Ball State has a solid history in hosting operas in EmensAuditorium and opera education through the music school. Today,students and staff members will be able to experience both anaward-winning touring company and take in the artistry of one ofWolfgang Amadeus Mozart's most famous operas.
The Mozart Festival Opera presents Mozart's "Don Giovanni" inEmens tonight at 8 p.m. This new opera company has won praise andplayed to sold out crowds throughout its U.S. debut in 2003. Theproduction also features English supertitles.
"Don Giovanni" is a tale of lust, greed, dishonesty and murder.The opera's titled character, Don Giovanni, is the source of theother characters' frustrations. He murders, pursues married womenand leaves the women who love him.
The opera begins with Giovanni's servant Leporello explainingGiovanni's immorality. Giovanni then appears pursuing thestruggling Donna Anna. Her father, the Commendatore sees her beingtaken advantage of and tries to stop Giovanni, whereupon Giovanniengages in a sword fight and kills the Commendatore. Donna Annareturns with her fianc� Ottavio to find her father dead andGiovanni and his servant gone.
Donna Elvira, a dejected lover of Giovanni's, emerges searchingfor him. Zerlina emerges with his fianc�, both singing oftheir approaching wedding. Giovanni sees Zerlina and decides memust have her. He orders his servant to distract her fianc�Masetto. Donna Elvira sees Giovanni's attraction to Zerlina andtakes her away from Giovanni. Elvira, Donna Anna and Ottavio plotto take their revenge on Giovanni at the ball later that night. Thethree try to corner Giovanni at the ball, but he escapes from theirclutches.
Giovanni, the ever lustful one, later convinces Leporello todisguise himself as Giovanni and distract Elvira. Once Elvira isdistracted, Giovanni plans to pursue her beautiful maid. Whilewooing Elvira and dressed as Giovanni, Leporello is come upon byMasetto, Anna, Ottavio and Zerlina. Leporello quickly flees andOttavio concludes Giovanni must have killed Donna Anna's father.Despite having been tricked, Elvira admits she is still in lovewith Giovanni.
Leporello returns to Giovanni and, while they are hiding in thecemetery, jokingly start conversing with the statue of the lateCommendatore. Giovanni sarcastically invites the statue to dinnerand is aghast when the statue accepts. When the statue of the deadCommendatore comes to dinner, he takes revenge on Giovanni bybeckoning him to Hell for all of his immoral deeds.
Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for youth, $5 for students witha Ball State ID and $22 for Ball State faculty and staff. Due tosubject material, Don Giovanni is not recommended to students underhigh school age. Call the Emens Box Office at (765) 285-1539 formore ticket information.
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