SLO: Don Giovanni

Called the greatest opera ever written (by famed composer Giacomo Rossini) and a ‘work of genius, incomparable and enigmatic’ (by Albert Einstein), Mozart’s pseudo-moralistic tale of libido gone wild – beginning with an attempted rape and an actual murder, followed by a series of foiled seductions that ends with the titular character being dragged to hell by a vengeful spirit, with plenty of toilet humour with melodrama along the way (some see the Don’s fiery ending as Mozart’s way of appeasing the censors in order to get way with writing as many dirty jokes as possible) – has never been short on praise.

Here’s what members of the Singapore Lyric Opera, performing a full theatrical production on 24-28 Feb, have to say:

SLO conductor Joshua Kangming Tan, runner-up of the 2008 Dimitri Mitropoulos International Competition and one of Singapore’s most promising young conductors: ‘Mozart is perhaps the greatest composer that ever lived and this clearly shows in the many masterpieces that he wrote in his very short life. Don Giovanni is a perfect example and it is for this very same reason that its appeal has lasted for so long. The plot deals with issues that any audience can identify with, regardless of geography, culture, religion or point of time. Fidelity, lust, love, betrayal, murder all can be found in this opera.’

Soprano Nancy Yuen, who leads the largely local SLO cast: ‘Men are inevitably "hunters" and some women enjoy the attention that they are given, so it's the good old story of love and lust. The music that Mozart wrote has another timeless quality to it. We have so many beautiful tunes one after another, regardless of whether it's a duet, solo aria or ensemble. I would be so blessed to be able to sing just Mozart's music for the rest of my live.

‘[Performing this fully-staged theatrical production] is much more fun to sing in an opera than in concert, as the costumes, sets, lighting and long periods of rehearsal time makes the final performances more exciting. I have always been proud to be a Singaporean and to work with fellow Singaporeans to show our audiences that we can also do what others can. Opera is an art form that has often been associated with Westerners but as we are in such a global existence now, we Easterners can do a job as well as anybody else, and we need to share our pride and identity with our audience. A familiar team of people makes working together much easier.’

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