Premiere of Don Giovanni in Prague

Background. Don Giovanni (K. 527; full title Il dissoluto punito, ossia il Don Giovanni) is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. The opera was commissioned after the success of Mozart's trip to Prague in January and February 1787, following the success of Le nozze di Figaro, which had led to a commission for an opera to be performed by the resident opera company of Prague. It was Mozart's second collaboration with Da Ponte.

The Premiere. The opera was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the National Theatre (of Bohemia), now called the Estates Theatre, on 29 October 1787. It had originally been supposed to premiere on 14 October 1787 for Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria's visit, but it was not ready in time and Le nozze di Figaro was substituted. At the premiere, Herr Mozart conducted in person and was welcomed joyously and jubilantly by the numerous gathering.

Reception. The premiere was met with acclaim. The Prager Oberpostamtzeitung reported that connoisseurs and musicians said Prague had never heard the like, and that the opera was extremely difficult to perform. Don Giovanni is now regarded as one of the greatest operas of all time, though at its premiere its musical complexity caused difficulty both for listeners and for performers.