A cycle of second chances
Who can resist Don Giovanni? Since the premiere of Mozart's iconic opera in 1787, his name has been indispensable to the repertoire of countless houses. Time and again, the seducer manages to captivate both characters and audience, and time and again he escapes the call to change his libertine lifestyle. Until he is visited by a living statue, who gives him one last chance to improve his life. Every time the work is performed, Don Giovanni refuses that offer, which means he ends up in hell again and again. Director Tom Goossens, who impressed in season 22/23 with Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, tackles this endless cycle. His new staging will be a ritual quest in which singers and audiences will have to deal with a figure like Don Giovanni every night. Will the second chance lead to a repetition of the same mistakes, or can the vicious circle be broken?
LECTURE RECITAL: Dive together with José Reyes, double bassist of our orchestra, into the score of Don Giovanni. Through his arrangements of Mozart, you will receive a unique musical introduction to the opera. On Sunday, December 21, 2025, in Ghent and Sunday, January 18, 2026, in Antwerp, both preceding the matinee performance.
END THE YEAR IN GHENT: Enjoy Don Giovanni, and on December 31, join us for a dinner and afterwards in our beautiful salons. Read more here.
With the support of the Tax Shelter measure of the Belgian Federal Government.
The creators
Cast
Wolfgang Stefan Schwaiger
Michael Arivony
Marie Lys
Kateryna Kasper
Team
Francesco Corti
Conductor
Tom Goossens
Direction
Sammy Van den Heuvel
Scenography
Sophie Klenk-Wulff
Costume design
