Abstract

The myth of Don Juan, the eternal conqueror, has Olympian origins, having Zeus himself as a hero, also famous for his adventures; however, the best known version remains, beyond doubt, the opera Don Giovanni, composed by Mozart in 1787, to Lorenzo da Ponte`s libretto. E. T. A. Hoffmann considered it "the opera of all operas" and Charles Gounod saw it as "a work without blemish, of uninterrupted perfection". The hero`s living prototype, the famous Casanova, was in the audience at the premiere. The present study aims to analyse the Don Giovanni-Zerlina duettino, "Là ci darem la mano", which is probably the most charming symbol of seduction. Of the many paraphrases of the Mozartian theme, which was an obsession with the Romantic composers, we have chosen the pages that we consider the most representative ones, written by Beethoven –  Variationen über das Thema: "Là ci darem la mano" aus Mozarts Don Juan, Chopin – Là ci darem la mano. Varié, avec accompagnement d`Orchestre, op. 2 – for piano and orchestra and Liszt – Réminiscences de Don Juan, for piano and orchestra.

Keywords: Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Don Giovanni, Là ci darem la mano, variation, paraphrase

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