On Monday 8th June 2015 thirteen BBCM children were due to attend Don Giovanni's matinee performance at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. In the event twelve BBCM children and a guest attended. Below see their (thirteen) reviews.

I went to Don Giovanni with Agnes, my music teacher. We had a very good view of the stage, and I was excited to see the opera after reading the story of Don Juan before we went.
    My favourite character was Leporello because he was a good person. Don Giovanni was a liar especially to women. Don Giovanni kept threatening Leporello, poor Leporello. Don Giovanni was bad but brave. It is good that he went to hell in the end though. I tried reading many of the subtitles but sometimes they passed by too quickly.
    What I really liked was the stage lighting. There were powerful lights in the back stage and when they changed, the stage looked very different. Once the light changed and made the stage look like a dining hall.
    The music was exciting throughout, especially in the last scene where it went up and down. It felt like as if the music was trying to pull Don Giovanni down into hell.
    I thought that the men sang better than the women. I enjoyed the music most when there were many people on stage singing together as a little or big group.
Julian Herbst, age 7

I saw Don Giovanni at the Royal Opera House on June 8th, 2015.
    I think the Commendatore's music was really catchy. I couldn't get it out of my head. The phrase "Don Giovanni du-du-du-da-da" was stuck in my head after the opera. [AK: James kept singing the Commendatore's eight-bar entry to dinner with Don Giovanni, Scene XV, Finale, Act II.?] The rest of the music was also very dramatic.
    The costumes were old-fashioned and not very bright colours. I didn' t really like the scribbling on stage, and Don Giovanni said he had a mansion but it didn't really look like he did. I think the plot was really good and it's very clever how they switched clothes.
    I think the Commendatore, played by Erik Halfvarson, had the best singing voice. The part when the statue talked at supper was cool.
    All in all I think that it was super, ultra, jaw-dropping, shockingly.. you get the point don't you. It was good :)
James Majid, age 7

Today I left school at 10.30 in the morning for a visit to the Royal Opera House.
My mum and I went to the tube station and we took the tube to the Opera House. After a little walk we bumped into our friends from BBCM music class.
    Once inside we waited near the doors that would lead us to the beautiful interior of the Opera House. We took our seats as fast as lightening, right on time for the opera to start.
    First the people with the instruments started to play. The beat was very exciting. The conductor was really good at conducting the people who were playing the instruments.
    Then the actors entered, like Donna Anna and her beloved father who had a sword fight with Don Giovanni. Don Giovanni won the sword fight and killed Donna Anna's father with a stab in the heart. Then Leporello came down from the building using a ladder and he asked Don Giovanni if he really killed the father of Donna Anna. Don Giovanni smiled and said what do you think? Then they sneakily got away and left the old man for dead. Donna Anna started to cry and said she would never forget him. The music sounded tragic.
    Later there was a wedding and there was singing before the marriage. However they never married because Don Giovanni was on the second layer of the building. A lot of people were scared of him and ran away when they saw him.
    My favourite instruments were the violins, they were really good. My favourite singer was Don Giovanni: he had nice songs and a nice singing voice.
    We took the tube home. I really had an amazing day.
Malik Matser, age 7

On 10th of June I went to see Don Giovanni in the Royal Opera House with my music teacher, Agnes. It was my first time seeing a performance of an opera. I was looking forward to it.
    We had very good seats in the first row, not far from the orchestra and the stage. From here we could see everything. I could see the conductor moving his hands very quickly while directing the musicians, telling them when to come in and play their instruments. I could also see the expressions on the faces of the singers when they sang their parts. I have no idea how the singers can remember such long parts.
    The opera was in Italian, but the text was translated into English and you could read it overhead. I liked Don Giovanni; he was a bit like a clown. He didn't take anything seriously.
    I liked the music of the opera. The music showed when the actors were happy and it also showed when they were sad. You could tell how the actors felt from the music being played.
    I enjoyed the performance and hope to go again to see something else.
Daniel Aradi-Posilkyn, age 8

