As music fans worldwide celebrate the 250-year anniversary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s birth, the Costa Rican Chamber Opera this month will present “Don Giovanni,” one of the composer’s most famous operas.
This production is a rarity because while Mozart’s operas are commonly performed in other countries, they are seldom seen in Costa Rica, said Anayanci Quirós, who is performing in and producing the show.
“And what is more, we have some of the best singers in Costa Rica,”
she added.
The drama begins as Don Giovanni is caught attempting to seduce Donna Anna, who is already promised to Don Ottavio. Finding himself discovered by Donna Anna’s father, Don Giovanni fights with the older man and deals him a mortal wound. Donna Anna makes Don Ottavio promise to avenge her father’s murder, thereby setting the stage for a series of plot twists as the hot-headed Don Giovanni continues his seductions and refuses to repent his crime.
The opera will include performances by renowned Costa Rican singers José Arturo Chacón as Don Giovanni; Fulvio Villalobos and Gustavo Hernández as Leporello; Rafael Saborío as Il Commendatore; Anayanci Quirós and Zamira Barquero as Donna Anna; Gonzalo Castellón and Ernesto Rodríguez as Don Ottavio; Raquel Ramírez and Ivette Rojas as Donna Elvira; María Marta López and Isabel Barrios from Uruguay as Zerlina; and Marvin Hernández as Masetto.
The group will be complemented by a chorus of 16 young singers, and performers will be accompanied by a professional 30-piece orchestra conducted by Juan Manuel Arana.
The production is scheduled to open with a gala May 19, Quirós said. Additional showings will be offered May 21, 23, 25, 27 and 28, all at the National Auditorium, in San José’s Children’s Museum. Performances will begin at 7 p.m. except on Sundays, when the opera will begin at 5 p.m.
Ticket prices range from ¢3,000-25,000 ($6-50). The top-end tickets include wine and cheese and a souvenir from the show.
For more information, call Quirós at 253-1306.
