Don Giovanni and Other New Electronic Operatic Works

This article serves as a comprehensive introduction to the composer’s operatic compositions and features an in-depth discussion of his opera Don Giovanni. Atchley composes short (20–30 min) operas that feature sung and/or spoken libretti; titles, characters, musical and textual fragments from works by other composers; electronic and acoustic or synthesized instrumental accompaniment. The author discusses his relationship with his uncle, who introduced him to opera, painting and a philosophy of art; the uses of electronics both specifically in Don Giovanni and generally in his compositional technique; the structure of his work and its relationship to Mozart and Da Ponte’s opera; and performance elements of the work.