Don Giovanni

In a note in the programme book, Jack Furness acknowledges that the Mozart/Da Ponte classic Don Giovanni has often been referred to as a director’s graveyard – a fate which he and his fellow creatives have been able to sidestep neatly.

One reason is the decision to focus on one of the two authentic editions of the opera, made for Vienna a year after the Prague premiere of 1787, rather than the traditional over-long hybrid that amalgamates the two.

On paper, his directorial notion of treating the nuptials of Masetto and Zerlina as a ‘unifying backbone’ to the piece, and incorporating folk rituals into the 17th-century visuals, might seem tangential; but in practice the production is entirely successful in holding the original’s blend of low comedy and high drama together in a convincing way. Don Giovanni’s undermining of societal structures is as clear as his purely selfish motivation: his eventual damnation is shattering in its impact.

Underlying the musical performance is the energised conducting of the impressive Shadwell Ensemble by Finnegan Downie Dear, whose selection of tempi is impeccable.

All the roles are performed with distinction. Seán Boylan’s Giovanni presents an ambiguous combination of villainy and heroism. In her impassioned interpretation, Anna Patalong masters the vocal difficulties of Donna Anna.

Joshua Owen Mills sings a clean-edged, gentlemanly Don Ottavio, while Aoife Miskelly offers a memorable Elvira, sketched in all her complexity. Benedict Nelson’s sturdy Masetto is expertly matched by Olivia Warburton’s smart cookie of a Zerlina. Dingle Yandell strikes dread in his posthumous appearances as the Commendatore.