Academy of Ancient Music ***
Milton Court, 25th November 2014
Gergely Madaras
© Balazs Borocz
Gluck’s Don Juan was clearly an inspiration to Mozart when composing his operatic version of the tale, Don Giovanni. The anti-hero’s descent into hell even shares the same dark D minor key as Gluck’s finale, which was famously recycled as “The Dance of the Furies” in the Paris version of his opera Orphée et Eurydice. According to Da Ponte’s libretto for their dramma giocoso, Mozart’s Don notches up 1003 conquests in Spain alone. Sadly, Gluck’s ballet failed to seduce in a tame performance by the Academy of Ancient Music as part of its ‘Grand Tour’ series.
Read the full review on Bachtrack.