Prague?
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Well, I think Prague was the second most important city
0:07:16 > 0:07:18in the Austrian empire
0:07:18 > 0:07:21and certainly the most important in the Czech lands and...
0:07:21 > 0:07:23after Vienna of course,
0:07:23 > 0:07:26and so there were always musical opportunities here.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28He directed a performance of Marriage Of Figaro
0:07:28 > 0:07:30at the Estates Theatre as well.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33So when he came to Prague and when he said, you know, everybody is
0:07:33 > 0:07:35whistling, singing Figaro,
0:07:35 > 0:07:38that's all they're singing, that's all you hear anywhere,
0:07:38 > 0:07:42you can tell when he's writing that, that he just absolutely loves that.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46The Emperor himself, Joseph II, had requested a private performance
0:07:46 > 0:07:48of Figaro in Vienna.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51But Mozart was always torn between success at court
0:07:51 > 0:07:54and forging his own creative path.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57Mozart was very happy to be here in Prague
0:07:57 > 0:07:59but he also wanted to return to Vienna.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02What was the difference between these two cities?
0:08:02 > 0:08:05He yearned for a court appointment in Vienna and the stability that
0:08:05 > 0:08:08that would bring with it in terms of an annual salary.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10I think in Prague, actually,
0:08:10 > 0:08:14because it's not an imperial seat - there was no emperor resident here -
0:08:14 > 0:08:17the theatres worked somewhat differently.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21Whereas in Vienna, the Emperor would always be looking over your shoulder
0:08:21 > 0:08:24and working out what needed to be cut, censorship etc...
0:08:25 > 0:08:28..here in Prague, actually, it was much more of a market.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33Commissions from private companies helped Mozart with his dreams
0:08:33 > 0:08:38of becoming a free artist, making his living without wealthy patrons.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43With the creative freedoms available in Prague, Mozart took
0:08:43 > 0:08:47the centuries-old legend of the seducer Don Juan and created
0:08:47 > 0:08:52a provocative work of art that would also be a crowd pleaser.
0:08:52 > 0:08:53The fee was a factor too.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Constanze was pregnant with their second child,
0:08:56 > 0:08:58and Mozart was terrible with money.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02But how was Don Giovanni commissioned?
0:09:03 > 0:09:06There was an Italian company at the time in Prague.
0:09:06 > 0:09:11The impresario of this company was called Pasquale Bondini
0:09:11 > 0:09:14and his partner was Domenico Guardasoni.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16Guardasoni?
0:09:16 > 0:09:20These two men had put together Le Nozze De Figaro from Mozart,
0:09:20 > 0:09:22which had been extremely successful.
0:09:22 > 0:09:27So, the idea of commissioning another opera from the same composer
0:09:27 > 0:09:29was very good, I think.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32And here comes the beer.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34HE LAUGHS
0:09:34 > 0:09:35SHE SIGHS
0:09:35 > 0:09:37Look at this. Delicious.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40- To Mozart.- To Mozart.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42- Si.- Cheers.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Mmmm. You know, I always say that...
0:09:47 > 0:09:52had I met Mozart, I would have loved to go drink beers with him.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54Yes, yes!
0:09:54 > 0:09:58What do we know of Signor Bassi, the very first Don Giovanni?
0:09:58 > 0:10:03Luigi Bassi...look, this shows Luigi Bassi as Don Giovanni.
0:10:03 > 0:10:09- And Luigi Bassi was 21 at the time. - Wow! 21?
0:10:09 > 0:10:12If, today, a singer says, "I'm going to sing Don Giovanni, I'm 21."
0:10:12 > 0:10:16People will go, "You're crazy. "You should never do that. That's impossible."
0:10:16 > 0:10:20Yes, that's true, but at the time singers started singing very early.
0:10:20 > 0:10:25And in fact, we know about Luigi Bassi that he ruined his voice.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28Oh, that's why today they don't let you sing it at 21!
0:10:28 > 0:10:30HE LAUGHS
0:10:30 > 0:10:33Do we know how much Mozart was paid for this musical adventure?
0:10:33 > 0:10:38We think he was paid 100 ducats, £35,000 today.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42Well, I mean, for the best opera ever written...
0:10:42 > 0:10:43Underestimated!
0:10:43 > 0:10:46..the theatre got a good deal.
0:10:46 > 0:10:52- Yes!- So, we are ready to try this, sausages like they were...
0:10:52 > 0:10:57At the premiere of Don Giovanni, the people in the gallery were eating
0:10:57 > 0:11:01- wurst during the performance... - During the performance?
0:11:01 > 0:11:04Whereas the people sitting below, the posh people,
0:11:04 > 0:11:08were asking for lemonade and almond milk which were traditional,
0:11:08 > 0:11:11very fashionable treats in France and Italy.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14So they were eating and they were drinking during the performance.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18- Were they talking?- Of course! They were probably even walking around
0:11:18 > 0:11:20during the performance.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22- Singing along? - Singing along, why not?
0:11:22 > 0:11:26It is fantastic to imagine the interaction between
0:11:26 > 0:11:30the audience of the time, the performers and the play going on.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34It's like...there was not a sacred thing about it.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38No, absolutely, it was very alive.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42- Well...here, another sip of beer, salute!- Yes, salute.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Don Giovanni is not a simple, 'boy-meets-girl, they fall in love,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53'then they both die tragically' opera.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56So, bear with me while I outline the plot.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00Don Giovanni is a womanising scoundrel
0:12:00 > 0:12:03with a list of conquests so long that his manservant, Leporello,
0:12:03 > 0:12:05has a whole aria about it.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11Giovanni kills the Commendatore, an old soldier and the father
0:12:11 > 0:12:12of one of his female victims.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18The serial seducer's fate is sealed when he drunkenly invites
0:12:18 > 0:12:22the Commendatore's memorial statue to supper.
