Ignoring the Christian idea of retribution, also familiar to us from Pushkin’s works, director Valentina Carrasco has created a production portraying the protagonist as a victim. In the overture the screen shows cards and people burning, while in the finale it is hell throwing out a leg and an ever-green jacket which once belonged to the lover of liberty. The artistic language of the Argentinian director, who has worked in the Catalan troupe «La Fura dels Baus» for 15 years, presents surrealism, guignol, art house video, a parade of nonconformists singing «Viva la liberta» and a gag with Leporello as a hostage. You had better not be under the illusion of the frivolity of the fabled dramma giocoso created by Mozart.
The key image of the production is huge racks full of naked mannequins. It is a hint at Mozart’s grave for the poor and generally an allegory of the Last Judgment. However, even during his worldly adventures Don Giovanni with his little moustache à la Salvador Dali and hair à la Vladimir Rannev (in other words, an artist, poet and creator) is chased by mannequins and a crowd of people with orthopaedic braces. Here they are on codpieces and thighs, and there they are on people’s heads or close to their heart and soul. Carrasco develops an idea which can hardly be called attractive: while hell is a place where everything is in flames, life is essentially the same, but without fire. That is why trees in blossom are so rare here. Undoubtedly, the director identified today’s Don Giovanni with Teodor Currentzis himself.
Compared to the youthful glow of Così Fan Tutte and the richness of Le Nozze di Figaro, there is something nocturnal, alarming in Currentzis’ Don Giovanni. As if he puts a net of pauses over the authentic facade. Among the disturbing whispers of continuo he lets us catch the sound of the fortepiano, masterfully played by Jory Vinikour, and delicate roulades of the mandolin and the Baroque guitar. The musiсAeterna orchestra does not smooth out, but emphasises precious wrinkles that make the physiological experience of interaction with Mozart’s music so intimate and important for everybody today.
Except two fantastic Don Giovannis (Simone Alberghini and Andrè Schuen), the first Leporello (Guido Loconsolo), Zerlina (Fanie Antonelou), the Commendatore (Mika Kares) and the second Don Ottavio (Magnus Staveland), all singers are from Russia. Natalya Kirillova (Elvira) — after her part of Countess — and Garry Agadzhanyan (Leporello) have demonstrated a higher degree of mastery. Young Daria Telyatnikova (Zerlina) has proved to be a versatile actress. The début of Nadezhda Pavlova (Donna Anna) has become a sensation, after which one can only wonder at the consistency with which the Opera and Ballet Theatre in Perm introduces new talents to the public.