To everyone who has loved this video - thank you from the bottom of my heart... 1 Million Views! It has also been a great honor to have met all 3 of these amazing singers over the years - Moll at La Scala, and both Ramey and Furlanetto in San Francisco. This video gives a perfect example of 3 stellar singers at the top of their game performing Grand Opera. Thanks again.
One million. congratulations. your video now is part of history. and in the coming years this video will continue getting millions of views. Grettings from a latin country...
Tbh i would of not expected it from this aria in particular, operatic basso never get big number of views, imo the movie Amadeus had to do a lot with this phenomenom. Big congrats nonetheless, well deserved it. (About time something outside of the tenor spectrum gets this love hehe)
The meal was already cooked, Giovanny merely wanted Leporrelo to bring out another serving. Still, Leporello would have none of it, as he fears for his soul as well as his life.
I love this version. It's perfectly acted, amazingly atmospheric and just a feast for eyes, ears and soul. That's why I love opera, for moments like this one. Also, the way Ramey just yells instead hitting the proper notes is genius, really elevates this performance. But I both singers are impecable artist so It wasn't really a suprise for me. Brawo! And as a hobbyist costume designer, I must say I love the costumes in the entire production. They really suit the characters!
The title of the opera is "il dissoluto punito" (The punished dissolute). He was an horrible person through his entire life. Personally I find admirable the fact that he doesn't repent at the very last second even he knows what will happen to him. I always found it coherent with his character.
I know, it’s so utterly nightmarish. The way the damned come out of the dark gives me chills every time I watch this. Kudos to the art director, absolutely phenomenal.
But yet l still dream of a production that will render this scene so terrifying that we will be unable to see it. Opera always pulls its punches, even in this scene. I have been trying to find new elements to make it more fear-inspiring, truly terrifying, not ‘opera-terrifying’. A marriage with theatre might be the way forward. Lose should have done it with his film. Perhaps Leporello is the catalyst. No longer a comic part, he should amplify the terror, not ham it up.
@@SmudgerSmith-lh7wv Very interesting! I hope your idea can be brought to fruition. I was thinking that one forgets they are listening to Mozart: it is scary music.
Thinking of this encounter as a date is exactly right. The running joke in the opera is that the famous seducer keeps trying but does not succeed at even one seduction during the opera. Then at the end he is seduced into agreeing to go to dinner with the statue. This production gets this visual right, that the Don seals the deal by offering his hand when demanded by the statue (Dammi la mano in pegno.), as earlier the Don had asked for Zerlina's (La ci darem la mano). The statue never lets go, just as one never returns from a meal where this date is taking you.
@@doncarlodivargas5497 In the novel, the man, who is marrying a woman, jokingly put his ring to the finger of the statue of Venus, to play sport more conveniently. But the next night, he is found dead, all bones broken as if crushed by a stone, and the statue has disappeared. 1830s horror novel.
A concluding ensemble delivers the moral of the opera - "Such is the end of the evildoer: the death of a sinner always reflects his life". Productions for over a century - beginning with the original run in Prague - customarily omitted the final ensemble, but it frequently reappeared in the 20th century and productions of the opera now usually include it.
Actually, while this SHOULD have been where the opera ended, Mozart tacked on an ensemble piece that seems awfully anticlimactic, with the singers offering a "see what happens to bad people" conclusion. IMO, Meyerbeer did it better in his "Robert le Diable."
@@operablogger I think it says more about society rather than Mozart and Da Ponte's skills as dramatists that it felt the need to "improve" the libretto by asserting Don Giovanni as some sort of noble and romantic anti-hero. Powerful sociopaths are charming, yes, but they're still criminals who cause wanton destruction and should rightfully be punished. In light of recent social upheaval about serial abusers, I think this has actually turned out to be a more subversive point to make.
Perfect interpretation. I have always been amazed how Don Giovanni damns himself, not by human weakness, but to be true to his choice of a careless and fearless life.
When the ghost of the commendatore says "Your time is up." at around 5:30, the note the bass singer hits at the very end of the phrase is so terrifically clean and yet so unnaturally low, he adds an inhuman and terrifying final accent to his phenomenal performance that is very real and requires no makeup or smoke. Fantastico!
I didn't want to make my initial comment any longer than it was so ill continue the point I wanted to bring up here... i don't think I can overstate just how impressive a feat that final lowest note was.. As one gets to the limits of ones range, the note not only becomes harder to hit, but even should one hit the note, it takes -so- much training and talent to keep projecting and not allow the "volume" of your voice to drastically decrease. It is ASTOUNDING that as he sings the very lowest note, he not only reaches it but pushes to accentuate that note and make it the loudest part of the phrase! A perfect example how great performances can elevate a brilliant piece and make it even more sublime. I would feel guilty if I didn't give credit to the rest of the performers. Every performer In this scene, did a fantastic job. But the scene was made to showcase the abilities of the singer who portrays the ghost of the commandatore. That being said, Don Gio and also his servant played their parts -perfectly-. And they deserve to be mentioned. As an aside...i...at first...found myself wondering if the bass singer might ever have studied Mongolian throat singing to incorporate so much power into his low registers. However, I concluded that the idea was a bit far fetched..
I've been trying to replicate that note for a year now...Still nowhere near doing it. On top of years of training, I believe it has something to do with the singer's voice as well. So I believe it's a beautiful combination of talent and hard work. Glad someone else was greatly impressed by this!
I never understood why anyone likes opera. I always thought it's one of those things you pretend to like to look cultured or educated, like Shakespeare or French food. I saw this scene in college, and I now understand.
When I first heard it years ago I couldn't believe how good it was. It shattered my conceptions of what music could be. I had never heard harmony create such anticipation and build with modulation like this.
There's something so sinister about this scene, whether it is the fact it was composed by the normally-cheery Mozart, the naturally deep voice of these singing actors, the excellent make-up of the hellish skeletal figures at the end, the story of man's refusal to be decent to others and treating them equally, or everything all together at once. Such a haunting performance like this chills me! Well done to the singers, crew, performers, and the late, great Mozart! My entire body gets covered in goosebumps and chills at 06:44!
@Black Monkey The rarely-sung deep note that follows by Kurt Moll sends shivers to my spine! If you look at the frequency value of the note he sung, it's shockingly close to a number that attracts a certain type of satanic evil... Like the ghosts and demons from Hell visible here! The other screams at 6:30 tempts me to curl up into a ball! The idea behind this scene if it was actually occuring is way scarier than the scariest of horror films, and this was rated G on PBS re-airings! I don't even flinch at jumpscares, even in the most grisly of horror movies rated high as NC-17 (the uncut horror films with strictly graphic violence, of course, as I like to keep things tasteful without the likes of unnecessary, inappropriate sex and nudity).
he was NOT very cheery... debts, the disease that killed him ( likely cirrosis and a tumor from it ...) NOT a happy camper.... Lorenzo Dal Ponte was actually concerned about WAM's health in some if his letters.
I find it an uplifing scene. Don Giovanni dies a free man, refusing to repent or submit to society's morals. A rebel destined for hell as society always wins but it was quite a party.
@@Kevin_Beach There is a vast difference between Mozart and Verdi both in Musical styles and in the beliefs of their time. Mozart wins hands down because of the humanity of his music. In Don Giovanni it is the failings of Humanity, the use of D minor highlighting this issue. If Mozart had lived as long as Verdi, who knows how his music and drama would have developed. By the way going back to the OP's message: It's three bass and baritone. Don't forget Lepporello's contribution to the scene. 'Three Tenors'? Pah - give me three bass/baritones any day!
I'm old enough to remember when *this* was the look and feel of most operas: sumptuously traditional and seeming to carry on a great tradition of music storytelling for younger generations. With so many trashy and peurile modern stagings by "visionaries" and academics - who nevertheless lack moral depth and are devoid of logic - I'm very grateful to have clips like this, to be reminded of what DG looked like when I was growing up.
Exactly. That type of junk was starting to rear its ugly head when I was in college in the 90's. I don't sing professionally anymore, but as I began my singing career the opera scene was starting to get infected with that cr@p. Now it's everywhere. I remember once singing a Magic Flute (Sarastro) where I had to wear a white 'wifebeater' shirt with a purple cape and a paper "Burger King" crown. Ugh.
