ations), the music carries a distinctive rhythm that provokes the feeling of sorrow and pain; thus one finds oneself feeling sympathy for Elvira.The character of Elvira makes a clear distinction between her sorrow, and her anger. In Act I when Elvira is first introduced as a character, she sings of wanting to kill Don Giovanni because he had lied to her. Falsely promising her his hand in marriage, this only leads to heartache and distress for Elvira because she truly believed that he loved her. Leporello described it, in the Peter Sellars' updated version of Don Giovanni, as a "bad soap opera". Elvira expresses her pain and suffering in these few lines:"Ah, who can tell me where that wretch has gone? I loved him, to my shame, and he broke his faith to me. If I find him again, and he tries to escape, I'll make a horrible scandal; I'll tear his heart from his breast!" (Act I, 143).During this scene, Elvira vows to kill Don Giovanni for causing her this grief. She states that "the scoundrel (Don Giovanni) has deceived and betrayed" (Act I, 145) her! She was powerless to his love and gained nothing in return except pain and anguish. One can hear the mixed tone of Elvira's voice; it is strong and full of fury, yet weak and almost tearful.To accompany her words, Mozart has added a unique blend of classical music, which he mixes to create an "opera buff". The music in this specific scene is slightly fast-paced, yet its tone is one of soft melody. This combination, as I see it, serves the purpose of allowing an audience to understand Elvira's rage and pain, and therefore, becomes compassionate and sympathetic to what the character is feeling emotionally.The swift-like pace of the music which accompanies Elvira's words reveals her anger and furry towards Don Giovanni. Most rapidly paced music often has the result of whipping people into an emotional, and sometimes physical, frenzy. Examine Eminem's rap music: his spitfire words and ...
