Don Giovanni
Three of the greatest operas ever written were collaborations between librettist Lorenzo da Ponte and composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni and Così fan tutte. Over the next three years, the LA Phil will present the trilogy (one opera each season), each conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. Set designs will be created by three of the most influential architects of our time, and each architect will work with leading fashion designers to create a unique and distinctive visual setting for each of these timeless masterpieces. Each complete opera performance will be a Walt Disney Concert Hall first.
In a fitting beginning, Don Giovanni brings together an acclaimed, Los Angeles-based team. Architect Frank Gehry returns to Walt Disney Concert Hall - the landmark building of his own design that not only transformed Los Angeles, but is now one of the most recognized architectural structures in America - to create an environment uniquely imagined for this auditorium.
“This is an inspiring opportunity to work with my friends at the Los Angeles Philharmonic. This is a project very close to Gustavo Dudamel’s heart. He knows the music like the back of his hand, and has a unique vision that I find very exciting,” says Gehry. “Kate and Laura’s work reminds me of my early days – it is free and fearless and not precious.”
Gehry envisions a set that he describes as a “moving still-life on the stage” that works in concert with the costumes and supports the music of Don Giovanni. Gehry’s modifications will place the orchestra upstage on raised lifts approximately three and a half feet above the action taking place downstage. The choir benches will be removed to allow space for the orchestra. This layout aims to create a unified ensemble between the orchestra and soloists, with a focus on the action at the front of the stage, creating intimacy between the soloists and audience. This configuration has recently been tested in a rehearsal with Gustavo Dudamel and Yasuhisa Toyota, the chief acoustician who collaborated with Gehry and the Los Angeles Philharmonic to develop Walt Disney Concert Hall’s visual and acoustic designs.
Don Giovanni
LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC
GUSTAVO DUDAMEL, conductor
CHRISTOPHER ALDEN, director
FRANK GEHRY, designer
RODARTE, costume designers
MARIUSZ KWIECIEN, Don Giovanni
KEVIN BURDETTE, Leporello
CARMELA REMIGIO, Donna Anna
AGA MIKOLAJ, Donna Elvira
PAVOL BRESLIK, Don Ottavio
ANNA PROHAKA, Zerlina
RYAN KUSTER, Masetto
STEFAN KOCAN, Comendatore
LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE
GRANT GERSHON, Music Director