Without a doubt overwhelming. The intensity, the intrusiveness, and the enormously impactful power of the message emanating from this spectacle. Giovanni meets his higher power and gets his share, receiving what he gave to others. Justice and peace for those left behind.
Ramey is the quintessential basso cantante. Kurt Moll's voice almost seems to be another dimension. If there is such a thing as "the" greatest singer for any particular voice type, Moll would be my pick for basso profondo.
A lot of people seem to not like Moll’s voice for its lack of beauty, but I think it’s one of the things that makes him so unique. He possesses good musicality unlike other profundos, and unlike some with higher voices than him always seems to have control over his voice. I think there are better basses; Siepi and Pinza had beauty that I think has not been matched by any bass since them, but Moll remains unmatched in the areas his voice was best at. Have you heard his recording of Der Wanderer? He sounds more comfortable than most oktavists on that low B.
@@boundary2580 haha I've come across you once again, I saw you on a video about Bryn Terfel few minutes before watching this one, what an odd coincidence
@@wishamahmad2719 probably have left a lot of comments in my years on TH-cam. Also a lot of the same people watch videos like this :) Honestly I wish I could see a list of all my comments and delete the ones that I don’t want anyone to see anymore.
Mine would be the late Martti Talvela. Here he is as commendatory, from a decades-old record, not even a video: th-cam.com/video/StpNf2nDEnE/w-d-xo.html Martti Talvela's voice makes one shiver.
So rose the dreadful ghost from his next and blackest opera. There on the stage, stood the figure of a dead commander. I knew, Only I understood that the horrifying apparition was Leopold, raised from the dead. Wolfgang had actually summoned up his own father to accuse his son, before all the world. It was terrifying and wonderful to watch. And now, the madness began in me, the madness of a man, splitting in half. Through my influence, I saw to it Don Giovanni was played only five times in Vienna, but in secret I went to every one of those five. Worshipping the sound, I alone seem to hear. And as I stood there, understanding how that bitter old man was still possessing his poor son, even from beyond the grave. I began to see a way, A terrible way I could finally triumph over God.
This scene never made sense until I got acquainted with Don Giovanni. For those like me who where confused, Don Giovanni was a person who basically gave no fucks about anybody but himself, spent his days drinking, fighting, and womanizing. He is dragged down to hell by the ghost of a man he kills in the first scene, a father coming to protect his daughter from rape. Mozart (as in the Amadeus depiction, not the real man) similarly spent his days drinking, sleeping around, and overall giving no shits about those around him other than his own music. His father had been the figure that had reigned that in, and later scolded him for it- thus, he is Don Giovanni and his judge is his father, now but a ghost but still very much able to haunt.
@@nelsongllrd Sometimes a great play (and "Amadeus" along with the same author's "Eqqus" are among the truly great plays of the Twentieth Century) does in fact benefit from being seen live, even performed byh a local or college troup[e. I would love to have played Salieri. It was from a troupe like that that I saw"Amadeus", when I was at a collegiate drama festival learning how to be a drama critic. I sadfly admit I completely missed the point of "Waiting for Godot" until discussing it with my drama professor on the drive home.
@@gregoryborton6598 It must have been quite an internal conflict for the dramatic, if not also the real Wolfgang. Psychological analysis from artifacts is perilous at best, so this is but a guess. His father had not been a kind Christlike figure, yet had at least superficially controlled his son. Resolving such conflicts could take until a trans-mortal encounter. We, not knowing the mental baggage that Wolfgang had, could possibly accept the Commendatore as an angel. But the heavenly vibes, which are the only thing that can really convince, wouldn't have been there for Wolfgang, the only hint of them being the textual reference to heavenly food courtesy of Ponte, who at least got to bear some kind of Christian witness to Wolfgang. Anyhow: empty religion is powerless.
After more than 30 years of listening to Don Giovanni, this scene never ceases to chill me. The musical construction is marvelous, no wonder it was rapturously received in Prague at its premiere.
@@likmijnreet4542 I wouldn't have put is so strongly. That sort of scene was required by convention at the time. Musically I do enjoy it as it is Mozart, but yes the opera would not lose out by its removal.
This is legitimately my favorite opera scene ever. Kurt Moll is a fucking insane basso profundo. Outside of operatic settings he could sing an F1 in chest voice, which - anyone in the bass community in general knows that is ungodly - and he sang a clear Bb1 in an operatic setting. Bb1!! That and this D2 at 5:35 really just goes to show how much power he has in his low range. And his upper range is no joke either! He can navigate his secondo passagio super super well, like this entire line at 2:13. Samuel Ramey is also fantastic. His low A in this performance is just phenomenal, his acting and artist vocal choices are also very very good. He and Kurt Moll’s exchange at 5:13 especially the top note at 5:24, those are all supposed to be half notes but it makes much Morse sense to hold them because (for me at least) it adds to that feeling of constant peril, as Giovanni’s soul is literally being ripped out of his body. And 5:24, that I believe is supposed to be a full octave down and is also supposed to be a half note. Ramey just yelling that note in distress is so so cool and adds so much. Ferruccio Furlanetto, although he doesn’t sing much in this scene, you can tell (even though his position to the recording microphone is kinda bad) that he just has an extremely big voice. That’s all I can say about him really from this performance, but his massive massive voice plus his artistic choices (especially at 4:14, that line is not written like that at all but it makes more sense to shout it almost frantically like that) are incredible. I can’t say it enough, this scene is incredible.
[La statua] Don Giovanni A cenar teco m’invitasti E son venuto. [Don Giovanni] Non l’avrei giammai creduto Ma farò quel che potrò Leporello, un'altra cena Fa che subito si porti. [Leporello] Ah, padron! Ah, padron, siam tutti morti. [Don Giovanni] Vanne dico! [La statua] Ferma un po’! Non si pasce di cibo mortale Chi si pasce di cibo celeste Altre cure più gravi di queste Altra brama quaggiù mi guidò. [Leporello] (La terzana d’avere mi sembra E le membra fermar più non so) [Don Giovanni] Parla dunque! Che chiedi? Che vuoi? [La statua] Parlo! Ascolta! Più tempo non ho! [Don Giovanni] Parla, parla, ascoltando ti sto [La statua] Tu m’invitasti a cena Il tuo dover or sai Rispondimi Verrai tu a cenar meco? [Leporello] Ohibò, tempo non ha, scusate [Don Giovanni] A torto di viltate Tacciato mai sarò. [La statua] Risolvi! [Don Giovanni] Ho già risolto! [La statua] Verrai? [Leporello] Dite di no! [Don Giovanni] Ho fermo il cuore in petto Non ho timor, verrò! [La statua] Dammi la mano in pegno! [Don Giovanni] Eccola! Ohimè! [La statua] Cos’hai? [Don Giovanni] Che gelo è questo mai? [La statua] Pentiti, cangia vita Nell’ultimo momento! [Don Giovanni] No, no, ch’io non mi pento Vanne lontan da me! [La statua] Pentiti, scellerato! [Don Giovanni] No, vecchio infatuato! [La statua] Pentiti! [Don Giovanni] No! [La statua] Sì! [Leporello] Sì! [Don Giovanni] No, no! [La statua] Ah, tempo più non v’è! [Don Giovanni] Da qual tremore insolito Sento assalir gli spiriti Dond’escono quei vortici Di foco pien d’orror? [Coro di diavoli] Tutto a tue colpe è poco Vieni, c’è un mal peggior. [Don Giovanni] Chi l’anima mi lacera? Chi m’agita le viscere? Che strazio, ohimé, che smania Che inferno, che terror! [Leporello] (Che ceffo disperato! Che gesti da dannato! Che gridi, che lamenti! Come mi fa terror!)
so nice to see an actual effort being made to make the visuals match the music. I just came back from a Don Giovanni production where in this scene Don G. just stood there 10 meters apart from the Commendatore (just a man in a blood covered shirt) with absolutely nothing else going on on stage. Closing my eyes made the scene 100% better because at least then I truly appreciated how excellent the orchestra was.