0:12:22 > 0:12:27Bad idea! The statue shows up and Don Giovanni is sent to hell.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34Mozart was an incredibly original composer.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36I think part of his genius is that he had a direct line
0:12:36 > 0:12:40between the human soul and then his work of art.
0:12:40 > 0:12:45He was able to translate the soul of his characters into music.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48He gave soul to Don Giovanni, to his opera Don Giovanni,
0:12:48 > 0:12:52but the words of his characters come from librettist
0:12:52 > 0:12:57Lorenzo Da Ponte, with whom he collaborated in another two
0:12:57 > 0:13:00masterpieces, Cosi Fan Tutte and The Marriage Of Figaro.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04By the way, Lorenzo Da Ponte was quite a colourful character.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10Da Ponte wrote the libretto, the text,
0:13:10 > 0:13:13for Don Giovanni in Vienna, with his hostesses'
0:13:13 > 0:13:1616-year-old daughter as his muse.
0:13:16 > 0:13:21"If only I could think of her as just a daughter," he wrote.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24He was something of a libertine, as Don Giovanni is.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27This philosophy was growing popular at the time,
0:13:27 > 0:13:29physical pleasures mattered most.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31Morality and public opinion be damned!
0:13:34 > 0:13:38Da Ponte's womanising even had him exiled from Venice,
0:13:38 > 0:13:41not 18th century Europe's most conservative city.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45But Joseph II gave him an official position in Vienna,
0:13:45 > 0:13:48where he met Mozart.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52In 1787, the two men embarked on their biggest challenge yet,
0:13:52 > 0:13:55Don Giovanni, which they polished here in Prague.
0:13:57 > 0:14:02They probably worked together until the very last minute on the libretto
0:14:02 > 0:14:04and the score in this room.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07It's fantastic, how these two were inspired by each other, no?
0:14:07 > 0:14:12I mean, Mozart, it was so important for him to find a good librettist.
0:14:12 > 0:14:17He, in all his letters, he's asking, he's searching for a good librettist
0:14:17 > 0:14:22and meeting Da Ponte was like a gift from heaven for him.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Look. The Theatre of Prague...
0:14:24 > 0:14:27READS ITALIAN
0:14:27 > 0:14:281,800.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31..1787
0:14:31 > 0:14:33Wow.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37This is a reproduction of the libretto of Don Giovanni.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41It is a beautiful document, isn't it?
0:14:41 > 0:14:44So, the audience got this when they were in the theatre.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47Yes, something very similar to this and...
0:14:47 > 0:14:50- And they would following too, the... - They were able to follow.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52There was light in the theatre so they could read.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54This is my line.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58HE SINGS
0:15:02 > 0:15:07Yeah, wonderful. So, the audience, the audience got one?
0:15:07 > 0:15:13The people up on the gallery bought the one for 20 crowns which was just
0:15:13 > 0:15:15a simpler version of the libretto,
0:15:15 > 0:15:19whereas they also had a very beautiful one with golden paper.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21So, I guess this one is not golden paper.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23No, not golden paper, this one.
0:15:23 > 0:15:28There was something about Da Ponte's way of writing and, of course,
0:15:28 > 0:15:35the story, the humour in it, the great timing about this humour,
0:15:35 > 0:15:39that resonates with Mozart's own humour, isn't it?
0:15:39 > 0:15:41It's like an existential humour.
0:15:41 > 0:15:47Like, when there is tragedy, there is the possibility of comedy.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51And when there is comedy, there is the possibility of tragedy.
0:15:51 > 0:15:56And that is what I perceive that exists in this libretto
0:15:56 > 0:15:59- as well as the music of Mozart. - Yeah.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04It is said that Mozart wanted Don Giovanni to be a tragedy,
0:16:04 > 0:16:06and Da Ponte persuaded him to add some comedy.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09At least, that's the way Da Ponte tells it.
0:16:09 > 0:16:14Whoever's idea it was, Don Giovanni mixes tragedy, known as opera seria,
0:16:14 > 0:16:18with laugh-out-loud comedy opera bouffe, in a unique way.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21These colleagues of mine
0:16:21 > 0:16:23will perform our reconstruction of the finale.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26But here, they are bringing to life Mozart's genius
0:16:26 > 0:16:28elsewhere in the opera.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31As in this wonderful scene,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34where Don Giovanni makes his manservant Leporello
0:16:34 > 0:16:38impersonate him to fool the Don's jilted fiance, Donna Elvira.
0:16:38 > 0:16:43THEY SING
0:16:57 > 0:17:01You've got the tragic situation that Elvira is falling yet again
0:17:01 > 0:17:04for Don Giovanni, perhaps against her better instincts,
0:17:04 > 0:17:06but she's certainly falling for him.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09On the other hand, you've got the great comedy of impersonation.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22Leporello waving his arms literally as a result of Don Giovanni
0:17:22 > 0:17:25telling him exactly what he wants him to do, puppet style.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36You get that sense of never quite being sure as to whether you're
0:17:36 > 0:17:39going to be led towards the comedic or the tragic,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42primarily because they're both sort of balanced, as it were,
0:17:42 > 0:17:43on a knife edge.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50Ensembles where performers sing together are always a joy
0:17:50 > 0:17:52to take part in.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55But Mozart's are just magical.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00With Verdi, I have the impression that in later repertoire,
0:18:00 > 0:18:04the performers are meant to be like surfers on top of a wave.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07But here, in Mozart, you are supposed to be,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10you are asked to be part of the wave.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13It's probably right that he's one of the very first composers
0:18:13 > 0:18:17truly to master the art of having different characters
0:18:17 > 0:18:20expressing very different emotions concurrently.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25While Mozart's audience enjoyed the new freedoms the Enlightenment
0:18:25 > 0:18:28brought, they also felt new fears.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32Where was society going? Would it break down?
