Spring 2020Due to the coronavirus epidemic all the remaining Opera and Ballet performances of the spring season were cancelled. We want to secure the health and safety of our audiences and our staff.
The second part of Richard Wagner’s RING tetralogy, Die Walküre, and the last ballet premiere of the spring, COW, will be postponed to next season.
The insatiable Don Giovanni is not picky: anyone will do, from Elvira to her maid and the bride at a country wedding. When he kills the father of one of his victims, however, he sets off a chain of events that takes him forever closer to his brutal fate.
W. A. Mozart’s Don Giovanni is one of the world’s most masterful operas. The timelessly resonant music and the salacious themes come together in a new interpretation directed by Jussi Nikkilä, a well-known figure from the Finnish theatre scene. The end result brims with carnivalistic joy, lust and comedy.
Please note that the lighting used in this performance is brighter than usual.
Recommended for children over the age of 12. The production features sexually explicit imagery.
Although the circumstances are exceptional, you can still enjoy opera and ballet online. Each Monday and Thursday a recording from previous seasons will be published on Stage24 video service. You can enjoy the performances for free in the comfort of your home.
Stage24– Jussi Nikkilä, Director
Leporello is standing guard while his master Don Giovanni is enjoying another adventure. This time, he is trying to seduce Donna Anna. Anna’s father, the Commendatore, arrives and challenges him to a duel. Don Giovanni kills the Commendatore and escapes unidentified. Donna Anna makes her fiancé, Don Ottavio, swear that he will avenge her father’s death.
Don Giovanni meets Donna Elvira, to whom he has once professed his love (Elvira: Ah! chi mi dice mai quel barbaro dov’è). Leporello tells Elvira about Don Giovanni’s innumerable conquests in his catalogue aria (Madamina, il catalogo è questo). Elvira has been just one of Don Giovanni’s 2065 conquests.
Zerlina and Masetto are celebrating their wedding. Attracted to the bride, Don Giovanni invites the entire wedding party to his home. Meanwhile, Leporello is tasked with keeping away the groom, Masetto. Don Giovanni tries to have his way with Zerlina (duet Là ci darem la mano), but Donna Elvira interferes. When Donna Anna and Don Ottavio arrive, Anna recognises her father’s murderer and demands revenge (Or sai chi l’onore).
At the party, Don Giovanni sings a drinking song (Fin ch’han dal vino) and attempts to seduce Zerlina again while everyone is dancing. When Donna Anna accuses him of murder, Don Giovanni escapes, leaving Leporello unconscious amidst the revelry.
Leporello rebels – he no longer wants to serve his immoral master, but Don Giovanni bribes him to carry on. Now Don Giovanni is interested in Elvira’s maid and exchanges clothes with Leporello to seduce her. Leporello takes Elvira away, while Giovanni serenades the girl (Deh! vieni alla finestra).
Masetto arrives to wreak his revenge, and Leporello, mistaken for Don Giovanni, has to run away. He reveals his identity to the men, and manages to escape. Don Ottavio sings about his love for Anna (Il mio tesoro intanto).
Don Giovanni is approached by the corpse of the Commendatore whom he has killed. He invites the corpse to dinner, and the invitation is accepted.
With the dinner about to start, Donna Elvira implores Don Giovanni to change his ways, but her efforts are in vain. The corpse of the Commendatore makes an entrance as promised and demands that Don Giovanni take responsibility for his actions. Don Giovanni refuses to repent.
When the most skillful librettist and the most ingenious composer of their time joined forces, they created an opera that combined tragedy and comedy in an exceptional way. Don Giovanni is still considered one of the essential works in the history of opera. Even the abundance of Mozart’s catchy melodies alone would be enough to make it a classic. Add Da Ponte’s captivating drama to the familiar tunes, and you have an immortal opera that never fails to attract fresh interpretations.
If you visit us several times a year and would like to ensure yourself a seat at future premieres, a season ticket is the perfect choice for you. As a season ticket holder, you'll be entitled to special discounts, wonderful benefits and a designated seat in the auditorium.
Season tickets 2019–2020 are sold out.
Choose your favourite refreshments from this season’s tasty menu. You can easily add refreshments to your shopping basket while selecting tickets in our online store.
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Please note that we cannot guarantee a specific table for orders made via the online store. We may also seat several parties at the same table. You may be assigned a bar height table for enjoying refreshments standing up.
Complete your experience by staying the night at a hotel. As a customer of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet, you can enjoy the hospitality of Helsinki’s Radisson Blu Hotels at a special rate.
This treat-yourself-offer includes accommodation for two in the hotel of your choice in Helsinki, two glasses of sparkling wine upon arrival, and the hotel’s delicious Super Breakfast.
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