At Lyric Opera in Chicago, his dinner table flips into hell as he tries to climb out of it as his food and underwear knock him further into the foggy red abyss
It really requires excellent singers to be able to do dynamic action and such while their singing scenes are going on (and it's also much more expensive to stage a scene like this), but it makes it so damn special when it all comes together!
One of the most beautiful things about this ... in the middle of this through-and-through excellence, there is just one moment where how much joy and emotion these singers were feeling as they were doing this came through... in a moment of close-up, the Commendatore almost does the unthinkable -- catch the eye sparkle and momentary suggestion of a smile as Kurt Moll gets ready to hit that high note at 3:23 like it is the easiest thing to do, knowing all the while that he has got that low D two octaves and a step lower in his back pocket, and he is going to make that look and sound just as easy! This is a terrifying drama ... but the power of the joy these men feel to be performing together at absolute tip-top excellence in this most amazing of scenes also comes through and makes this one of a kind!
And yet somehow Ramey manages to capture a sense of what it would be like to be given to the captivation and tortures of hell, something about which many are warned, in the hope that as few as possible (such a fate being averted by the help of God voluntarily taken) will commit themselves to it. Just to be honest about being a sinner is to grasp the existential danger of this apart from God. Imagining oneself going to the combined torment and thrill of hell (as C. S. Lewis spoke of a "black pleasure") -- without a speck of the fear or the hope in the promised grace of God -- is a very possible thing. Happily, this was only that -- a hypothetical that he could drop the moment the curtain came down -- for the real life Ramey. For the depicted evil Don, it was real to the core. As C. S. Lewis put it, it is only to those not already fully damned that such a fate has any element of being intolerable. If you're afraid of going to hell -- you aren't going to hell, but at worst only close to it. Which still isn't pleasant, but by the wisdom of God is often necessary to teach the fight of heaven. The evil Don had no desire for that kind of fight. He would plunge into an eternity of both abominably woeful torment and abominably gleeful tormenting, the perfect desperate fiend who has found his infernal, everlasting balance and knows a literal nothing of the Christ capable of infinite benevolence in the face of sin. "Parla, parla!" as if the evil Don didn't have every reason to know exactly what the Commendatore was going to say! What willful denial the Don is in. He is willfully yielding to the turning of his soul inside out and upside down. Imagine ourselves divorced from God and adamantly betrothed to Satan -- this is the state. "How he makes me afraid" -- the evil Don is speaking of the Commendatore. Hell fears heaven.
This scene, the apex of the greatest art form that is opera, performed by the greatest trio ever cast in perhaps the greatest opera ever composed, Don Giovanni. What an honor and a privilege to experience it with these singers....Moll, Ramey, Furlanetto in a traditional production that honors the composer as he must have conceived it. Danke schön Herr Mozart!
@@micahmetzker3620 Don Giovanni, the protagonist of Mozart's Don Giovanni, kills the Commendatore (a man in armor with light-blue, silverish skin) in a duel after attempting to seduce the Commendatore's daughter, Donna Anna. Later, Don Giovanni mocks the dead Commendatore's statue by inviting him to dinner. Here, the spirit of the Commendatore actually comes to dinner and in return invites Don Giovanni to dinner. Don Giovanni accepts, but then the Commendatore tells him to repent (because the "dinner" is his death) so that he is saved from hellfire. However, Don Giovanni refuses. The Commendatore then, in the final part of this scene, drags Don Giovanni down into hell. The actors that look like skeletons and monsters are representing the damned who live in hell. Hope that helped! You can find more about it here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Giovanni
I think Moll definitely has the most presence I've ever seen as the commendatore (aside from the one in the movie Amadeus) but Moll actually stood there in elaborate costume and performed at THAT level from start to finish on the stage, so I would say he still wins.
Moll was the brother of my neighbor. He was such an unpretentious person. Even on his high point of his career he came around to sing a hole evening with our local singing club. Imagine that.
So far this is the best version of this scene to me. God dayum I got so many mixed feelings within chills everytime I watch it. I just can't describe it properly.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the talented young man who wrote blissful sweet melodies but also had the potential to write masterpieces as terrifying such as this
By far and away the best production of Don Giovanni I have seen, magnificent performances and amazing sets. How good to see that the late, great Kurt Moll also dyed the inside of his mouth for the final scene. i am always amazed at the singers who don''t do this as part of their make up as the pink mouth in my opinion totally detracts from the image they are trying to project.
@@itamarbar9580 The singer i knew who did this used a green food colouring so that the inside of his mouth would resemble the colour of his costume which reoresented the patina of an old weathered statue. He explained his reason for doing so was to ensure that theatrically it looked better than seeing the inside of a gaping pink mouth.
I do not know if Kurt really did that, but if he did - bravo! You could also use squid or edible printer ink, which creates the same effect. But I’d be more concerned if that stuff may affect the singing voice. If it does not, it’s a wonderful idea!
Damnation. This would have been like Hellbound Hellraiser back then. I bet some people fainted from this back in those days. The mind of Mozart was deep.
@@WilfredIvanhoe Mozart composed the music, the libretto was created by Lorenzo Da Ponte and they based it on the legends of Don Juan by Spanish writer Tirso de Molina
@@CommentaryCentral Don Giovanni is a bit lighter than El Burlador de Sevilla...the Comendadore in the original does not allow Don Juan time to repent. "Que tal haces, que tal pagues" -- whatever one does, he pays for.
This very scene was the irrefutable proof that had Mozart lived, he would have moved in the same direction as Beethoven. Toward Romanticism. His music was starting to transition....his very last piece the REQUIEM ices it for me.
The best recording of this scene. Everything about it is perfect. The singing, the acting, the set, the costumes. Absolutely amazing. Whole version: th-cam.com/video/5jQSj3Vs4LI/w-d-xo.html Thank you kind person who posted it.
@@jk21619 Sadly it is not available on DVD. I think it was due to some copyright issues. The only place where you can watch the whole thing is on Met opera on demand or the one here on TH-cam. I really wish they sold it on DVD I know alot of people would buy it.
A great performance it is, but the genius of great opera is its perfection by an infinite number of great performers, each with their unique interpretation.
Every time I watch… I become more amazed. Such a beautiful interaction between bass and baritone. And then… I become aware of the horror the people watch in the days of Mozart… are the ready for this… I suppose… they are not! At the same time, are we?
So rose the dreadful ghost from his next and blackest opera. There, on the stage, stood the figure of a dead commander. And I knew, only I understood that the horrifying aparition was Leopold, raised from the dead! Wolfgang had actually summoned up his own father to accuse his son before all the world! It was terrifying and wonderful to watch. And now the madness began in me. The madness of the man splitting in half. Through my influence, I saw to it Don Giovanni was played only five times in Vienna. But in secret, I went to every one of those five, worshipping sounds I alone seem to hear. And hour after hour, as I stood there, understanding how that bitter old man was still possessing his poor son even from beyond the grave. I began to see a way, a terrible way, I could finally triumph over God
Beyond description; this will not be equalled in our time. Absolutely phenomenal singing and what can a mere mortal say about Mozart. Thank you so much for posting.
Mozart managed to create in this scene a symbiosis between the earthly and the phantasmagoric that was not repeated in the entire history of opera. And this version managed to capture it tremendously
I had the great fortune to see Don Giovanni performed many times at the Vienna Opera House in 1976 and one time at the Met in New York City. This scene still takes my breathe away every time.
This is the first time ever I've read subtitles of the opera and I didn't expect it to be that epic. I want to listen to the whole opera with subtitles now.
Unfortunately the rest of the opera is not this epic. This is def one of the most mind-blowing opera scenes ever composed, specially when considering the time during which it was created
I have watched manny performance's of this scene,but this performance is absolute unique and my favourite,every aspect is brilliant: costumes,regie,voices,acting.Only this performance make me feel the drama,it gives me chills.
I've never seen "Don Giovanni" (the opera) but the theatre play "Don Juan Tenorio" by José Zorrilla is very famous in Spain. It follows the same plot and characters. In some villages and cities it's played in the streets on the night of the 31st of October.
