subject: Great Moments In Opera, "Madamina" From Mozart's "Don Giovanni" [print this page] Great Moments In Opera, "Madamina" From Mozart's "Don Giovanni"
The aria "Madamina" comes in the first act of Mozart's opera Don Giovanni. "Madamina", basically being Don Giovanni's servant, Leporello telling Dona Anna of all the women; whose sensual affections Don Giovanni has enjoyed. Leporello, in fact having kept a notebook on the subject of all the beauties with whom Don Giovanni has been on sexually intimate terms with. As for Dona Anna, she suffers from the misfortune of being in love with Don Giovanni and actually expects him to not only return her affections but be faithful to her.
As for the aria itself, it starts with Leporello's words "Madamina, il catalogo e questo di la belle chi amo il patron mio" which translated in to English would be "Madamina, the catalog is the this of the beauties my boss has loved". These being the words which from the start tell not only Donna Anna but us that there is a reason why he is Don Giovanni or Don Juan. As he has managed to seduce over 1800 ladies and is far from satisfied. Don Giovanni's amorous conquests being so many that there would be no point to giving names, therefore Leporello limits himself to singing about how many women he has had in the countries he has traveled to which include Italy, Germany, France and Turkey with Spain being his biggest success. As it is there where he has bedded 1003 damsels. This being a number which Leporello repeats often with the words "en Spagna mille tre, mille tre" (In Spain thousand three, thousand three).
As for Dona Anna, she is truly shocked as she is made to hear the amount of women Don Giovanni has seduced. This as she listens almost in horror of the womanizer Don Giovanni is which she was almost completely unaware of. Leporello, for his part sings this light but charming aria which seems to skip along with its words. As if trying to keep up with the speed at which Don Giovanni is able to make women succumb to his charms.
Leporello, also trying to in a way mock Dona Anna with some cruelty. As she can see that she truly adores Don Giovanni yet he wants her to know in no unclear way that there have been many like her and she is not even in elite company. Don Giovanni, being a man who will sleep with any woman as long as she wears a skirt and does not care if she is rich or poor, ugly or beautiful, single or married, fat or thin, noble or common just as long as she is a woman. In "Madamina" one can also hear a certain pride taken by Leporello, that he is employed in the service of such an extraordinaire seducer. I, getting the impression that he to a certain extent feels part of the credit should go to him that his boss has been so successful with the ladies. As he at times has been called upon by Don Giovanni, to keep their gentlemen busy while their lady's are delighted by his boss.
One could say that Leporello is having fun at Dona Anna's expense though perhaps he is trying to warn her of Don Giovanni's promiscuity yet his voice does not even give away the slightest hint of pity. This in spite of how much Donna Anna is apparently suffering as he tells her that all Don Giovanni needs is for a woman to wear a skirt for him to chase and probably catch. This while Dona Anna is looking over Leporello's book of Don Giovanni's conquests which her eyes can not or perhaps will not accredit. As for the music, it offers a lovely melody which in its light style has a way of rising the spirit of those who listen to it while capturing the carefree manners of Don Giovanni; who apparently has no other interests in life apart from the seduction of women and living a life of joy.
