In his Fantasy on themes from Mozart's Don Giovanni, Liszt goes far beyond the potpourri. By careful selection of the melodic material, including scenes with the Commendatore ("Di rider finirai," "Ribaldo, audace," and "Tu m'invitasti a cena"), the duet "Là ci darem la mano," and Don Giovanni's aria "Fin ch'han dal vino," Liszt concentrates on only a few figures. In the transition from the duet to the final aria, he combines thematic material from music associated with the three characters, thus creating a "free symphonic development" that reinterprets the story: after the confrontation with the Commendatore, Don Giovanni triumphs over his opponent. Ten measures before the end, however, Liszt evokes once more the sphere of the Commendatore (Andante), which can be understood as an attempt to lead back cyclically to the beginning, skepticism about the positive interpretation of the ending, or both.

Index Classifications: 1800s

Contributed by: Andreas Giger