0:18:35 > 0:18:39After all, Don Giovanni is a nobleman, yet he pursues any woman,
0:18:39 > 0:18:42even a peasant girl, Zerlina, on her wedding day.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45Today she's also played for us by Alzbeta.
0:18:47 > 0:18:52Alzbeta, you have performed in a couple of productions as Zerlina.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54Which one do you prefer?
0:18:54 > 0:18:55SHE LAUGHS
0:18:55 > 0:18:57Well, it depends on Giovanni.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59THEY LAUGH
0:18:59 > 0:19:01So, tell us a little bit about this character.
0:19:01 > 0:19:06She is getting married. But then she saw Don Giovanni.
0:19:06 > 0:19:12Well, it's a nobleman. He asks her if she will marry him.
0:19:12 > 0:19:17So, she's very surprised and she... "Is that true? I can't believe it."
0:19:17 > 0:19:23And then she's, you know, getting closer and, and you know how...
0:19:23 > 0:19:24how it goes.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26No, I don't know!
0:19:26 > 0:19:27THEY LAUGH
0:19:40 > 0:19:43With his Don Giovanni, Mozart created a very modern character
0:19:43 > 0:19:46who raised issues we are still wrestling with today.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49Why do some women fall for scoundrels?
0:19:49 > 0:19:53Do Don Giovanni's escapades make him a free spirit to admire
0:19:53 > 0:19:55or a shameless sex addict?
0:19:55 > 0:19:59Despite his misdeeds, it's very hard not to fall for him.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10It's the seduction of all musical seductions.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12The two voices start singing the verses separately,
0:20:12 > 0:20:15then they alternate in the middle section and then the big theme.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32And they're overlapping.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43The phrases get closer and closer together.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01And then they sing together.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05You've got the sense of them being way apart, then closer, alternating,
0:21:05 > 0:21:09then intertwined and then finally singing together.
0:21:09 > 0:21:14It's a wonderful musical seduction mirroring the seduction in the plot.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19He's a nobleman, but yet he's able to interact so freely and so easily,
0:21:19 > 0:21:26just as easily with a maid or servant as with the highest nobility.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29The fact he's able to do this, is part of his character.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33He is, in a sense, a social and musical chameleon.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36While Don Giovanni is seducing Zerlina,
0:21:36 > 0:21:40Mozart is seducing the audience, was seducing the audience
0:21:40 > 0:21:44on that first night with the music he composed for this scene.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48La Ci Darem is rightly, you know, thought to be one of the truly great
0:21:48 > 0:21:50numbers in all of opera, not just in Don Giovanni.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53It's that magnetic quality that makes him
0:21:53 > 0:21:55pretty much unique as an operatic character.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10Mozart changed opera forever.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14He made the music, not the libretto, the driving force of the drama.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20He was able to translate it immediately,
0:22:20 > 0:22:22what he was feeling, the emotions.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26I think you can see it. Look at this page. It's just...
0:22:29 > 0:22:31Everything is there. It's already...
0:22:31 > 0:22:36He's listening to the orchestra, to the violins, to the...
0:22:36 > 0:22:39But also, he's listening to the soul of his character, Don Giovanni,
0:22:39 > 0:22:44and he's translating those emotions, that journey of that man,
0:22:44 > 0:22:49that wild, incredible force of nature, into music immediately.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Everything is there.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57And he, himself, this incredible force of nature
0:22:57 > 0:23:04and genius, is giving us how that feels through music.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06And that is why it's so incredible!
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Because then we experience that force of nature
0:23:09 > 0:23:13that Don Giovanni represents and that Mozart is.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20It must have been amazing for the audience to attend that very
0:23:20 > 0:23:23first performance of Don Giovanni,
0:23:23 > 0:23:27but would their musical experience have been the same as ours?
0:23:27 > 0:23:31The instruments that played these very same notes were different
0:23:31 > 0:23:34than the ones we use today. But how? And why?
0:23:42 > 0:23:45To make our staging of the finale as accurate as possible,
0:23:45 > 0:23:49the music will be played by Vaclav Luks' orchestra, Collegium 1704.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54This orchestra is a similar size to Mozart's.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58The size of the pit and costs kept classical ones at around 30 players.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03And these are period instruments, so this is how
0:24:03 > 0:24:06the overture to Don Giovanni would have sounded at the premiere.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09MUSIC PLAYS
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Hello again. Bravo, orchestra.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Wonderful. This wonderful orchestra is a period orchestra.
0:24:18 > 0:24:23What can you tell us about those instruments and your orchestra?
0:24:23 > 0:24:29Yes. Our instruments are almost the same as at the time of Mozart.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33I think the best way to introduce the instruments, is to speak
0:24:33 > 0:24:35directly with the instrumentalists.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38What you see, we don't have any valves on this instrument.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42You lower the note by closing your hand in the bell.