Even the demons dread Hell. Someone like Don Giovanni has countless millennia of suffering to regret his decisions, and stubborn denial when given a chance at repentance. The pleasures of the flesh pale in comparison to the despair which he will endure of the spirit. “Come there is worse in store!”
Absolutely FANTASTIC !!! GOOD everything: scenario, acting, lighting, voices, AMBIANCE. THIS is what Opera is all about: sung theatre with a genius touch. I wish we still have that...
I still get goose bumps when I remember the time I was on stage with Sam singing in the chorus of the WO production of Mephistopheles. Man, what a memory!
like three times a year I sit and go through several different versions of this scene sung by different groups. This is my clear favorite. Nothing wrong with the others, but this one just adds another dimension.
This is by far one of the most horrifying scenes ever (movies, TV, opera, you name it). The depiction of Hell at the end just simply showing the absence of God and suffering of the minions at the hands of the demons is extremely chilling.
To refuse the invitation of the one is to accept the invitation of the other... one sent a messenger to "stand at the door and knock" and to extend an invitation to dine at the heavenly table ... the other awaited the refusal to repent, and sent agents to rise to meet the thus-doomed guest! It IS terrifying, for good reason -- who knows when their last day is, and when the final choice must be made?
That's right. The most chilling thing is how Giovanni, upon losing his last chance, is utterly overcome with panic and anguish once he realizes what awaits him for eternity. It shows how his earlier bravado was based on ignorance.
@@jamestown8398 Sad, willful ignorance ... Il Commendatore himself, come not for revenge but in MERCY, especially considered by the standards of that day, is sufficient evidence that heaven sincerely is making an offer of grace. But while the pleasures of sin might yet be available, Giovanni wants them, and so says NO ... and, while he is refusing, the time for all grace, mercy, and pleasure runs out on him. Giovanni never even has time to catch up with when time stops and the first horror begins ... and then the next one ... and the next one ... and the next one ... with more to come FOREVER...
aw come on, dont disrepect furlanetto like that lol hes iconic. theres seldom any basses who play the role as well as he does but i agree 100%, the cast on stage here is absolutely fantastic
I love everything about this performance, all three men did such an amazing job. But my absolute favorite is Ramey's last screams of "Che inferno, che terror!" He perfectly nails the anguish. It cuts me right to the heart every single time and I see what the Don sees (moreso even than the gorgeous imagery conveyed here) and I feel his fear and dismay.
ever since I head this as a kid on the radio or so I could never forget the feeling asked my dad for a cd of the play - and while I didnt understand much of it that scene always amazed me - just otherworldly
The real moral here, your clock is ticking. If you’re reading this your clock is ticking. Ask yourself; what all you have to answer for. You never know who may show up for dinner.
A part from a very good Don Giovanni performance: Kurt Moll is such a great commandatore and the ending is so beautiful wienerisch - also the dark Prag. Wonderful made!
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To everyone who has loved this video - thank you from the bottom of my heart... 1 Million Views!
It has also been a great honor to have met all 3 of these amazing singers over the years - Moll at La Scala, and both Ramey and Furlanetto in San Francisco. This video gives a perfect example of 3 stellar singers at the top of their game performing Grand Opera. Thanks again.
One million. congratulations. your video now is part of history. and in the coming years this video will continue getting millions of views. Grettings from a latin country...
Tbh i would of not expected it from this aria in particular, operatic basso never get big number of views, imo the movie Amadeus had to do a lot with this phenomenom. Big congrats nonetheless, well deserved it. (About time something outside of the tenor spectrum gets this love hehe)
Wolfi to napsal na Bertramce u nás na Smíchově ty blbe
😊😊ppm0pmm
Going to see this opera next fall, I am overjoyed!
When you invite your Gf's dad over for dinner as a joke, but he actually shows up
...after you killed him!
@@phill3066then who was phone????
😂 brilliant 👏
😂😂😂😂
Wearing one of those T-shirts "RULES FOR DATING MY DAUGHTER"
Its not about that.@djzio
'Ah master, we are dead!'
Good way to get out of having to cook.
So hard to find good help these days.
Hahaha!
HAHAHAHAHA
Весьма слабое утешение!
The meal was already cooked, Giovanny merely wanted Leporrelo to bring out another serving. Still, Leporello would have none of it, as he fears for his soul as well as his life.
Don Giovanni: I ain't scared of nothing
Don Giovanni a minute later: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
I love this version. It's perfectly acted, amazingly atmospheric and just a feast for eyes, ears and soul. That's why I love opera, for moments like this one. Also, the way Ramey just yells instead hitting the proper notes is genius, really elevates this performance. But I both singers are impecable artist so It wasn't really a suprise for me. Brawo!
And as a hobbyist costume designer, I must say I love the costumes in the entire production. They really suit the characters!
lol
Mess Around and Find Out, 19th-century edition...
The cost of toxic masculinity
The title of the opera is "il dissoluto punito" (The punished dissolute). He was an horrible person through his entire life. Personally I find admirable the fact that he doesn't repent at the very last second even he knows what will happen to him. I always found it coherent with his character.
The makeup and direction of the ghosts at the end are amazing.
I know, it’s so utterly nightmarish. The way the damned come out of the dark gives me chills every time I watch this. Kudos to the art director, absolutely phenomenal.
But yet l still dream of a production that will render this scene so terrifying that we will be unable to see it. Opera always pulls its punches, even in this scene. I have been trying to find new elements to make it more fear-inspiring, truly terrifying, not ‘opera-terrifying’. A marriage with theatre might be the way forward. Lose should have done it with his film. Perhaps Leporello is the catalyst. No longer a comic part, he should amplify the terror, not ham it up.
The Extras are GoT
Yes! Those hideous ghostly creatures were pure genious. Visually the whole scene was to die for (no pun intended).
@@SmudgerSmith-lh7wv Very interesting! I hope your idea can be brought to fruition. I was thinking that one forgets they are listening to Mozart: it is scary music.
Moral? Dont ask a statue on a date, the statue may bring its own food
There is a novel by Mérimée, the Venus of Illé, where a man dates a statue of Venus.
@@gengis737 - but girls expect to be taken to a restaurant, then you're safe?
Anyhow, I am not sure I would mind being taken home to Venus by herself
Thinking of this encounter as a date is exactly right. The running joke in the opera is that the famous seducer keeps trying but does not succeed at even one seduction during the opera. Then at the end he is seduced into agreeing to go to dinner with the statue. This production gets this visual right, that the Don seals the deal by offering his hand when demanded by the statue (Dammi la mano in pegno.), as earlier the Don had asked for Zerlina's (La ci darem la mano). The statue never lets go, just as one never returns from a meal where this date is taking you.
@@doncarlodivargas5497 In the novel, the man, who is marrying a woman, jokingly put his ring to the finger of the statue of Venus, to play sport more conveniently. But the next night, he is found dead, all bones broken as if crushed by a stone, and the statue has disappeared.
1830s horror novel.
@@gengis737 - even in the 1830 the men enjoyed the women on top? At least until their bones began to break?
My god, Salieri was right: “It was….. terrifying and wonderful to watch” So glad I found this one.
"But Mozart's music is so happy and frivolous.."
Yeah. Right.
The most terrifying music ever, the climax of Don Giovanni.
To that the Mozart Fantasias say "Hold my beer.."
And that Requiem!
Nothing cute and cuddly about this scene! It’s always freaked me out!
@@joansuttonI quite agree!!!!
WAM dealt with many topics and was able to pin point man’s joys and here his darkest fears with as only he could. Rest In Peace
Everybody gangsta until Commendatore appears.
"It was... terrifying and wonderful to watch"
I understood the reference and i loved it ❤️❤️
Salieri reference lol
A man of culture, I see👍
It was a divine singer.
Ri killed mozart
The best fianale of an opera ever. So sinister. So unexpected. So needed. The strings are like hell fire.
A concluding ensemble delivers the moral of the opera - "Such is the end of the evildoer: the death of a sinner always reflects his life". Productions for over a century - beginning with the original run in Prague - customarily omitted the final ensemble, but it frequently reappeared in the 20th century and productions of the opera now usually include it.
