Of the five premieres produced during a four-month period, Mozart's "Don Giovanni" on the first night attracted an illustrious audience. In addition to the President of the Federal Republic of Germany and a selection of diplomats and politicians, high-ranking guests included theatrical directors from West Germany and other Western European countries, composers, conductors, actors, writers, painters and sculptors, not to mention rectors and lecturers from Berlin's universities and the world's leading music critics. [...] The success was commensurate with the significance of the occasion. All involved in the performance received countless ovations in front of the magnificent yellow curtain. The new building - and the new stage with its state-of-the-art technology - had shown itself to be more than capable of handling Mozart's most demanding work.
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
as Don Giovanni
Josef Greindl
as Komtur
Elisabeth Grümmer
as Donna Anna
Donald Grobe
as Don Ottavio
Pilar Lorengar
as Donna Elvira
Ivan Sardi
as Masetto
Erika Köth
as Zerlina
Walter Berry
as Leporello