This is an opera by Mozart with an Italian libretto. I saw it on television a few months ago and I really liked it, so I was so excited when I was told I could go to the Royal Opera House to see it live. Going to the theatre to see an opera is an amazing experience: the singers, the orchestra playing, the scenes and the costumes, everything is magnificent and you feel like you are in a dream. I have found incredible the talent of the singers who managed to reach very high or low notes so easily!! Before going I was afraid I would be scared when the ghost of the Commendatore was coming to get Don Giovanni, but I wasn't and I enjoyed the finale. I am really grateful I had this opportunity and I hope I will be able to go to see another opera soon.
Carolina di Cecio, age 8

The character of Don Giovanni is famous because he seduces many, many women and he doesn't care.
I thought the music was wonderful. In the beginning the music was very dramatic because it was fast and the whole orchestra was playing and the music was going up and down. I could see the French horns and these instruments are gold and curved. I also could hear the violins, clarinets, cellos and double bass.
One part I really liked was when Don Giovanni came out of a black door on his own into a black sort of nightmare world and it was hell. Don Giovanni sang like he was lost and it was powerful.
Evelyn Teague, age 8

Don Giovanni was very exciting, the costumes and stage were amazing. It is the best stage set I have ever seen. There were lots of different scenes and all of them were wonderful!
    It all starts at night in Dona Anna's room when Don Giovanni is trying to get another woman on his long list of names. The show is about love, friendship and life. There are three different women and all of them fall into his trap. There is fantastic acting, the fights look so real.
    The orchestra made the music very fast and dramatic at the beginning. The music really brings the story to life. The sounds make you feel like you are actually there. The conductor looked so focused, conducting looks very hard. My favourite instrument was the cello; it looked very cool and sounded beautiful.
    The singing is incredible, the singers can make so many different notes and you can tell if they are happy or sad. The singers’ expressions are so fabulous; it looks like they are really feeling what their characters are going through. All the voices sounded so amazing together with the music. My personal favourite was Don Giovanni himself.
    I would definitely recommend the show to everyone (for whom it is suitable) It is magical!
Agnes Harrison, age 9

On Monday the 8th June, my brother and I went to see an opera at the Royal Opera House with my music teacher (called Agnes Kory) and other friends from the BBCM. The BBCM is the music school I go to on Saturdays. We have a uniform and we wear it when we go on outings.
The opera we saw is called Don Giovanni. The music was composed by Mozart and the libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte, in Italian. This opera was performed for the first time in Prague 1787. For this matinee at the ROH, there were surtitles in English if you wanted to follow what the actors sang. This conductor for this performance was called Alain Altinoglu.
The opera is based on Don Giovanni's legend. Don Giovanni is a Spanish nobleman who seduces lots of ladies and shows off to his servant (Leporello). In the opera there are two acts. So the opera is split into two parts. When Donna Anna's father (The Commendatore) dies, the house turns red, the colour of blood. The set changes a lot and it's always a bit chaotic to follow the changes.
In Act 2 I really liked it when Zerlina and Masetto come on stage with a big wedding crowd behind them because Zerlina is very pretty and Masetto is a very handsome nobleman. The music of the opera during this scene is quite jolly but not so loud.
A few facts... Don Giovanni likes to seduce different ladies in Europe. Masetto and Zerlina don't like to have arguments. Donna Ottavio likes to see Donna Anna happy. And Donna Elvira likes to tell people that Don Giovanni is not to be trusted so she can have him for herself because she is secretly in love with Don Giovanni.
An important moment for me: Don Giovanni tries to seduce Zerlina a pretty peasant girl. Don Giovanni seduces her by saying they could live together and things like that but Masetto gets so angry that Zerlina gets so sad and starts to cry. And that's where Zerlina finds out that he's committing a crime.
A dramatic moment: When Donna Elvira finds out that Don Giovanni is seducing Zerlina she gets furious with Don Giovanni. The music gets rather serious and tense. It's violent because Don Giovanni smashes a head statue of The Commendatore. For me, there was a lot of emotion but I didn't like that part.
All the actresses in the show had old-fashioned dresses except for Donna Anna. One of the dresses she wore was a black, sparkly dress (which I really liked). Men looked very stylish. But the ghost was the scariest character of all, with his bald head.
I was in a seat where I could see the orchestra really well. So I was very lucky to be able to examine all the different instruments. The ones I liked most were: French horn, Violin, Flute, Bassoon and Clarinet. It's great to see so many musicians play at the same time and to hear the music come out and actors sing their part on stage.
The moment I remember most from the musical point of view: when Don Giovanni kills Donna Anna's father. The music gets really dramatic and serious. It's forte with a staccato rhythm.
It's amazing to see how singers can act and sing and follow what is happening in the orchestra and listen to each other to make sure they are in tune and at the right rhythm too!
   One more fact... During the break you could have an ice cream if you had money so I bought one! But that's not the only reason why you should also go to the opera!
Tilia Zamparo, age 9

