Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s 1787 opera was based on the legendary figure Don Juan, a rake and a seducer of women, but Mozart makes him a real villain. Set at a wedding, in Tuscany, the lead’s character is quickly shown to be charming, controlling and without conscience. Seducing anything in a skirt and finally killing the father of one of his conquests.
Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, based on the Greek legend, is a short, challenging piece, with an incomplete score. Composed in the 17th century, it is regarded as the oldest opera in English.