Don Giovanni: Meet the Artists
Don Giovanni is one of Mozart’s most popular operas, and for good reason! This show has some of the most stirring melodies in the operatic canon, and we’re lucky to have Seth Carico and Sara Gartland as two of our amazing principal singers for this production. Recently, they were kind enough to sit down with us to answer a few questions about themselves, talk about the joys and challenges of this piece, and share what they are most looking forward to doing in the Twin Cities when they’re not rehearsing and performing!
Describe your character in three words:
Carico: Spoiled, addicted, and delusional
Gartland: Feisty, strong, and confused
What are some of the joys and challenges of performing this role?
Carico: The greatest joy of singing this role is building the relationship with Leporello. It is a very special bond the two characters have, and being a person who sings both roles regularly, I love the opportunity to use that relationship to build something special with a colleague. If you have a partner who agrees, it can be just about the most fun ever. The biggest challenge for me is remembering which character’s lines to sing!
Gartland: Having the opportunity to bring this show to MN Opera after it was canceled in the pandemic is a huge joy. A challenge is singing the recitative with conversational ease because it moves the story forward, where we see each character’s heart.
What are the themes or messages of this piece that you think will resonate with our audiences? How is Don Giovanni relevant today?
Carico: The theme that resonates the most with me is that an unexamined life, regardless of how sensuous it might be, is at its best wasted and at its worst destructive. Don Giovanni has never had to examine the consequences of his actions until now, when he seems to be faced with all of them at once. This results in extreme shock and desperation, even though it is too late for him to make amends.
Gartland: I think watching the women in this piece claim their truths and power is so emotional and exciting. We all have moments in our lives where we are met with heartbreak, tragedy, deceit, fear, excitement, etc. Mozart and Da Ponte were able to tell a story showing all the characters facing these kinds of moments, and these human truths are wonderful to play on stage.
What do you hope audiences take away from this production?
Carico: Season tickets to Minnesota Opera! But also perhaps a renewed sense that the most important thing to us all is how we treat those around us.
Gartland: I hope audiences can sit down and enjoy the story, escape from their lives for a moment, and leave the theater singing Mozart’s tunes. But more importantly that it also moves them to feel something and maybe even inspires them to talk about the content with the friends and loved ones that came to the theater with them.
Do you have plans for your time in Minnesota? Anything you’re dying to do or see while you’re back in town?
Carico: This time in Minneapolis, I am traveling alone with my two-year-old son, so my priorities for extracurricular activities have changed a bit. Gone are the days of searching for the city’s best martini. Here to stay are hours at playgrounds and the Mall of America. I just heard the Minnesota Children’s Museum is wonderful, so I look forward to checking it out! I do really love this city, and I’m very happy to be back.
Gartland: I am from the Twin Cities, and my family is here. So, lots of time with my siblings and nieces and nephews, and then good grandparent time with my son when he arrives for Mother’s Day weekend. Plus, all the good eating and shopping in the North Loop. And a visit to Wuollet Bakery on Grand Ave, my FAVORITE bakery in the world.