Actually, while this SHOULD have been where the opera ended, Mozart tacked on an ensemble piece that seems awfully anticlimactic, with the singers offering a "see what happens to bad people" conclusion. IMO, Meyerbeer did it better in his "Robert le Diable."
@@operablogger I think it says more about society rather than Mozart and Da Ponte's skills as dramatists that it felt the need to "improve" the libretto by asserting Don Giovanni as some sort of noble and romantic anti-hero. Powerful sociopaths are charming, yes, but they're still criminals who cause wanton destruction and should rightfully be punished. In light of recent social upheaval about serial abusers, I think this has actually turned out to be a more subversive point to make.
@@eddbrowne
Mozart, Verdi, Čajkovskij
@@rossmerchant8435 Bravo!
The music is utterly timeless. As sinister, beautiful and astounding today as it was 236 years ago.
Mozart at his Finest!!
Perfect interpretation.
I have always been amazed how Don Giovanni damns himself, not by human weakness, but to be true to his choice of a careless and fearless life.
he chose to go to hell
because heaven is for "beta males"
@@therearenoshortcuts9868 You mean, "alpha males" prefer to be flogged and burned by (male) daemons ?
Perhaps in England.
@@gengis737
thats what they seem to prefer these days lol
@@gengis737 they sus
The first sigma male
When the ghost of the commendatore says "Your time is up." at around 5:30, the note the bass singer hits at the very end of the phrase is so terrifically clean and yet so unnaturally low, he adds an inhuman and terrifying final accent to his phenomenal performance that is very real and requires no makeup or smoke. Fantastico!
I didn't want to make my initial comment any longer than it was so ill continue the point I wanted to bring up here... i don't think I can overstate just how impressive a feat that final lowest note was.. As one gets to the limits of ones range, the note not only becomes harder to hit, but even should one hit the note, it takes -so- much training and talent to keep projecting and not allow the "volume" of your voice to drastically decrease. It is ASTOUNDING that as he sings the very lowest note, he not only reaches it but pushes to accentuate that note and make it the loudest part of the phrase! A perfect example how great performances can elevate a brilliant piece and make it even more sublime.
I would feel guilty if I didn't give credit to the rest of the performers. Every performer In this scene, did a fantastic job. But the scene was made to showcase the abilities of the singer who portrays the ghost of the commandatore.
That being said, Don Gio and also his servant played their parts -perfectly-. And they deserve to be mentioned.
As an aside...i...at first...found myself wondering if the bass singer might ever have studied Mongolian throat singing to incorporate so much power into his low registers. However, I concluded that the idea was a bit far fetched..
Completely underrated comment. Probably my favorite part of the entire scene is that note.
Wow. Thanks for pointing this out. You are correct. That note is..a lot of things all at once.
He sounds more like Russian basso profondo aka Oktavist.
Very good post
I've been trying to replicate that note for a year now...Still nowhere near doing it. On top of years of training, I believe it has something to do with the singer's voice as well. So I believe it's a beautiful combination of talent and hard work. Glad someone else was greatly impressed by this!
Approximately 500 of these views are mine. Mozart is such a genius.
At least a thousand are mine!
Fantastic. I sometimes have to remind myself that he was in his early 30s when he wrote this piece.
I never understood why anyone likes opera. I always thought it's one of those things you pretend to like to look cultured or educated, like Shakespeare or French food. I saw this scene in college, and I now understand.
French food is actually very nice as well
Once you get used to reading the antiquated english, Shakespeare is epic! and absolutely hilarious!
Thats because such "elevated" art forms are blocked by the wall of complexity, you need a minimum of culture to be able to understand it.
@@marfdasko I actually love to pretend I like French food, everytime I see it
"I always thought it's one of those things you pretend to like to look cultured or educated"
What the actual f*ck is this logic...
Quite possibly my favourite moment of any opera. It is SO powerful, and it sends a shiver down my spine.
When I first heard it years ago I couldn't believe how good it was. It shattered my conceptions of what music could be. I had never heard harmony create such anticipation and build with modulation like this.
where can i find the full recording?
Tenk at Mozart rakk å fullføre 28 opera er før Han forlot denne verden.
The best Commendatore I've heared
That scream is 6:23 is great. He goes outside the musical scale, but still keeps a singing quality to it
Yes! And at 5:23 as well. Sounds great
Yes I just adore the emotion he put into it. Sooooo good
If you gotta SCREAM - why not do it with some style ?
I would prefer a real scream
Incredible performance, and on time too! Perhaps the best I’ve ever seen.
Unsurpassable! The singing, the acting, the sets, the direction - sometimes the fates conspire to make something perfect and this was one of them!
There's something so sinister about this scene, whether it is the fact it was composed by the normally-cheery Mozart, the naturally deep voice of these singing actors, the excellent make-up of the hellish skeletal figures at the end, the story of man's refusal to be decent to others and treating them equally, or everything all together at once. Such a haunting performance like this chills me! Well done to the singers, crew, performers, and the late, great Mozart! My entire body gets covered in goosebumps and chills at 06:44!
@Black Monkey The rarely-sung deep note that follows by Kurt Moll sends shivers to my spine! If you look at the frequency value of the note he sung, it's shockingly close to a number that attracts a certain type of satanic evil... Like the ghosts and demons from Hell visible here! The other screams at 6:30 tempts me to curl up into a ball! The idea behind this scene if it was actually occuring is way scarier than the scariest of horror films, and this was rated G on PBS re-airings! I don't even flinch at jumpscares, even in the most grisly of horror movies rated high as NC-17 (the uncut horror films with strictly graphic violence, of course, as I like to keep things tasteful without the likes of unnecessary, inappropriate sex and nudity).
he was NOT very cheery... debts, the disease that killed him ( likely cirrosis and a tumor from it ...) NOT a happy camper.... Lorenzo Dal Ponte was actually concerned about WAM's health in some if his letters.
I find it an uplifing scene. Don Giovanni dies a free man, refusing to repent or submit to society's morals. A rebel destined for hell as society always wins but it was quite a party.
It was the refusal of a man to REPENT.
Mozart was not "cheery".
Only Mozart could have made a No1 hit scene between a Bass and a Baritone...
What about Verdi's duet between Philip II and the Grand Inquisitor?
@@Kevin_Beach indeed
@@Kevin_Beach There is a vast difference between Mozart and Verdi both in Musical styles and in the beliefs of their time. Mozart wins hands down because of the humanity of his music. In Don Giovanni it is the failings of Humanity, the use of D minor highlighting this issue. If Mozart had lived as long as Verdi, who knows how his music and drama would have developed. By the way going back to the OP's message: It's three bass and baritone. Don't forget Lepporello's contribution to the scene. 'Three Tenors'? Pah - give me three bass/baritones any day!
What about Borodin
I could never have fortuned a bass between baritone. May we all die bye the dwaf or the whine!
I'm old enough to remember when *this* was the look and feel of most operas: sumptuously traditional and seeming to carry on a great tradition of music storytelling for younger generations. With so many trashy and peurile modern stagings by "visionaries" and academics - who nevertheless lack moral depth and are devoid of logic - I'm very grateful to have clips like this, to be reminded of what DG looked like when I was growing up.
Exactly. That type of junk was starting to rear its ugly head when I was in college in the 90's. I don't sing professionally anymore, but as I began my singing career the opera scene was starting to get infected with that cr@p. Now it's everywhere. I remember once singing a Magic Flute (Sarastro) where I had to wear a white 'wifebeater' shirt with a purple cape and a paper "Burger King" crown. Ugh.
This is opera at its finest; music composed by Mozart, arguably the greatest composer who ever lived.
Without a doubt overwhelming. The intensity, the intrusiveness, and the enormously impactful power of the message emanating from this spectacle. Giovanni meets his higher power and gets his share, receiving what he gave to others. Justice and peace for those left behind.
Of the dozens and dozens of performances of this opera I have seen, no Commendatore has ever hit the low notes Moll hits. Amazing performance.
Ramey is the quintessential basso cantante. Kurt Moll's voice almost seems to be another dimension. If there is such a thing as "the" greatest singer for any particular voice type, Moll would be my pick for basso profondo.
