Don Giovanni

Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Metropolitan Opera House had one of the best special effects: the demise of  Don Giovanni in a burst of flame.  We felt the heat in the balcony.  The Met always puts on a great show.

 The libretto is by Lorenzo Da Ponte, 1749 - 1838, based on a play , El Burlador de Sevilla y Convidado de Piedra, The Trickster of Seville and the Stone Guest, written by Tirso de Molina, author and priest.  My favorite bits: the tenor's "Dalla sua pace" sung by Matthew Polenzani, and Marina Rebeka's " Mi tradi quell'alma ingrata".   Matthew is on you tube in a very annoying modern dress version, but not Marina.  There is of course the great Kiri Te Kanawa doing the aria.  Both are worth a listen.
The big news at the Met this season is Jay Hunter Morris, from Texas, who stepped in at the last minute to play Siegfried in Wagner's Ring Cycle.  He is young, handsome and all the critics say a great Siegfried, which is the toughest role for a tenor.  He is also on You Tube.