0:24:45 > 0:24:46HE PLAYS
0:24:48 > 0:24:52At the moment, where we had it completely closed,
0:24:52 > 0:24:55then, acoustic wise, the instrument is shorter.
0:24:55 > 0:24:56The quality of the sound,
0:24:56 > 0:25:00the timbre changes according to whether your hand's stopping or
0:25:00 > 0:25:01whether you're playing an open note.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04That's so the composers can compose knowing that,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07whereas the modern horn, of course, it's all equalized.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Yes, it is. And with every change of the crook
0:25:10 > 0:25:13we have a very strong change of character.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15We have...
0:25:15 > 0:25:19HE PLAYS
0:25:19 > 0:25:21That's an E flat major.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25If we have the same thing in B, we change the crook
0:25:25 > 0:25:28and it's very short and it's more like a trumpet.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32HE PLAYS
0:25:38 > 0:25:42I have the modern violin here. This E string is a metal string.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45SHE PLAYS
0:25:57 > 0:26:00This is a period violin.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04The main difference are the gut strings so you can actually get
0:26:04 > 0:26:08really, really soft and nice sound of the violin,
0:26:08 > 0:26:12especially on the E string but then you can also get
0:26:12 > 0:26:15to the really nasty sound on the D and G string.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18- Which is good for Mozart. - Which is good for Mozart.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21SHE PLAYS
0:26:21 > 0:26:22Like this.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26I'm speaking as a singer but it feels like a sound where you can
0:26:26 > 0:26:30actually go and lean with your voice and join with your voice.
0:26:30 > 0:26:35As with a modern instrument, it feels like a tight chord, no?
0:26:35 > 0:26:41Where you have to be very precise and work in that line.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43This gives you more space.
0:26:43 > 0:26:49Probably because there is more air in the sound of the strings,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52so you can play more with the colours.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54So it allows you to go...
0:26:54 > 0:26:57HE SINGS
0:26:58 > 0:27:00Instead of...
0:27:00 > 0:27:03HE SINGS
0:27:06 > 0:27:10This colour, it feels more comfortable doing it
0:27:10 > 0:27:12with a period orchestra.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Mozart had written most of the score for Don Giovanni in Vienna.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31But some key sections were still only in his head
0:27:31 > 0:27:33when the Maestro arrived in Prague.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47It seems like Mozart was always in a rush to get his music finished.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49When you look at some of his manuscripts,
0:27:49 > 0:27:51particularly of the instrumental music,
0:27:51 > 0:27:53as you leaf through them and get further towards the end,
0:27:53 > 0:27:56you can see that he's clearly in a rush in terms
0:27:56 > 0:27:59of the notations in the manuscript. It gets slightly less tidy.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02There's actually a legend about the overture music
0:28:02 > 0:28:04being given at the last moment, right?
0:28:04 > 0:28:07Musicians in the late 18th century have to be prepared for that.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10Very often they would have very minimal amounts of rehearsal time
0:28:10 > 0:28:11in Prague and elsewhere.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16The orchestra received the hand-copied overture music
0:28:16 > 0:28:18just before curtain up.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22Mozart admitted, several notes fell under the desks that night.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27But I'm sure that the audience were on the edge of their seats.
0:28:27 > 0:28:3118th century overtures were usually happy and upbeat.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34The Maestro started darkness and tension.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39Another musical masterwork is the scene where my character,
0:28:39 > 0:28:42Don Ottavio and others attempt to rescue Zerlina
0:28:42 > 0:28:43from Don Giovanni's castle.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48At the end of first act in Don Giovanni,
0:28:48 > 0:28:50something extraordinary happens.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53It's a ball scene, it's something like all the things
0:28:53 > 0:28:57that Mozart puts together, there are three orchestras.
0:28:57 > 0:28:59Each orchestra plays a different dance,
0:28:59 > 0:29:01they play at the same time, different rhythms.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04What do you think of these dancers, Helena?
0:29:04 > 0:29:06This scene is really very interesting.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08Let's make a little workshop.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11Maestro, count the beginning before we begin.
0:29:11 > 0:29:15One, two, three, four, five, six.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17The first dance is a formal minuet,
0:29:17 > 0:29:20the favourite dance of Viennese high society.
0:29:20 > 0:29:25One, two, three, four, five, six. One, two, three, four, five, six.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29Thank you very much. You were great.
0:29:31 > 0:29:37In Mozart's time, you'd have to spend at least half a year,
0:29:37 > 0:29:42- three days in a week, learning it. - OK, that explains everything.
0:29:43 > 0:29:49What is the second dance that we hear in this masked ball?
0:29:49 > 0:29:51Well, it's a country dance.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01The country dance is the bourgeois dance, so it belongs neither to
0:30:01 > 0:30:03Don Giovanni's class and nobility,
0:30:03 > 0:30:05nor Zerlina's class of the peasantry.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08They're meeting, in effect, on middle ground.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10So we've had a dance for the nobility
0:30:10 > 0:30:12and one for the middle class.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16The third is a German waltz, enjoyed by the common folk.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20And we turn around and I still hold your hands,
0:30:20 > 0:30:22then we make this window.
0:30:22 > 0:30:26Then I can turn you around. Then you turn me round, you know?
0:30:26 > 0:30:30And we play with that all the time.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33And now, after having rehearsed for about 25 seconds, something that
0:30:33 > 0:30:36needs six weeks of rehearsals, we're ready to present to you
0:30:36 > 0:30:39the last ball scene of the end of the first act of Don Giovanni.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42We have the three orchestras, we have the performers,
0:30:42 > 0:30:46we have the dancers. We even have a musicologist. Here we go!