A lot of people seem to not like Moll’s voice for its lack of beauty, but I think it’s one of the things that makes him so unique. He possesses good musicality unlike other profundos, and unlike some with higher voices than him always seems to have control over his voice. I think there are better basses; Siepi and Pinza had beauty that I think has not been matched by any bass since them, but Moll remains unmatched in the areas his voice was best at. Have you heard his recording of Der Wanderer? He sounds more comfortable than most oktavists on that low B.
@@boundary2580 haha I've come across you once again, I saw you on a video about Bryn Terfel few minutes before watching this one, what an odd coincidence
@@wishamahmad2719 probably have left a lot of comments in my years on TH-cam. Also a lot of the same people watch videos like this :) Honestly I wish I could see a list of all my comments and delete the ones that I don’t want anyone to see anymore.
Mine would be the late Martti Talvela. Here he is as commendatory, from a decades-old record, not even a video:
th-cam.com/video/StpNf2nDEnE/w-d-xo.html
Martti Talvela's voice makes one shiver.
Oh well, Giulio Neri...
So rose the dreadful ghost from his next and blackest opera.
There on the stage, stood the figure of a dead commander.
I knew, Only I understood that the horrifying apparition
was Leopold, raised from the dead.
Wolfgang had actually summoned up his own father
to accuse his son, before all the world.
It was terrifying and wonderful to watch.
And now, the madness began in me, the madness of a man, splitting in half.
Through my influence, I saw to it Don Giovanni was played only five times in Vienna,
but in secret I went to every one of those five. Worshipping the sound, I alone
seem to hear.
And as I stood there, understanding how that bitter old man
was still possessing his poor son, even from beyond the grave.
I began to see a way, A terrible way I could finally triumph over God.
Love this movie so much since i was a kid!
This scene never made sense until I got acquainted with Don Giovanni. For those like me who where confused, Don Giovanni was a person who basically gave no fucks about anybody but himself, spent his days drinking, fighting, and womanizing. He is dragged down to hell by the ghost of a man he kills in the first scene, a father coming to protect his daughter from rape.
Mozart (as in the Amadeus depiction, not the real man) similarly spent his days drinking, sleeping around, and overall giving no shits about those around him other than his own music. His father had been the figure that had reigned that in, and later scolded him for it- thus, he is Don Giovanni and his judge is his father, now but a ghost but still very much able to haunt.
@@nelsongllrd Sometimes a great play (and "Amadeus" along with the same author's "Eqqus" are among the truly great plays of the Twentieth Century) does in fact benefit from being seen live, even performed byh a local or college troup[e. I would love to have played Salieri. It was from a troupe like that that I saw"Amadeus", when I was at a collegiate drama festival learning how to be a drama critic.
I sadfly admit I completely missed the point of "Waiting for Godot" until discussing it with my drama professor on the drive home.
@@gregoryborton6598 It must have been quite an internal conflict for the dramatic, if not also the real Wolfgang. Psychological analysis from artifacts is perilous at best, so this is but a guess. His father had not been a kind Christlike figure, yet had at least superficially controlled his son. Resolving such conflicts could take until a trans-mortal encounter. We, not knowing the mental baggage that Wolfgang had, could possibly accept the Commendatore as an angel. But the heavenly vibes, which are the only thing that can really convince, wouldn't have been there for Wolfgang, the only hint of them being the textual reference to heavenly food courtesy of Ponte, who at least got to bear some kind of Christian witness to Wolfgang.
Anyhow: empty religion is powerless.
Amazing writing
After more than 30 years of listening to Don Giovanni, this scene never ceases to chill me. The musical construction is marvelous, no wonder it was rapturously received in Prague at its premiere.
too bad it's immediately followed by a cheerful "Ding dong the witch is gone" type scene.
@@likmijnreet4542 I wouldn't have put is so strongly. That sort of scene was required by convention at the time. Musically I do enjoy it as it is Mozart, but yes the opera would not lose out by its removal.
@@likmijnreet4542 Mozart ultimately agreed, and removed the last scene from the Vienna production.
@@AGMundy😂
This is legitimately my favorite opera scene ever.
Kurt Moll is a fucking insane basso profundo. Outside of operatic settings he could sing an F1 in chest voice, which - anyone in the bass community in general knows that is ungodly - and he sang a clear Bb1 in an operatic setting. Bb1!! That and this D2 at 5:35 really just goes to show how much power he has in his low range. And his upper range is no joke either! He can navigate his secondo passagio super super well, like this entire line at 2:13.
Samuel Ramey is also fantastic. His low A in this performance is just phenomenal, his acting and artist vocal choices are also very very good. He and Kurt Moll’s exchange at 5:13 especially the top note at 5:24, those are all supposed to be half notes but it makes much Morse sense to hold them because (for me at least) it adds to that feeling of constant peril, as Giovanni’s soul is literally being ripped out of his body. And 5:24, that I believe is supposed to be a full octave down and is also supposed to be a half note. Ramey just yelling that note in distress is so so cool and adds so much.
Ferruccio Furlanetto, although he doesn’t sing much in this scene, you can tell (even though his position to the recording microphone is kinda bad) that he just has an extremely big voice. That’s all I can say about him really from this performance, but his massive massive voice plus his artistic choices (especially at 4:14, that line is not written like that at all but it makes more sense to shout it almost frantically like that) are incredible.
I can’t say it enough, this scene is incredible.
[La statua]
Don Giovanni
A cenar teco m’invitasti
E son venuto.
[Don Giovanni]
Non l’avrei giammai creduto
Ma farò quel che potrò
Leporello, un'altra cena
Fa che subito si porti.
[Leporello]
Ah, padron!
Ah, padron, siam tutti morti.
[Don Giovanni]
Vanne dico!
[La statua]
Ferma un po’!
Non si pasce di cibo mortale
Chi si pasce di cibo celeste
Altre cure più gravi di queste
Altra brama quaggiù mi guidò.
[Leporello]
(La terzana d’avere mi sembra
E le membra fermar più non so)
[Don Giovanni]
Parla dunque! Che chiedi? Che vuoi?
[La statua]
Parlo! Ascolta! Più tempo non ho!
[Don Giovanni]
Parla, parla, ascoltando ti sto
[La statua]
Tu m’invitasti a cena
Il tuo dover or sai
Rispondimi
Verrai tu a cenar meco?
[Leporello]
Ohibò, tempo non ha, scusate
[Don Giovanni]
A torto di viltate
Tacciato mai sarò.
[La statua]
Risolvi!
[Don Giovanni]
Ho già risolto!
[La statua]
Verrai?
[Leporello]
Dite di no!
[Don Giovanni]
Ho fermo il cuore in petto
Non ho timor, verrò!
[La statua]
Dammi la mano in pegno!
[Don Giovanni]
Eccola! Ohimè!
[La statua]
Cos’hai?
[Don Giovanni]
Che gelo è questo mai?
[La statua]
Pentiti, cangia vita
Nell’ultimo momento!
[Don Giovanni]
No, no, ch’io non mi pento
Vanne lontan da me!
[La statua]
Pentiti, scellerato!
[Don Giovanni]
No, vecchio infatuato!
[La statua]
Pentiti!
[Don Giovanni]
No!
[La statua]
Sì!
[Leporello]
Sì!
[Don Giovanni]
No, no!
[La statua]
Ah, tempo più non v’è!
[Don Giovanni]
Da qual tremore insolito
Sento assalir gli spiriti
Dond’escono quei vortici
Di foco pien d’orror?
[Coro di diavoli]
Tutto a tue colpe è poco
Vieni, c’è un mal peggior.
[Don Giovanni]
Chi l’anima mi lacera?
Chi m’agita le viscere?
Che strazio, ohimé, che smania
Che inferno, che terror!
[Leporello]
(Che ceffo disperato!
Che gesti da dannato!
Che gridi, che lamenti!
Come mi fa terror!)
Gracias Juan José, le he disfrutado mil veces mas con la letra original.
