Sunday, August 8, 2010

Don Giovanni in Bolehland

Don Giovanni was Mozart's blackest opera. It was parodied in George Bernard Shaw's play, Man vs Superman which compares the opera to the Nietchze's Superman idea. But the key interesting point of the opera is about the fate of a rake, arrogant noble who eventually cannot escape and cannot kill and enemy despite doing that to others.

The climax, when Don Giovanni faces the dead Commendatore (actually Pedro, Anna's father) over dinner invitation. The dead commander calls for the villain to repent but Giovanni refused and as by consequence, he was dragged down to hell.

What I can see about this is in the form of Altantuya and Rosmah. The dead Altantuya's spectre and shadow still roams around Malaysia seeking for its real murderers and those who actually ordered it.

Part of the scene's libretto by Lorenzo Di Ponte reads:

Commendatore: Don Giovanni! I'm here to dine with you! You've invited me and here I come!
Giovanni: I'd have never believed it! Leporello, have another serving brought at once!
Leporello: Master, we're all dying in fear!
.......

And this is prior to the end (rough English translation):

Commendatore: I've accepted your invitation to supper. Now you must accept mine. Answer me! Will you come and dine with me?
Leporello: Tell him you don't have time!
Giovanni: No man shall ever call me a coward!
Commendatore: Decide.
Giovanni: I've already decided! 
Commendatore: You will come then?
Leporello: Say no! Say no!
Giovanni: My heart is stalwart. I am not afraid. I shall come!
Commendatore: Give me your hand in pledge!
Giovanni: My hand! What deadly cold!
Commendatore: Repent! Change your life! This is your last chance!
Giovanni: I will never repent! Let me go!
Commendatore: Repent, villain! 
Giovanni: No, you doddering old fool!

Do you  notice that these exchanges seem similar to what happened to Malaysia?

Look, this is not making up. It is coincidence.

The following video is the climax from the Franco Zeffirelli's 1990 directed opera in Prague which starred Samuel Ramey as Giovanni and Kurt Moll as the Commendatore (arguable the best baritone for that role).

No comments:

Post a Comment

You are welcome to post in any comments that do not trouble readers of the blog.

Providing an ID is recommended. If some reason you wish to use an Anonymous name, please leave a name below your comments. From now on, comments with no names will not be considered for moderation.

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...