“A highly entertaining production, full of ideas and with truly great timing (…)

A very enjoyable opera evening.”

— WDR

 

“The eternal seducer – out of his time, no longer needed. And yet, impossible to get rid of? Ilaria Lanzino stages an intelligent and humorous Don Giovanni in Dortmund.

She cleverly explores the motivations of the characters. Even in the overture, she shows how Don Giovanni—so obviously out of his time, thanks to Emine Güner’s costumes—makes advances toward Donna Anna. She does not seem entirely unwilling, frustrated as she is with Don Ottavio, but also torn because she is already pregnant. And then, the female characters: They are both the driving force in unmasking the seducer and victims of their own passions. Lanzino portrays them as representatives of different generations: Zerlina is the young, curious woman, grateful for the charm offensive that distracts her from Masetto’s pathological jealousy. Donna Anna is already married, living in a neo-Biedermeier world, torn between genuine grief for her father and an attempt to escape her dull husband. Donna Elvira, on the other hand, is at an age where she is trying to live her sexuality confidently, subjecting herself to a strict beauty regime and ultimately ending up with Don Giovanni again—because other men keep their distance.

A recurring motif: the Gorgon’s head. According to legend, Medusa was once raped and took revenge on men by turning them to stone with her gaze. In Dortmund, too, the Commendatore drags Don Giovanni to the underworld at the end. But this time, Giovanni himself carries the Medusa mask in front of him, surrounded by women raising serpent-headed figures.

Lanzino dares to present a feminist reading, yet she does not idealize her female protagonists, who all have their reasons for falling under the seducer’s spell. However, they evolve, they unite. A particularly beautiful touch is how Leporello’s disguise as his master leads to a genuine relationship between him and Elvira—one that survives even after the deception is exposed. Don Giovanni’s disruptive libido is crucial for shaking up the established order. But for the reordering of relationships—Anna leaves Ottavio, Elvira and Leporello effortlessly overcome class and age barriers, Zerlina and Masetto find equality—he quickly becomes obsolete. One striking aspect of this production is how much the men—both the characters and the chorus—admire Giovanni, imitate him, and want to be like him, even when they originally set out to beat him up. It’s quite possible that tomorrow, the ruthless libertine will once again be the man of the moment. This is highly compelling, often humorous, and still gives the singers room to delve into their arias beyond the comedic recitatives.”

— Oper! Magazin

 

“The macho and the strong women. In Dortmund’s Don Giovanni, director Ilaria Lanzino tells gripping female stories. Mozart’s legendary opera hero is, as usual, dragged to hell by the statue of the murdered Commendatore. But here, the avenger is surrounded by women who embody the mythological Medusa. (…) No doubt: In Ilaria Lanzino’s new Dortmund production, the most intriguing stories are told by Giovanni’s female counterparts, who refuse to be mere victims. (…)

 

It is also beautifully staged how Lanzino portrays Donna Anna’s journey over an extended period, from her father’s funeral through her pregnancy to her appearance in the second act with a baby stroller and baby.”

— Theater Pur

 

“Lanzino presents a unique interpretation of the three female roles, assigning them to three different generations. Zerlina is portrayed as a young girl, completely inexperienced in love, who, due to a certain naivety, allows herself to be seduced by Don Giovanni without considering the consequences for Masetto, whom she loves. Her white dress suggests a sense of innocence.

Donna Anna, in Lanzino’s reading, is about a generation older than Zerlina and pregnant with Don Ottavio’s child. Unlike in the libretto, she is already married to him, living an unfulfilled life at his side, as he only sees her as a housewife and future mother. This frustration makes her an easy target for Don Giovanni—not because she wants to be sexually conquered, but because she is searching for emotional support and security, which she does not receive from him. This ultimately leads to the escalation in which her father, the Commendatore, loses his life.

Donna Elvira, on the other hand, is at an age where, as Lanzino describes in the program booklet, men no longer perceive her as a ‘sexual being.’ However, in her red dress, she aspires to be a female counterpart to Don Giovanni. (…)A humorous moment occurs during Elvira’s entrance in the seduction scene with Zerlina. Giovanni leads the young peasant girl to her bedroom, which has already been decorated for her wedding night with Masetto. On the left side, red heart-shaped balloons float, while on the right, silver balloons with Zerlina and Masetto’s initials frame another heart. Zerlina’s moment of agency is also emphasized when she hands Giovanni a condom at the end of their duet—only for him to casually toss it aside. At that moment, Elvira suddenly appears from behind a clothes rack, holding the condom, and disrupts the entire seduction scene. In the background of this room hangs a picture of Medusa with her snake-like hair, an image that will reappear in a different form at the opera’s conclusion. (…) An impressive staging (…) The director’s concept largely succeeds.”

— OMM

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“Modern accents and timeless themes. (…) A particular highlight of the production was the ending, where the women united as Medusa—a mythological figure who was herself a victim of rape and later became an avenger. The Medusa statue, symbolized by the voice of the Commendatore, created a striking final scene. Don Giovanni, who remained defiant and unmoved until the very end, was ultimately cast into hell. Especially impressive were the flickering neon lights, which created a tense and terrifying atmosphere during his descent. Additionally, the staging highlighted the hidden desires and power dynamics between the characters, particularly within the anonymous setting of the masked ball.”

— Ars-Tremonia

 

“Don Giovanni forever: In Dortmund, Ilaria Lanzino’s Mozart production presents Don Giovanni as a visitor from another time. (…) In the end, it inevitably comes down to sending the supposed seducer to hell. The Medusa, whose image hung in Masetto’s bedroom, transforms into an oversized monster that ultimately takes down Don Giovanni, cutting the opera short before the collective moralizing conclusion. Lanzino makes it clear that Don Giovanni and his ‘Viva la libertà’ are, in reality, both a longed-for and feared projection of a (perhaps utopian) sexual freedom beyond rigid norms of various kinds.”

— NMZ

 

“Ambitious, feminist (…) and the audience loved it.”

— Concerti