Don Giovanni premiered in Vienna in 1787. The author of the libretto, Lorenzo da Ponte, described it as a dramma giocoso, a work that includes both comic and tragic elements. The comedy includes a variety of mishaps, while the tragedy includes attempted rape, murder, and finally the Don being dragged straight to Hell, complete with a chorus of demons.
The background to the scene above: Don Giovanni happens upon a wedding party. Zerlina, played by Joan Rodgers, is the bride. Giovanni decides he wants Zerlina, and arranges for her to become separated from the rest of the wedding party, including the groom. He tries to seduce her, but the seduction is interrupted when one of Giovanni’s previous victims happens on the scene. In the video clip, Zerlina is re-united with her future husband, who is extremely jealous of the attention Giovanni is paying to her. Zerlina wins his affection back with a combination of flirtation and self-abasement.
I’m currently working on learning this aria. There are a lot of things that make it fun to sing. It’s fun to sing flirtatious characters. The melody is relatively simple, but is entertaining from a technical perspective, with its interesting leaps and runs. Done well, it’s an excellent show-off piece. I hope to get it to that point.
I also hate it. It seems to be a case of Feminism Ruins Everything. To me, a woman who has grown up expecting to be treated as an autonomous human being and the equal of any man, it’s a really disturbing piece. Masetto should be reassuring Zerlina that he will do his best to support and protect her, not blaming her for Giovanni’s unwanted attention! And, given that Masetto is being a jealous prick, Zerlina should be tearing him several new orifices, not offering to stand like an unresisting lamb to be beaten and then kiss his hand. Trying to wrap my emotions around the idea that Zerlina’s behaviour could be realistic for a woman of her social status in that era, is sobering. It’s not really that long ago, after all, that women really did need to get married Or Else. And that any suspicion of non-virginity or infidelity would lead to Or Else. A woman like Zerlina might have been so totalized in her identity that it would never occur to her to expect anything but jealousy from Masetto, and that she would in fact blame herself for having attracted Giovanni’s attention. Unfortunately, when I’m as disturbed as this idea makes me, I don’t sing well. Still working on finding a way of singing this aria musically, without grossing myself out.
bleatmop
Mystro
Dead Wild Roses 
3 comments
May 20, 2011 at 5:27 pm
Rob F
I read the synopses 20 most performed operas in North America and tought that all were sexist or otherwise objectionable for one reason or another.
A few years ago, at Feministing, there were a couple of discussions about feminism and opera. There was good agreement that there was a lot of sexism in opera, more so in the classical era.
At one, in response to the question of whether there are “feminist operas”, the characters of Carmen, Tosca, and others were suggested. At the other, opera_ating mentioned an interview where a singer put a feminist spin on her interpretation of Lucia Ashton.
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May 24, 2011 at 9:27 am
The Intransigent One
Thanks for the links to some really interesting discussions!
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January 27, 2013 at 4:43 pm
Moobug
The only thing I have to disagree with is your assertion that she “should be tearing Masetto a new one for being a jealous prick”. In La ci darem la mano, Zerlina agrees to the seduction. I dont think you can say that she is blameless and needs protecting. The physical act may have been prevented but she was still willing to go through with it. Don G didnt try to rape her. Considering the period I think the aria is an act of desperation to avoid being considered “ruined” by her encounter with Don G. If Masetto then rejects her, shes basically screwed.
I think Zerlina is far more shrewed than many performers play her.
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