Don Giovanni, K. 527
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Work background
Researched classical background
Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte treat the Don Juan story through an unstable mixture of comedy, social conflict, and supernatural judgment. Servants and aristocrats pursue different plans while the central character repeatedly evades consequences. Large ensembles allow several emotional viewpoints to sound together. The ending brings the threatening music heard in the overture into the staged action.
A listening guide
Listen for the contrast between comic conversational pacing and the more imposing music associated with the supernatural.
Listening suggestions are editorial guides to the music.
Forces: Vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra
Premiere: 1787 (Prague premiere)
Mozart later adapted portions for Vienna; performance editions can combine material from the two versions.
This entry describes the musical work or cycle. Composition, premiere and publication dates describe different events. Performers and recordings can be explored through the external listening search.
Date, title and version notes
Prague and Vienna versions differ; modern productions sometimes combine them.
The Opera's Plot & Creation | Metropolitan Opera
Work identity, chronology where stated, and the specific musical or historical context summarized in this entry. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Don Giovanni - Opera - Season 23/24 Programming - Opera national de Paris
Work identity, chronology where stated, and the specific musical or historical context summarized in this entry. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Sources for this work
The Opera's Plot & Creation | Metropolitan Opera
Work identity, chronology where stated, and the specific musical or historical context summarized in this entry. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Don Giovanni - Opera - Season 23/24 Programming - Opera national de Paris
Work identity, chronology where stated, and the specific musical or historical context summarized in this entry. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
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