Don Giovanni

Don Giovanni from the OPERA OPEN 2021 program will be the first Mozart opera to be staged at the Ancient Theatre since its reopening! The premiere on July 24th offers a highly provocative interpretation by Polish director Michał Znaniecki, who has over 120 opera and theatre productions worldwide. The musical direction returns to the roots of Mozart’s sound under conductor Dian Chobanov, who, as a Viennese graduate, strives to bring the instrumental and vocal ensemble as close as possible to the original sound of the opera. He is assisted by Dragomir Yosifov on the harpsichord for the recitatives. The role of the eternal seducer is played by Polish baritone Marcin Borkowski, joined by Evgeny Arabadzhiev, Evgenia Ralcheva, Mark Fowler, Svetlana Ivanova, Alexander Nosikov, Iva Ananieva, and Nikolai Batchev. Choreography for the production is by Mariana Krancheva, the chorus master is Dragomir Yosifov, and the concertmaster of the orchestra is Milena Lipova.

The director builds his entire concept based on the ideas in the #MeToo movement against violence toward women. The aim is to use art to send a warning to society—a "red flag" for pressing social issues—and to hint at solutions to these problems encoded within the works. According to Znaniecki, Mozart himself predicted in his opera the modern societal balance where women will be the leaders. Michał Znaniecki sets Don Giovanni in an "in desperate primitive trial against incredible women. Modern and brave. Strong enough to follow him and punish him. Strong enough to forgive his sins." Along with set designer Luigi Scoglio (Italy), he draws analogies with Ovid's Metamorphoses and Fellini's Satyricon, moving the action to thermal baths as a place of debauchery where waters cleanse sins. For this, a real pool with Roman mosaics is constructed on stage, and the Ancient Theatre is transformed with artistic lighting by Dariusz Albricht and projections by Karolina Jacewicz, which incorporate drawings by surrealist Rafał Olbiński— a special guest of the festival. Noteworthy is the transformation and symbolism in the second part of the production, when the action takes place 40 years later, and the life of the aging Don Giovanni becomes a true "hell."

Watch the video about the making of the performance HERE.