Gracias primo perdido 🙌
Gracias 🇲🇽 saludos
Thx
so nice to see an actual effort being made to make the visuals match the music. I just came back from a Don Giovanni production where in this scene Don G. just stood there 10 meters apart from the Commendatore (just a man in a blood covered shirt) with absolutely nothing else going on on stage. Closing my eyes made the scene 100% better because at least then I truly appreciated how excellent the orchestra was.
At Lyric Opera in Chicago, his dinner table flips into hell as he tries to climb out of it as his food and underwear knock him further into the foggy red abyss
It really requires excellent singers to be able to do dynamic action and such while their singing scenes are going on (and it's also much more expensive to stage a scene like this), but it makes it so damn special when it all comes together!
One of the most beautiful things about this ... in the middle of this through-and-through excellence, there is just one moment where how much joy and emotion these singers were feeling as they were doing this came through... in a moment of close-up, the Commendatore almost does the unthinkable -- catch the eye sparkle and momentary suggestion of a smile as Kurt Moll gets ready to hit that high note at 3:23 like it is the easiest thing to do, knowing all the while that he has got that low D two octaves and a step lower in his back pocket, and he is going to make that look and sound just as easy!
This is a terrifying drama ... but the power of the joy these men feel to be performing together at absolute tip-top excellence in this most amazing of scenes also comes through and makes this one of a kind!
Very nice observation.
And yet somehow Ramey manages to capture a sense of what it would be like to be given to the captivation and tortures of hell, something about which many are warned, in the hope that as few as possible (such a fate being averted by the help of God voluntarily taken) will commit themselves to it. Just to be honest about being a sinner is to grasp the existential danger of this apart from God. Imagining oneself going to the combined torment and thrill of hell (as C. S. Lewis spoke of a "black pleasure") -- without a speck of the fear or the hope in the promised grace of God -- is a very possible thing. Happily, this was only that -- a hypothetical that he could drop the moment the curtain came down -- for the real life Ramey. For the depicted evil Don, it was real to the core.
As C. S. Lewis put it, it is only to those not already fully damned that such a fate has any element of being intolerable. If you're afraid of going to hell -- you aren't going to hell, but at worst only close to it. Which still isn't pleasant, but by the wisdom of God is often necessary to teach the fight of heaven. The evil Don had no desire for that kind of fight. He would plunge into an eternity of both abominably woeful torment and abominably gleeful tormenting, the perfect desperate fiend who has found his infernal, everlasting balance and knows a literal nothing of the Christ capable of infinite benevolence in the face of sin.
"Parla, parla!" as if the evil Don didn't have every reason to know exactly what the Commendatore was going to say! What willful denial the Don is in. He is willfully yielding to the turning of his soul inside out and upside down. Imagine ourselves divorced from God and adamantly betrothed to Satan -- this is the state.
"How he makes me afraid" -- the evil Don is speaking of the Commendatore. Hell fears heaven.
Completely agree Deeann!
This scene, the apex of the greatest art form that is opera, performed by the greatest trio ever cast in perhaps the greatest opera ever composed, Don Giovanni. What an honor and a privilege to experience it with these singers....Moll, Ramey, Furlanetto in a traditional production that honors the composer as he must have conceived it. Danke schön Herr Mozart!
❤🔥
In Joseph Losey's filmed version, Raimondi, Mc Curdy & José Van Dam weren't bad either.
The depth of the voicing in this scene is breathtaking! One of Mozart’s best operas!
Lol, you mean the singer? Fuckin glorious singer.
This opera openenddiskussion the Doors to the next Century of music until to today. The pomusic already discovered this gigantic music.
There's no atheist when commendatore arrives for dinner.
The Equalizer is soon here.
Hey, can you explain to me what is going on here? I would like to apreciate this as much as everybody else 😢
@@micahmetzker3620 Don Giovanni, the protagonist of Mozart's Don Giovanni, kills the Commendatore (a man in armor with light-blue, silverish skin) in a duel after attempting to seduce the Commendatore's daughter, Donna Anna. Later, Don Giovanni mocks the dead Commendatore's statue by inviting him to dinner. Here, the spirit of the Commendatore actually comes to dinner and in return invites Don Giovanni to dinner. Don Giovanni accepts, but then the Commendatore tells him to repent (because the "dinner" is his death) so that he is saved from hellfire. However, Don Giovanni refuses. The Commendatore then, in the final part of this scene, drags Don Giovanni down into hell. The actors that look like skeletons and monsters are representing the damned who live in hell. Hope that helped! You can find more about it here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Giovanni
Damn the way Ramey hits that note right at 6:28 gives me chills man
I LOVE the art direction for this production. Truly hellish and ethereal.
I have always been amazed at the 'screams' at 6:25 and 6:28. The way they are the perfect pitch. It is so harrowing and beatiful.
This totally enthralled and freaked out my 4th graders. They think opera is so cool now. It was magical. 😁🎶
Kurt Moll. Fantastic Gurnemanz, Awesome Sarastro, Terrifying Commendatore. An absolute Legend.
Moll was the most majestic singer of this role ever in my opinion. The power of his voice put even Ramy in the shade, not something easily done.
I think Moll definitely has the most presence I've ever seen as the commendatore (aside from the one in the movie Amadeus) but Moll actually stood there in elaborate costume and performed at THAT level from start to finish on the stage, so I would say he still wins.
Moll was the brother of my neighbor. He was such an unpretentious person. Even on his high point of his career he came around to sing a hole evening with our local singing club. Imagine that.
This is so intense wtf
Samuel Ramey is the best! His looks, his voice and THAT SCREAM!!!😱
So far this is the best version of this scene to me. God dayum I got so many mixed feelings within chills everytime I watch it. I just can't describe it properly.
It's 2024 and I got chills from watching this!!! Frigging Masterpiece Opera
If I was a kid and saw it live it'll give me nightmares
Perhaps the greatest scene of the opera.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the talented young man who wrote blissful sweet melodies but also had the potential to write masterpieces as terrifying such as this
By far and away the best production of Don Giovanni I have seen, magnificent performances and amazing sets. How good to see that the late, great Kurt Moll also dyed the inside of his mouth for the final scene. i am always amazed at the singers who don''t do this as part of their make up as the pink mouth in my opinion totally detracts from the image they are trying to project.
How the hell you paint the inside of the mouth?!?!?!?!?!
@@itamarbar9580 The singer i knew who did this used a green food colouring so that the inside of his mouth would resemble the colour of his costume which reoresented the patina of an old weathered statue. He explained his reason for doing so was to ensure that theatrically it looked better than seeing the inside of a gaping pink mouth.
I do not know if Kurt really did that, but if he did - bravo! You could also use squid or edible printer ink, which creates the same effect. But I’d be more concerned if that stuff may affect the singing voice. If it does not, it’s a wonderful idea!
Fantastic! I'm breathless with awe. I want to cry. Voices, strings immaculate.......Scary........goosebumps....oh.. my...God.........
Well, what did you expect from an opera? A _happy_ ending?
Well, Giovanni's death feels like a happy ending
I killed the wabbit.
Damnation.
This would have been like Hellbound Hellraiser back then.
I bet some people fainted from this back in those days.
The mind of Mozart was deep.
Will you dine with me?
I'll tear your soul apaaart!
It is said that Mozart channeled his own father issues and feelings of guilt into the opera.
@@WilfredIvanhoe Mozart composed the music, the libretto was created by Lorenzo Da Ponte and they based it on the legends of Don Juan by Spanish writer Tirso de Molina
@@CommentaryCentral Don Giovanni is a bit lighter than El Burlador de Sevilla...the Comendadore in the original does not allow Don Juan time to repent. "Que tal haces, que tal pagues" -- whatever one does, he pays for.
The 1700s were a time of excess and hedonism, so I'm sure Don Giovanni's end would have hit a lot of people in the audience close to home.
This very scene was the irrefutable proof that had Mozart lived, he would have moved in the same direction as Beethoven. Toward Romanticism. His music was starting to transition....his very last piece the REQUIEM ices it for me.
The best recording of this scene. Everything about it is perfect. The singing, the acting, the set, the costumes. Absolutely amazing.
Whole version: th-cam.com/video/5jQSj3Vs4LI/w-d-xo.html
Thank you kind person who posted it.