0:30:46 > 0:30:50MUSIC PLAYS
0:30:56 > 0:31:00As a piece of counterpoint, weaving different melodies together,
0:31:00 > 0:31:02this is absolutely magnificent.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05Mozart enjoyed going to balls in Vienna,
0:31:05 > 0:31:09so he must have loved creating this wonderful, organised chaos.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35The late 18th century was a turbulent but also exciting age.
0:31:35 > 0:31:40Revolution was in the air! Now, Mozart was not a political radical,
0:31:40 > 0:31:43but he did have had a mischievous and subversive streak,
0:31:43 > 0:31:46and, for me, this is very clear in Don Giovanni.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49One of my favourite moments in this opera happens
0:31:49 > 0:31:51right before the dances we just performed and it's
0:31:51 > 0:31:55when Don Giovanni comes and makes everybody sing Viva La Liberta.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57Let's sing it.
0:31:57 > 0:32:02# Viva, viva la liberta!
0:32:02 > 0:32:05# Viva la liberta!
0:32:05 > 0:32:07# Viva la liberta!
0:32:07 > 0:32:10# La liberta! #
0:32:11 > 0:32:14It's a fantastic, fantastic moment
0:32:14 > 0:32:18and it's more than just good composition, right?
0:32:18 > 0:32:21It's fantastic, but yet it's also unsettling, fundamentally,
0:32:21 > 0:32:24and I think was designed absolutely to be that way.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26What does it mean, Viva La Liberta?
0:32:26 > 0:32:30Is it liberty? Is it licentiousness? Or is it political liberty?
0:32:30 > 0:32:33With the French Revolution just around the corner on the horizon,
0:32:33 > 0:32:36you know, there would have been sort of uncertainties.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39This is kind of potentially the dark side of the Enlightenment.
0:32:39 > 0:32:41And Don Giovanni is a threat, he's a threat to society.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44He brings people together from different classes, chaotically.
0:32:44 > 0:32:46He gets everybody to sing.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48After all, everybody is part of this Viva La Liberta.
0:32:48 > 0:32:52He manages to convince everybody to do it. I mean, it's wonderful!
0:32:52 > 0:32:54It's been short, but very intense hard work
0:32:54 > 0:32:56and hopefully, we are ready.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00And just like Don Giovanni brings everybody together to scream,
0:33:00 > 0:33:03"Viva La Liberta" I think that Mozart has brought us together
0:33:03 > 0:33:06to scream a big "Viva!" to him.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08ALL: Viva, Mozart!
0:33:11 > 0:33:14Viva La Liberta was cut from the later staging
0:33:14 > 0:33:16of Don Giovanni in Vienna.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20Perhaps Emperor Joseph II's liberalism had its limits.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24Mozart had arrived in Prague in early October
0:33:24 > 0:33:27with only a few weeks to prepare for the premiere.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29But things did not go smoothly.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36The first performance, on the 14th October, was postponed.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38"If you think my opera is over by now,"
0:33:38 > 0:33:42he wrote to a friend, "you are a little mistaken."
0:33:42 > 0:33:44The set was not ready.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48"The stage personnel are not as smart here as in Vienna," Mozart complained.
0:33:48 > 0:33:52At least he now had another ten days to finish the score.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58Whoa, look at this city! It's just spectacular.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01And it's not hard to imagine the Prague that Mozart knew
0:34:01 > 0:34:06back in 1787, the Prague where Mozart was walking
0:34:06 > 0:34:10with the last bits of Don Giovanni still being born in his head.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14He must have been quite inspired by the beauty and mystery
0:34:14 > 0:34:18of this extraordinary city, especially inspired to compose
0:34:18 > 0:34:23that last scene where Don Giovanni is being dragged into hell.
0:34:23 > 0:34:27During the second act, Don Giovanni went to the graveyard
0:34:27 > 0:34:30where the man he killed, Il Commendatore, has a statue.
0:34:30 > 0:34:34And he invites this statue to come for dinner.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36As we are about to see, that was a bad mistake.
0:34:40 > 0:34:42Mozart's finale is a work of genius
0:34:42 > 0:34:45and we want to recreate it with all the drama and excitement
0:34:45 > 0:34:47of the first night.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50We've explored the background to Don Giovanni
0:34:50 > 0:34:52and how it would have sounded.
0:34:52 > 0:34:53But what would it have looked like?
0:34:55 > 0:34:58This is Barrandov Studios. It's one of the biggest film studios
0:34:58 > 0:35:01in Europe, just outside of Prague, and it's right here
0:35:01 > 0:35:04where we are going to reproduce
0:35:04 > 0:35:07Don Giovanni's defiant descent into hell.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10It's my first visit here. I cannot wait, so let's go!
0:35:19 > 0:35:21Ta-ta-ta-ta!
0:35:21 > 0:35:25Here we go back in time, 1787.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27The stage.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38Whoa! Fantastic.
0:35:38 > 0:35:39Wow!
0:35:43 > 0:35:48And it's right here it will all happen once again.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51MUSIC PLAYS
0:36:17 > 0:36:20From offstage, this set creates an extraordinary illusion
0:36:20 > 0:36:22of Don Giovanni's dining room.
0:36:23 > 0:36:27This set has been painted by hand from 18th century designs,
0:36:27 > 0:36:29as Mozart's was.
0:36:32 > 0:36:36- Hello.- Hello.- How are you? - How are you?
