KEEP SILENT. LOVE IS DIVINE AND CLAIRVOYANT. LOVE KNOWS EVERYTHING. Giacomo Casanova received a doctorate as jurist, scratched along as violinist in a theatre, dabbled in the role of a lieutenant and was cofounder of France’s lottery. As an adventurer and due to his reputation as lover of innumerable women and globetrotter, he became world famous. His memoirs from 1790, „Histoire de ma vie“, fascinate to date, and declare Casanova as symbol for the art of seduction! Michael Sturminger and Martin Haselböck adapt Casanova’s themes and create with their new chamber-opera play “The Giacomo-Variations” a dramatic and humorous rapprochement to a phenomenon. We meet Casanova – alternately played by Hollywood star John Malkovich and baritone Florian Boesch – in various exciting encounters, and are witness to his very personal retrospection on his life in the face of his approaching death. Somewhere in the midst of these encounters, bursting with desire and passion for numerous women, Casanova has to confront his biggest fear: to die, before discovering what he has lived for. The „Soundtrack“ for this exceptional play of human feelings is provided by Casanova’s contemporaries W.A. Mozart und Lorenzo Da Ponte, drawing on some of the most beautiful arias from their operatic collaborations.