I'm trying to buy this on DVD/Blu Ray. If you have an idea (or a link) where I can find it, please share :) Thanks!
@@jk21619 Sadly it is not available on DVD. I think it was due to some copyright issues. The only place where you can watch the whole thing is on Met opera on demand or the one here on TH-cam. I really wish they sold it on DVD I know alot of people would buy it.
@@emmamcallister1743 same
Met Opera on Demand it is... Thanks for the prompt reply!
Indeed.
A great performance it is, but the genius of great opera is its perfection by an infinite number of great performers, each with their unique interpretation.
I am addicted to this clip!!Thank you
Every time I watch… I become more amazed. Such a beautiful interaction between bass and baritone. And then… I become aware of the horror the people watch in the days of Mozart… are the ready for this… I suppose… they are not! At the same time, are we?
So rose the dreadful ghost from his next and blackest opera. There, on the stage, stood the figure of a dead commander. And I knew, only I understood that the horrifying aparition was Leopold, raised from the dead! Wolfgang had actually summoned up his own father to accuse his son before all the world! It was terrifying and wonderful to watch. And now the madness began in me. The madness of the man splitting in half. Through my influence, I saw to it Don Giovanni was played only five times in Vienna. But in secret, I went to every one of those five, worshipping sounds I alone seem to hear. And hour after hour, as I stood there, understanding how that bitter old man was still possessing his poor son even from beyond the grave. I began to see a way, a terrible way, I could finally triumph over God
“Other more important matters than your silly dinner invitation brought me here” he sounds like business 😂
This is the most successful Commendatore Scene of all times, and of all other versions.
Not really.The version from Amadeus is better but that wasn't performed live at an opera so...
Ramey, Moll, Furlanetto! What a cast!!!
The walls of death enclosing them is just absolutely phenomenal. I wish I could have seen this particular performance in person.
Thx Wolfie for your 35 years you spend on earth
I bet he had complimentary tickets at Micheal Jackson’s shows.
Beyond description; this will not be equalled in our time. Absolutely phenomenal singing and what can a mere mortal say about Mozart. Thank you so much for posting.
Mozart managed to create in this scene a symbiosis between the earthly and the phantasmagoric that was not repeated in the entire history of opera. And this version managed to capture it tremendously
❤🔥
This is heavy metal from the 18th Century....chilling \m/
A bit anachronistic
They mean because it was so epic and dramatic. Anyone who listens to metal knew what they meant.
Except it's miles better.
They wish!
No it’s not. Metal lacks the center element of
this composition, elegance.
I had the great fortune to see Don Giovanni performed many times at the Vienna Opera House in 1976 and one time at the Met in New York City. This scene still takes my breathe away every time.
Look for 'Mozart Complete Works in Minor keys' and tremble before Mozart's dark divine music!!!!
I can't stop watching this scene.
Especially Kurt Moll nailed me down here.
1 person didn't listen to the statue and got dragged off to Hell.
Sam Ramey, Kurt Moll, and Furruccio Furlanetto all together? Yes Please!
The three men are astounding ! Fantastic ! Kurt Moll is just divine. WOOOF ! It gives me goose bumps each time!
Mozart you magnificent bastard!
This is the first time ever I've read subtitles of the opera and I didn't expect it to be that epic. I want to listen to the whole opera with subtitles now.
Unfortunately the rest of the opera is not this epic. This is def one of the most mind-blowing opera scenes ever composed, specially when considering the time during which it was created
I have watched manny performance's of this scene,but this performance is absolute unique and my favourite,every aspect is brilliant: costumes,regie,voices,acting.Only this performance make me feel the drama,it gives me chills.
I've never seen "Don Giovanni" (the opera) but the theatre play "Don Juan Tenorio" by José Zorrilla is very famous in Spain. It follows the same plot and characters. In some villages and cities it's played in the streets on the night of the 31st of October.
Don Giovanni ofcMozart is the summit of western opera. This scene is beyond words. It has no equivalent in all history.
to describe this is "EPIC MOZART"
I like how "God" and Divine Justice catch up with Don Juan--eventually. AFTER he's already had an amazing life.
Even the demons dread Hell. Someone like Don Giovanni has countless millennia of suffering to regret his decisions, and stubborn denial when given a chance at repentance. The pleasures of the flesh pale in comparison to the despair which he will endure of the spirit.
“Come there is worse in store!”
I wouldn't call this amazing, it's pure hedonism.
Absolutely FANTASTIC !!! GOOD everything: scenario, acting, lighting, voices, AMBIANCE.
THIS is what Opera is all about: sung theatre with a genius touch. I wish we still have that...
Acting and voices , I approuve. But ridiculous production (American , probably)
Commendatore projects better here and enunciates more clearly than other DG's I have seen. Really enjoy hearing him do his lines.
Kurt Moll is perhaps the greatest basso profundo of the second half of the 20th century... he put his mark on this role, and in many others!
I still get goose bumps when I remember the time I was on stage with Sam singing in the chorus of the WO production of Mephistopheles. Man, what a memory!
like three times a year I sit and go through several different versions of this scene sung by different groups. This is my clear favorite. Nothing wrong with the others, but this one just adds another dimension.
This is by far one of the most horrifying scenes ever (movies, TV, opera, you name it). The depiction of Hell at the end just simply showing the absence of God and suffering of the minions at the hands of the demons is extremely chilling.
To refuse the invitation of the one is to accept the invitation of the other... one sent a messenger to "stand at the door and knock" and to extend an invitation to dine at the heavenly table ... the other awaited the refusal to repent, and sent agents to rise to meet the thus-doomed guest! It IS terrifying, for good reason -- who knows when their last day is, and when the final choice must be made?
That's right. The most chilling thing is how Giovanni, upon losing his last chance, is utterly overcome with panic and anguish once he realizes what awaits him for eternity. It shows how his earlier bravado was based on ignorance.
@@jamestown8398 Sad, willful ignorance ... Il Commendatore himself, come not for revenge but in MERCY, especially considered by the standards of that day, is sufficient evidence that heaven sincerely is making an offer of grace. But while the pleasures of sin might yet be available, Giovanni wants them, and so says NO ... and, while he is refusing, the time for all grace, mercy, and pleasure runs out on him. Giovanni never even has time to catch up with when time stops and the first horror begins ... and then the next one ... and the next one ... and the next one ... with more to come FOREVER...
@@jamestown8398 except that religion and heaven&hell is MEN-made fantasy
@@jjrj8568 Do you want a cookie?
Mozart had so much gift for dramatization! The music perfectly underscores the terror here. I mean, we all know he was an uber-genius, but just wow!
Love this so much. Makes more sense with subtitles.
Love it. Kurt Moll is the gold standard for this part. What a joy it is to hear Samuel, Kurt as well as the servant in this scene.
aw come on, dont disrepect furlanetto like that lol hes iconic. theres seldom any basses who play the role as well as he does
but i agree 100%, the cast on stage here is absolutely fantastic
Richard Wagner was right, Don Giovanni is The opera of operas !
I love everything about this performance, all three men did such an amazing job. But my absolute favorite is Ramey's last screams of "Che inferno, che terror!" He perfectly nails the anguish. It cuts me right to the heart every single time and I see what the Don sees (moreso even than the gorgeous imagery conveyed here) and I feel his fear and dismay.
ever since I head this as a kid on the radio or so
I could never forget the feeling
asked my dad for a cd of the play - and while I didnt understand much of it
that scene always amazed me - just otherworldly
An amazing performance of one of the greatest scenes in opera... love it love it
I have watched this scene so many times! I believe this is one of the best adaptations of this work.
Thank you for the upload, the quality jump is appreciated
The real moral here, your clock is ticking. If you’re reading this your clock is ticking. Ask yourself; what all you have to answer for. You never know who may show up for dinner.
What a master piece! 🥲
A part from a very good Don Giovanni performance: Kurt Moll is such a great commandatore and the ending is so beautiful wienerisch - also the dark Prag. Wonderful made!
2:30 "So the madness began in me...The madness of the man splitting in half...."
This is my favourite performance of all. And I heard quite all there is. Thanks so much for upload.
Kurt Moll is the greatest basso unbelievable
Power to spare!