0:36:36 > 0:36:39Very nice to meet you, Jiri. And Jiri.
0:36:39 > 0:36:44Well, first of all, thank you very much and congratulations.
0:36:44 > 0:36:46It's such a beautiful work.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48How much do we know about the set designer
0:36:48 > 0:36:51and his relationship with Mozart?
0:36:51 > 0:36:56Well, we know that the decorations were painted by Josef Platzer.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59- Mmm-hmm.- He was quite famous later. This work for Prague
0:36:59 > 0:37:01was his first major work.
0:37:01 > 0:37:05He became famous because of this.
0:37:05 > 0:37:10- And then he was invited to Vienna. - So, the artist!
0:37:10 > 0:37:13You painted... How long does it take to paint?
0:37:13 > 0:37:15HE SPEAKS CZECH
0:37:19 > 0:37:23HE TRANSLATES: It was very quick, so they did it in ten days.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27- Wow.- Mmm.- In ten days, the whole thing?- Yeah.
0:37:27 > 0:37:28THEY LAUGH
0:37:29 > 0:37:32What I find so amazing, so magical,
0:37:32 > 0:37:35is that when you are standing there,
0:37:35 > 0:37:39you see this and you feel there is a whole world, no?
0:37:39 > 0:37:41Perspective is everything for this set.
0:37:41 > 0:37:45How do you achieve the right balance?
0:37:45 > 0:37:46HE SPEAKS CZECH
0:38:01 > 0:38:04HE TRANSLATES: It's really hi tech.
0:38:04 > 0:38:05You need a rope and a nail!
0:38:05 > 0:38:07THEY LAUGH
0:38:07 > 0:38:11And you have to find the right vanishing point.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15So is this the set that they had for the premiere of Don Giovanni?
0:38:15 > 0:38:19We can just guess from this information we have,
0:38:19 > 0:38:23but I think it's very probable that it was like this.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25- Very close to this. - Yeah, very close to this, yeah.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31Now there's one last, vital cast member to meet.
0:38:31 > 0:38:35And more to learn about performing in 1787.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38Lots of things were different in those days
0:38:38 > 0:38:40than the way we do theatre today.
0:38:40 > 0:38:45And I am sure that gestures of performers were also very different
0:38:45 > 0:38:48than the ones I use when I'm on stage.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53You throw with this hand the gesture here.
0:38:53 > 0:38:58With this hand you can throw the gesture here.
0:38:58 > 0:38:59Then you get them back...
0:38:59 > 0:39:03Professor Helena Kazarova is showing us what Mozart's audience
0:39:03 > 0:39:05would have expected to see.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07..you reject something.
0:39:07 > 0:39:11And here is our Commendatore, whose statue comes to supper.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14He will be singing our Commendatore.
0:39:14 > 0:39:19And actually, we performed together Don Giovanni in Berlin.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22- But in a quite modern production. - Sure.
0:39:22 > 0:39:24Where, you know, that's the big difference.
0:39:24 > 0:39:29Actually today, we performers are told many times during rehearsals
0:39:29 > 0:39:33in the modern productions, "Don't move your hands!
0:39:33 > 0:39:36"Don't be exaggerated! Don't play as if it was opera!"
0:39:36 > 0:39:40Which is funny, we're like, "Uh, it's opera!"
0:39:40 > 0:39:44- You could put his hand like this. - Mmm-hmm.- You lose your composure.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47Also in your body. Because here you were very proud,
0:39:47 > 0:39:49and he's squeezing you to kneel.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55- Ahh!- And you push him to the ground. You push him.
0:39:58 > 0:39:59You try to get up.
0:40:01 > 0:40:03Not everyone in Mozart's audience understood Italian
0:40:03 > 0:40:06and there were no translations to help them along.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10So the language of gestures acted as a kind of subtitle
0:40:10 > 0:40:11to explain the action.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15It was very good. You feel it?
0:40:17 > 0:40:19Haaaaaah!
0:40:19 > 0:40:23By modern standards, some of these gestures are a little over the top.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27But to Mozart's audience, they spoke volumes.
0:40:28 > 0:40:32From the time, we have tens of books on gesture.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35- Let's take love... - But opera is never about love!
0:40:35 > 0:40:38- Oh, you don't mean that! Seriously?! - Opera is all about love!
0:40:38 > 0:40:41And death. OK, so, expressing love?
0:40:41 > 0:40:45Yes. So the first thing, you would stand in a position.
0:40:45 > 0:40:50For instance, if the lady would be before you, on your right-hand side,
0:40:50 > 0:40:54which is the right side, you would have your weight
0:40:54 > 0:40:58on the foot which is near to her, you would look at her.
0:40:59 > 0:41:03Then you would make the gesture towards her.
0:41:03 > 0:41:07And maybe at the same time to your heart, with the elbow from.
0:41:07 > 0:41:12- And say, "I love you." - I love you.- "I love you."
0:41:12 > 0:41:17- Ah,- OK. Yeah? The succession of hands.- You love me.
0:41:17 > 0:41:19Ah, no, that's the tenor speaking!
0:41:19 > 0:41:23- "I love you." Yes. - That's how it would be.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27HE SINGS IN ITALIAN
0:41:27 > 0:41:28Excellent!
0:41:34 > 0:41:37A vital part of Mozart's spectacle on stage were the costumes
0:41:37 > 0:41:39his characters wore.
0:41:39 > 0:41:43So, I'm looking forward to seeing what we will be using.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47Every time I do a new production and I go to the theatre,
0:41:47 > 0:41:51this is one of my favourite places. Look at that. Fantastic!
