Award winning director Richard Jones returns with new Don Giovanni

26th July 2016 in Press

Don Giovanni
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Director: Richard Jones
Conductor: Mark Wigglesworth
Award winning director Richard Jones returns to ENO with new production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni

Opens Friday 30 September at 7.00pm at London Coliseum for 10 performances.

Following his five star productions of The Girl of the Golden West and The Mastersingers of Nuremberg, award winning director Richard Jones returns to ENO with a new production of Don Giovanni. These productions alongside Rodelinda won him the 2015 Outstanding Achievement in Opera award while The Mastersingers of Nuremberg (which originated at Welsh National Opera) won Best New Opera Production at the Olivier Awards in 2015.

Don Giovanni is an exhilarating retelling of the legends of Don Juan. Combining comedy and tragedy, it follows Giovanni’s final hours as he lusts his way towards his dramatic demise. Filled with Mozart’s glorious music it includes the famous ‘Catalogue’ aria which details the long list of Giovanni’s lovers.

Director Richard Jones is joined by set designer Paul Steinberg (who created the set for The Mastersingers of Nuremberg), costume design by Nicky Gillibrand (who created the costumes for The Girl of the Golden West), lighting design by Mimi Jordan Sherin (The Girl of the Golden West and The Mastersingers of Nuremberg) and movement direction by Sarah Fahie. Former ENO Music Director Mark Wigglesworth returns to conduct.

A regular collaborator with Richard Jones, British bass-baritone Christopher Purves sings the title role. He last performed with ENO in the UK premiere of Philip Glass’s The Perfect American, where he gave an ‘inspired’ performance (The Guardian).  Other notable roles with the Company include Mephistopheles in Terry Gilliam’s five star production of The Damnation of Faust.

British Bass Clive Bayley is Leporello, Don Giovanni’s servant. He most recently performed with the Company in Akhnaten as Aye. Other roles for ENO include Daland in The Flying Dutchman and the Three Villains and Coppelius in The Tales of Hoffmann (both 2012).

American soprano Caitlin Lynch makes her UK debut with ENO as Donna Anna. She made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera, New York in 2013 as Biancofiore in Francesca da Rimini and performed the role of Cynthia in Nico Muhly’s Two Boys (also at the Metropolitan Opera) in a co-production with ENO.  She has sung Donna Anna with Pittsburgh and Michigan Opera.

Former ENO Harewood Artist and British tenor Allan Clayton returns to ENO to sing Don Ottavio. He last performed with the Company as Tamino in the revival of Simon McBurney’s production of The Magic Flute for ENO in February 2016. The Times commented that he ‘sings with guileless beauty and liquid top notes’.

British mezzo-soprano Christine Rice makes her role debut as Donna Elvira. She last performed with ENO as ‘a richly expressive Dorabella’ (Daily Telegraph) in Phelim McDermott’s production of Così fan tutti. Other notable roles for the Company include Marguerite in The Damnation of Faust and Arsace in Partenope.

Former ENO Harewood Artist Mary Bevan sings Zerlina, a role she has previously performed at Garsington Opera. She has performed numerous roles for ENO including Yum-Yum in The Mikado, Despina in Phelim McDermott’s production of Cosí fan tutte, the second niece in David Alden’s critically acclaimed revival of Peter Grimes in 2014 and Papagena in Simon McBurney’s new production of The Magic Flute in 2013.

Celebrated American bass James Creswell is the Commendatore. His previous roles for ENO include Oreveso in Norma, Padre Guardiano in The Force of Destiny, Pogner in Richard Jones’s Olivier Award-winning production of The Mastersingers of Nuremberg and Sarastro in Simon McBurney’s production of The Magic Flute.

The cast is completed by British bass Nicholas Crawley as Masetto. He made his ENO debut as Larkens in Richard Jones’s production of The Girl of the Golden West and also appeared as the Nightwatchman in Jones’s The Mastersingers of Nuremberg.

Don Giovanni opens on Friday 30 September 2016 at 7.00pm for 10 performances – 30 September, 4, 7, 13, 15, 18, 21, 24, 16 October at 7pm, 9 October at 3pm.

500 tickets for £20 or less are available for each performance. Tickets start from £12. www.eno.org

Pre-performance talk:  Wednesday 4 October 5.15-6pm, £5/£2.50 concs.

An Opera Undressed performance of Don Giovanni will take place on 4 October.

See www.eno.org/undressed for more information.

A co-production with Theater Basel. New production supported by a syndicate of donors.

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Notes to Editors:

English National Opera is founded on the belief that opera of the highest quality should be accessible to everyone. We are a national company of international standard. We forge ground-breaking collaborations across art forms, and our world-class productions inspire, surprise, and captivate. We sing in English. We believe that singing in our own language connects the performers and the audience to the drama onstage, and enhances the experience for all. We bring our productions to the widest possible audience, whether at the London Coliseum, nationally or internationally. We make our work accessible by offering a large proportion of tickets at affordable prices, and by distributing it widely on screen and via digital media. We nurture talent across the entire company, whether on-stage, backstage, or in the pit. We provide a platform for young singers to develop global careers.

We tell the world’s most timeless stories, unforgettably.

Opera Undressed is an audience development scheme that aims to introduce newcomers to English National Opera by demystifying the opera-going experience in a fun and informal setting.

For just £20, audience members will:

  • Get a great seat in the house
  • Attend a pre-performance chat about the production
  • Get an outline of the opera in advance
  • Attend post-show drinks with cast and company members