Don Giovanni is an amazing opera. The story was beautifully scripted and shows the journey of a truly evil man: a man who takes and brakes hearts of poor women who fall into his trap.
    The music took me away on a roller coaster of emotions and really helped me understand the feeling and narrative of the story and characters. The conductor did amazing tunes. One of my favourites incorporated the violin and flute.
    The voices were really powerful and full of feeling. It must have been hard to keep it realistic and in time with the orchestra. This Opera was dramatic and amazingly performed. I applaud all the people involved in this incredible performance.
    The house in which the actors performed in was phenomenal. The projecting eased the understanding and feelings of certain characters and what was happening to them.
    I think that all the scenes, projections, acting, singing, music and settings were absolutely outstanding. I, again, applaud everyone involved in the phenomenal performance.
Elora Carrard, age 10 (guest)

The performance of Don Giovanni, which I went to see on Monday 8th June, was brilliant. Everything made the opera come alive.
    The way that Alain Antinoglu conducted the orchestra was amazing. The orchestra enhanced the words (which were translated). This added to the drama of the story that was being told.
    The outfits designed by Anja Vang Kragh suited every character perfectly and showed some of their personality. I particularly liked Donna Anna's outfit. It showed her mourning at the same time, as expressing her wealth and the true colours, such as confidence, love, and anger towards Don Giovanni. The set design by Es Devlin made me understand the scenes more, together with the lighting, directed by Bruno Poet, adding the finishing touches to the atmosphere to every song. Especially when Don Giovanni was inviting people to his party, I knew he was captivating people all around as the screening in the background spun round and round. It was as if he was going around the city. This also conveyed his excitement at his own idea, which gives us an insight into how self-centred he is.
    The singers sang beautifully. They were all in the personality of their characters. They are the ones who brought the show to life. All of their performances were superb. They made me feel like I was actually watching the scenes happen right before my eyes. My personal favourite was Zerlina's aria, when she was showing Masetto her "medicine". I liked this because it expressed so much care and love. The story came across to me through her voice and actions. They really came together. I especially enjoyed the final scene, where Don Giovanni goes to Hell. I was glad to see that he was given the punishment he deserves. The music is extremely dramatic, so are the words to the final song. The last scene masterfully brings the opera to the dramatic ending, with the visual help by the skills of Bruno Poet and Es Devlin.
Clara Heck, age 10

I went to the the opera on June 8th 2015 and saw Don Giovanni at the Royal Opera House. I had a pretty good view from where I was sitting.
The set was amazing and also somewhat confusing. There were so many projections and they were so realistic that it was hard to tell if a door was projected or real. On the other hand, I think the projections were a really good improvement because they could use the colours and pictures to explain the characters feelings and help create the mood of the scene.
I think the costumes were great because they helped give you a feel for the personality of the characters and also whether they were rich or poor or sad or happy. The actors were good at adding emotions to their voices so they weren't just singing. I didn't have a favourite character.
The whole opera just wouldn't have been good without the orchestra and, most importantly, the conductor, Alain Altinoglu. The music attracts your attention while the scene changes and plays the main role in creating the atmosphere. The opera wouldn't work without the mood, the mood wouldn't work without the music and the music wouldn't work without the conductor.
Before watching the opera, I had read the plot so I expected the scene where the statue leads Don Giovanni to hell to be magnificent. I was disappointed. Apart from this aspect, I think the opera was brilliant.
Juliette Majid, age 10