0:41:51 > 0:41:54You can try a hat. Cyrano De Bergerac!
0:41:54 > 0:41:58The gesture that goes with this one is this... Madame.
0:42:00 > 0:42:02Yes. Very elegant!
0:42:02 > 0:42:04HE LAUGHS
0:42:07 > 0:42:12Don Giovanni could have been wearing something like this!
0:42:12 > 0:42:18The fact that these materials are so shiny means that they would reflect
0:42:18 > 0:42:22- the light of the candle. - That is Don Giovanni.- Yes.
0:42:22 > 0:42:26Now, Leporello, I'm sure, has not so elegant a costume.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29Leporello is his servant. Let's see them both together.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32Of course it makes a difference.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37# Don Giovanni! #
0:42:37 > 0:42:39And... # Leporello! #
0:42:39 > 0:42:40HE LAUGHS
0:42:41 > 0:42:48Now, probably the most complicated character we had to deal with
0:42:48 > 0:42:49was the Commendatore.
0:42:49 > 0:42:54The libretto tells us that he's the White Man, the man made of stone.
0:42:54 > 0:42:58- Mmm-hmm.- So we are going to go with this.- Ah.
0:43:00 > 0:43:04Nice. Well, I hope he's not naked!
0:43:04 > 0:43:07We're actually still looking for something for him!
0:43:09 > 0:43:13- So we will have to use some sort of paste.- Mmm.- Now, these pastes
0:43:13 > 0:43:17were usually made with ingredients
0:43:17 > 0:43:20that might have included lead and mercury.
0:43:20 > 0:43:22Oh, pretty dangerous.
0:43:22 > 0:43:26- So they were extremely dangerous, extremely poisonous.- Mmm.
0:43:26 > 0:43:31And we know of people who have, you know, ruined their skin for ever.
0:43:31 > 0:43:34And we even know of people who died.
0:43:34 > 0:43:38- This is what we're thinking about for...- For Donna Elvira?
0:43:38 > 0:43:43..for our Donna Elvira. Women didn't have the luxury
0:43:43 > 0:43:47- of not wearing a corset.- Mmm. - These instruments of torture...
0:43:47 > 0:43:49HE LAUGHS
0:43:49 > 0:43:52..were meant to shape the breast,
0:43:52 > 0:43:56the back and the waist of female singers.
0:43:56 > 0:43:59It was made of linen, usually,
0:43:59 > 0:44:04- but inside there was either whalebone or metal.- Mmm.
0:44:04 > 0:44:06So that we know that some women were actually bruised
0:44:06 > 0:44:11- by the use of corsets. - Let me try one.
0:44:11 > 0:44:16Just to see how tremendous this torture actually is.
0:44:16 > 0:44:20For once, it's the man who will suffer it. So, is it like this?
0:44:20 > 0:44:23- Well, no. This is the back. - Oh, God.- Yes.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26All those Czech beers are not going to help, I think!
0:44:26 > 0:44:27SHE LAUGHS
0:44:27 > 0:44:30Oh, no! It's not working! It's not working!
0:44:32 > 0:44:34HE GROANS
0:44:36 > 0:44:40It's nearly time now. Our own premiere is taking place tomorrow.
0:44:45 > 0:44:48In the finale of Mozart's masterpiece, the supernatural figure
0:44:48 > 0:44:52of the Commendatore - the soldier Don Giovanni killed -
0:44:52 > 0:44:54comes to his castle to make the libertine
0:44:54 > 0:44:57pay the ultimate price for his crimes.
0:44:59 > 0:45:02Mozart wanted this scene to terrify his audience.
0:45:03 > 0:45:07So how did they create a suitably scary atmosphere?
0:45:09 > 0:45:1218th century, obviously, no electricity. How did it look?
0:45:13 > 0:45:17Most of this light was on the stage, inside the scenery.
0:45:17 > 0:45:23The low intensity and this diffusion made a very different feeling
0:45:23 > 0:45:27or impression, very different from what we know today.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30- Mmm. Kind of dreamy like.- Yes. - Lots of shadows.- Yes.
0:45:30 > 0:45:34Do we know that this is more or less the exact shape
0:45:34 > 0:45:37of the kind of lights that were in that premiere?
0:45:37 > 0:45:42We know some details from theatres which are preserved
0:45:42 > 0:45:46from 18th century, and this kind of lamp was quite usual,
0:45:46 > 0:45:51not only in the theatres, but also elsewhere from 17th century on.
0:45:52 > 0:45:57The light needs to give us a sense of spooky ambience, no?
0:45:57 > 0:46:01Yes, the emperor in Vienna was unsure about whether, you know,
0:46:01 > 0:46:03the court would like this piece.
0:46:03 > 0:46:07I think in the public theatre it allowed Mozart to experiment
0:46:07 > 0:46:11by mixing effects, mixing smoke,
0:46:11 > 0:46:14mixing flame, drums, music, et cetera, et cetera,
0:46:14 > 0:46:16all the things that we get as Don Giovanni goes into hell.
0:46:16 > 0:46:19It's one of the first multi-media scenes,
0:46:19 > 0:46:22when we see a horror movie or something,
0:46:22 > 0:46:25we know it's not for real, and yet we can be...
0:46:25 > 0:46:27we can enjoy the terror that we get.
0:46:27 > 0:46:31- And I think Mozart does that...- Mmm. - ..in that scene at the end.
