Don Giovanni  has a libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte.

 

The action takes place in Seville.

 

Act I

 

One night, the servant Leporello is complaining about his master’s ingratitude toward him (Notte e giorno faticar).  The nobleman in question, Don Giovanni, has broken into the Commendatore’s house in order to take advantage of his daughter, Donna Anna.  When she calls for help and tries to prevent the masked Giovanni from escaping, the Commendatore intervenes, but Giovanni kills him and disappears with Leporello.  Anna returns with her fiancé, Don Ottavio, but they are too late.  She laments the death of her father and makes Ottavio swear to avenge him (Duet:  Fuggi, crudele, fuggi!).

 

Leporello scolds Giovanni for his behavior, but is interrupted by the entrance of a woman distractedly searching for the man who deceived her (Ah chi mi dice mai). Giovanni tries to console her, but to his surprise, she turns out to be Donna Elvira, whom he earlier seduced and abandoned.  Giovanni slips away, leaving Leporello to explain his actions to Elvira.  Leporello takes this opportunity to reveal Giovanni’s true nature to Elvira by listing all of his sexual conquests (Madamina, il catalogo è questo).  Elvira is furious and demands vengeance.

 

Later, peasants are celebrating the marriage of Zerlina and Masetto (Chorus:  Giovinette che fate all’amore). Giovanni decides to seduce the young bride.  Leporello has joined him and gets the groom and the guests out of the way by inviting them to a banquet.  Masetto reluctantly agrees to leave (Ho capito, signor sì).  Giovanni invites Zerlina to his mansion, promising to marry her (Duet:  Là ci darem la mano).  Just when she is ready to accept, Elvira appears.  She exposes Giovanni’s lies and takes Zerlina away (Ah fuggi il traditor).  Giovanni now meets Anna and Ottavio.  Anna does not recognize him, and is requesting his help in finding her father’s murderer when Elvira appears and begins her accusations again (Quartet:  Non ti fidar, o misera).  Giovanni claims Elvira is crazy and quickly takes her away. Only now does Anna recognize his voice, and identifies him as the man who killed her father.  She tells the full story of her assault to Ottavio, and again demands that he exact vengeance (Or sai chi l’onore).  Ottavio wonders how to restore her peace of mind (Dalla sua pace).  Giovanni meets up with Leporello and tells him how Zerlina and Elvira thwarted his plans. He orders Leporello to continue with the festivities so he can make new romantic conquests (Fin ch’han dal vino).  

 

Zerlina is trying to assuage Masetto’s jealousy outside of Giovanni’s mansion (Batti, batti, o bel Masetto).  Masetto hides in an attempt to observe Giovanni (Finale:  Presto presto pria ch’ei venga) but he is soon discovered, and Giovanni invites the couple to return to the party.  Anna, Elvira, and Ottavio now appear wearing masks and praying for vengeance.  Leporello does not recognize them, and invites them inside to the ball.

 

During the dancing, Leporello distracts Masetto while Giovanni abducts Zerlina.  Hearing her cries, the masked guests rush to her aid and reveal their identity.  Caught red-handed, Giovanni tries to lay the blame on Leporello, but no one is convinced and he runs off.

 

 

Act II

 

Feeling that life with Giovanni has become too dangerous, Leporello announces that he wants to leave his master’s service (Duet:  Eh via buffone), but his mind is changed by an offer of more money.  Giovanni outlines his plan to seduce Elvira’s maid – the two men will exchange clothing and Giovanni will lure his former mistress out of her house by promising to repent.  Elvira, now believing she is back in favor with her former lover, goes off with the disguised Leporello, leaving the way open for Giovanni (Trio: Ah taci, ingiusto core). He begins a serenade (Deh vieni alla finestra), but is soon interrupted by Masetto and a group of armed peasants.  Disguising his voice as Leporello’s, Giovanni sends the peasants off in the wrong direction (Metà di voi qua vadano), and beats Masetto once they are alone. After this, Zerlina appears and comforts her fiancé (Vedrai, carino).  

 

Meanwhile, Elvira and Leporello (still in disguise) encounter Anna and Ottavio.  Leporello tries to escape, but is prevented from doing so by the arrival of Zerlina and Masetto (Sextet:  Sola sola in buio loco).  They all believe they have finally captured Giovanni, but again Elvira tries to save him.  In mortal danger, Leporello throws off his disguise and finally succeeds in running away. Convinced of Giovanni’s guilt, Ottavio decides to go to the authorities.  Zerlina has succeeded in recapturing Leporello, whom she ties to a chair and threatens to torture (Duet:  Per queste tue manine).  He escapes once more when she goes to look for Masetto.  Masetto tells Zerlina of further bad conduct on Giovanni’s part, and they leave to tell Ottavio.  Elvira, however, still finds herself torn between conflicting feelings for Giovanni (Mi tradì, quell’alma ingrata).

 

Leporello and Giovanni meet in a cemetery to change into their own clothes.  They tell each other of their adventures when a voice from beyond the grave commands them to leave the dead in peace.  Seeking to find the source of the voice, Giovanni discovers the Commendatore’s tomb, adorned with his statue and an inscription declaring that the dead man awaits vengeance.  He mockingly orders the terrified Leporello to invite the statue to dinner (Duet:  O statua gentilissima).  With a nod of the head, the statue accepts.

 

Ottavio offers to marry Anna the very next day.  She asks him to wait until more time has passed since her father’s death, and defends herself when he accuses her of being cruel (Non mi dir, bell’idol mio).

 

Giovanni prepares to eat dinner at his mansion, served by Leporello (Finale:  Già la mensa è preparata).  Elvira bursts in, begging him one last time to change his ways. She tries to leave when he refuses, but then utters a terrified scream.  Leporello runs to find out what frightened her, but he too cries out in horror. He informs his master that the statue of the Commendatore has arrived for dinner.  Giovanni opens the door for his guest, who in turn demands Giovanni’s immediate repentance.  Giovanni steadfastly refuses and is dragged down into hell.  Anna, Elvira, Ottavio, Zerlina, and Masetto enter, still in search of Giovanni (Epilogue:  Ah dove è il perfido).  After listening to Leporello’s account of the evening’s events, Anna asks Ottavio to respect a year of mourning before they celebrate their wedding.  Elvira decides to spend the rest of her life in a convent, Zerlina and Masetto will go home to dinner, and Leporello will head off to the tavern to search for a new master.  Together, they all declare the moral of the story – “Such is the end of the evildoer; a sinner always receives the death he deserves.”