On Monday the eighth of June, I went to see Mozart's Don Giovanni at the ROH. A hush drew over the auditorium as the lights were dimmed and the orchestra started the overture and the curtains rose. Then, as the first note was sung, the attention turned to the stage.
   The actors were really into the plot, and, as I was soon to discover, so was the conductor, who at one point began singing along!
   The backdrop was very modern, but the actors wore epochal costumes, minus the wigs, and I thought that they really complemented each other, despite the contrast.
   As always with Mozart, the music was either divine or passionate. My favourite aria was “La ci darem’ la mano”, with the soft, tender, detached chords in the background.
   I especially liked Alex Esposito's rendition of Leporello. He was really funny with his deep bass voice and I could tell that he knew his character well.
   I was sitting in one of the most expensive seats in the house, but the surtitles were half hidden, and I had to lean forwards to see some of the activity on the left. Luckily, there were surtitles elsewhere (and I didn't really need them, as I'm Italian), but it was still a slight let-down.
   The singers were extremely talented, and I felt it a privilege to be seeing them live, not through the radio!
   So, all in all, it was an admirable performance, and I definitely didn't regret missing school for a day to go and watch it!
Francesca de Cecio, age 11

On the 8th of June 2015 I went to the Royal Opera House with my music teacher Agnes Kory and classmates to see Don Giovanni, an opera in two acts by Mozart and Italian libretto (the text of an opera) by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was written in 1787.
It is an opera based around the legends of the famous operatic seducer Don Giovanni, a Spanish nobleman aided by his servant Leporello. He goes too far when he murders the father of Donna Anna, his latest conquest, a well-respected aristocrat: the Commandatore. Donna Anna is full of guilt and so tells her husband Don Ottavio that she cannot marry him until Don Giovanni is dead. During his escape Donna Elvira (a woman he had previously seduced) is determined to win him back but causes confusion as she warns others he is not to be trusted. He then tries to seduce Zerlina, a peasant girl newly married to Masetto, who is fooled by Don Giovanni but later reunites in conspiracy for Don Giovanni's crimes.
    I think that Leporello was the best singer, he sang in a mocking tone when listing out the number of women Giovanni had slept with in Europe to Donna Elvira. He is always swapping sides but somehow remains loyal to Don Giovanni, he tells a complicated truth and I like his singing because he has a clear voice and makes it seem like he is looking miles away, his body language helps to describe what he is singing, he is neither with nor against anyone.
    At two moments in the opera, a small group of musicians come on stage. The first occurrence is during Don Giovanni’s ball. A quartet of strings play the tune, dressed as if they were characters of the opera, making them look like the they were the ball’s entertainment , but I thought that only the violin had a clear part. The second time was at the very end, when woodwind and brass camouflage into the scene, under Don Giovanni, they play a low but clear song, I enjoyed the fact that most of the opera was in unison and that everything faded as the Commandatore enters.
    From our seats we could well see the conductor (Alain Altinoglu) and the harpsichord player. I thought that the composer was giving all he could to guide the instruments. On top of what I'm learning with my teacher Agnes, I'm curious about the various strategies used by conductors to lead an orchestra and try and keep instruments so they don't come in too late or too early whilst supporting the crew of singers with their own voice, pitch and acting requirements. I thought the harpsichord player was amazing and very confident even though my favourite instruments were the cello and double bass, especially in the brief moments where they had the tune.
    Although I liked the singers and musicians, I found the technology applied throughout the opera didn't mask the bare scene and that it was an unrealistic approach. But I liked certain parts such as when the names fill up the board and when the scene looks infected after Don Giovanni kills the Commandatore and when the Commandatore kills him.
    Overall I enjoyed the music a lot and thought that the singers gave a very good performance, and I hope to see more operas in the future so I can improve my polyphonic skills.
Scipio Zamparo, age 11