0:46:36 > 0:46:40We have built a trap door for Don Giovanni to go down to hell,
0:46:40 > 0:46:43just as it would have worked on that October evening.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46And here we are, next to our trap.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48This is of interest for Don Giovanni,
0:46:48 > 0:46:52because this is on the left-hand side of the stage.
0:46:52 > 0:46:53It is sinister.
0:46:53 > 0:46:57"Sinister" - the left hand. "Dextrous" - the right hand.
0:46:57 > 0:47:01- Oh, from Latin.- So this is the left-hand side. You want to try it?
0:47:01 > 0:47:06- Yeah, is it ready?- It is. OK. - Let's have a ride to hell!
0:47:08 > 0:47:10Ahhhh!
0:47:14 > 0:47:18And this is where Don Giovanni will end his days!
0:47:18 > 0:47:20HE LAUGHS EVILLY
0:47:20 > 0:47:22It's...sinister.
0:47:24 > 0:47:25OK, take me out of here!
0:47:33 > 0:47:37During a performance, Don Giovanni's doom is no laughing matter.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39How did they recreate the flames of hell?
0:47:41 > 0:47:45What they used to do was to get an oil burner
0:47:45 > 0:47:48and put brandy in it, because in the 18th century,
0:47:48 > 0:47:51burning brandy was the hottest flame that they could achieve.
0:47:51 > 0:47:56And literally, phhh, blow powder called lycopodium
0:47:56 > 0:47:59across the top of the flame and it exploded in a fireball.
0:47:59 > 0:48:03And of course that was a reason why so many theatres burnt down.
0:48:03 > 0:48:07The atmosphere was so dry, the scenery was canvas,
0:48:07 > 0:48:11you open a door to try and get out, to escape, and, of course,
0:48:11 > 0:48:14you sucked air in and the theatre became a fireball.
0:48:14 > 0:48:16So pretty dangerous stuff.
0:48:16 > 0:48:20- OK.- We've got the flaming bowls of brandy, we've got compressed air
0:48:20 > 0:48:24- and we've got lycopodium. And let's go!- Wow!
0:48:26 > 0:48:28Great, isn't it?!
0:48:28 > 0:48:29EXPLOSIVE CRASH
0:48:29 > 0:48:32It's far too dangerous for us to do that.
0:48:32 > 0:48:36But many of the pyrotechnicians were actually military men
0:48:36 > 0:48:40and they used rockets, they used... imagine taking a rocket,
0:48:40 > 0:48:44cutting off the stick and just allowing the flame
0:48:44 > 0:48:48to go up in the air. Which, luckily for us, is very similar
0:48:48 > 0:48:53to the kind of much safer effect that modern pyrotechnicians
0:48:53 > 0:48:55can use in the theatre.
0:48:55 > 0:48:58HE LAUGHS
0:48:58 > 0:48:59It's great! Whoa!
0:49:06 > 0:49:09Everything is ready for our finale. We have shortened it a little,
0:49:09 > 0:49:11but otherwise it is as Mozart's audience
0:49:11 > 0:49:13would have seen and heard it.
0:49:14 > 0:49:18The props are in place, the gestures rehearsed,
0:49:18 > 0:49:23the period instruments tuned, the stage is dressed,
0:49:23 > 0:49:27the candles are lit and the pyrotechnics primed.
0:49:28 > 0:49:31I'm so happy everything is going smoothly here.
0:49:31 > 0:49:33# Don Giovanni! #
0:49:35 > 0:49:36Hello!
0:49:38 > 0:49:42Poor Mozart's premiere was delayed again when a singer fell ill.
0:49:42 > 0:49:46The maestro's frustrations poured out in a letter.
0:49:46 > 0:49:50"Everything dawdles along here because the singers are lazy."
0:49:50 > 0:49:54At least he had another five days to put off writing his overture.
0:49:58 > 0:50:00And finally, here we go.
0:50:00 > 0:50:04Stand by everybody, switch the studio lights off.
0:50:04 > 0:50:06Don Giovanni is dining, attended by Leperello,
0:50:06 > 0:50:10when his jilted fiance Donna Elvira bursts in.
0:50:10 > 0:50:13From there, we're going to jump forward to a brilliant example
0:50:13 > 0:50:16of Mozart's genius for ensembles.
0:50:18 > 0:50:20MUSIC PLAYS
0:50:20 > 0:50:22THEY SING IN ITALIAN
0:51:11 > 0:51:14The strings here have a very spacious sound.
0:54:01 > 0:54:04Don Giovanni's gestures clearly show his defiance.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27Da Ponte mixes the comic and tragic brilliantly.
0:57:09 > 0:57:12CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:57:22 > 0:57:26I am very moved. It was more than what I expected.
0:57:26 > 0:57:28We don't do theatre like this any more.
0:57:28 > 0:57:32To have the chance to reproduce it exactly like that was very special
0:57:32 > 0:57:34for me as a performer.
0:57:34 > 0:57:36This journey has shown me
0:57:36 > 0:57:40that Mozart cared more about the here and now than posterity.
0:57:40 > 0:57:42Don Giovanni's all about the immediate experience
0:57:42 > 0:57:45the maestro could give his audience.
0:57:45 > 0:57:48During this wonderful musical adventure,
0:57:48 > 0:57:50I have felt that I have been working
0:57:50 > 0:57:53next to the ever-joyous spirit of Mozart.
0:57:53 > 0:57:55Viva, Mozart. Viva, Don Giovanni!
0:57:56 > 0:57:59And one, two, three... cheese! Tequila!
0:58:03 > 0:58:06HE SINGS