Don Giovanni

First class performance.

A staggeringly bad production. The ugliest of sets, a concept that made no sense from start to finish, lighting that was execrable, and stage direction that was amateur at best. The director reduced this masterpiece to a meaningless, mangled mess. The singers - some of whom were notable - wandered aimlessly throughout, seemingly wholly disengaged from the action. Leporello was phoning it in whilst Ottavio appeared not to know why he was there. The magnificent scene where DG is dragged to hell - a director’s dream sequence - was so underwhelming to be embarrassing. Truly, one of the worst operatic experiences of my life.

Great show, a must do while in Prague. Love the old theater and would visit again.

We enjoyed the performance of Don Giovanni very much.

A clever and well performed opera.

Buenos artistas

Excellent performance of Don Giovanni, music, voices, sets and costumes

Wonderful music hall. Very good orchestra and generally good singers. Great experience to hear Don Giovanni in the place of its premiere.

Smooth ticket issue. Enjoyed the performance of Don Giovanni at the historic & beautiful Estate Theater.

Amazing!

We booked box seats. We were put in a box with 5 people barely big enough for all of us to fit in. The theater was very hot. We ended up leaving before the first intermission. Very, very, disappointing.

Great performance. Great masterpiece.

Spectacular!

This was definitely the highlight of Prague! I mean, how could anyone go wrong by watching a brilliant opera with ingenious music performed IN the operahouse it opened in 1787 with Mozart himself? Just standing in the building gave me goosebumps! Now add the outstanding score and story and you will have the best evening of your life! Most people dressed up, the only way to see a grand opera – go and enjoy yourself!

Musically my wife and I thought the performance was first-rate, except towards the end when we are supposed to hear the knocking on the door, but don’t; and when the chorus is too far in the background to be heard as the flames (non-existent in this production) spring up around Don Giovanni. The main problem with this production from my point of view is that the director goes out of the way to make Don Giovanni physically repellent. He is bloodied in the first scene, and keeps an increasingly bloody shirt on throughout the production. If you do not make Don Giovanni a really seductive character, you do a great disservice to women, it seems to me – it makes them all seem as if they are easily fooled and interested in nothing but sex. Don Giovanni is morally repellent; but he should be physically very attractive from start to finish. I thought that the rising and falling of the blue curtain that symbolises barriers between what is on the scene, what is behind the scene – otherwise known as “obscene” – was both literally and intellectually mechanical, and finally uninteresting.

Très bons chanteurs,accompagnés d’un excellent orchestre,et d.une mise en scène réussie

The singing was very good although not world-class and the production very interesting. Don Giovanni is usually serious but the opera is called a drama giocosa. Mozart even called it an opera buffa in his notes.

La production a été une énorme déception pour moi. L'orchestre très bon, le chant correct mais sans inspiration. Pour le reste, mise en scène, costumes, et surtout les rideaux épais partout partout partout qui bouffaient la belle résonance du théâtre de l'état, c'était désatreux, une farce... Pitié, s'il vous plaît! Cette production devrait être revue de A à Z!

Moment et lieux magiques. l'Opéra Don Giovanni dans le théâtre où il a été joué la première fois... Et l'interprétation était magnifique.

Nice event. Nice Frog.

It was magical--to have been at the same beautiful venue as Mozart where he conducted the premier of his "Don Giovanni" was truly a lifetime experience, not to mention the superb staging and performance!

Beautifully conducted and sung performance. I didn’t always understand the staging, but it was provocative and thoughtful.

magnifique spectacle , mise en scène et décors originaux, interprètes excellents dans un lieu somptueux.

I watched the opera together with my family which included a musician. All of us enjoyed the event. The musician was pleased with the orchestra, the cast, the conductor and the director. It was one of the highlights of our visit to Prague.

The performances last evening were all excellent. The stage design is simple, but this does emphasise the performance of orchestra and singers. The acoustic is also sensational. My compliments to Pavol Kubáň, who didn’t miss a single tone in the most awkward body positions. I also think that Richard Samek, who performes Don Ottavio, has excepcional talent. His emotional love declaration to Anna is an outstanding performance. Highly recommended, in a historical venue.

The Opera itself was exceptional. The singing was beautiful and the orchestra was incredible. The acting was very good and use of curtains and other props was suitably inventive. However, The ticketing process was very poor. I never received my ticket via email and there were several other people who also did not receive their tickets. We were able to enter the venue but this ticketing problem caused much distress. Please review your ticketing process to ensure that this doesn’t happen again. The woman at the ticket counter could not find my reservation even with the email I was sent confirming that I had purchased a ticket.

Wonderful singing and marvelous sound from the orchestra.