Don Giovanni contains all the stock characters found in Opera Buffa – the serious, the comic and the in-between. It is this that places it firmly in the category of Opera Buffa.

Don Giovanni’s own arias are short and do not reveal much about his nature. However, his seduction technique becomes clear once he sings with women. Notice how he takes on their own musical style – he sings in a lilting peasant style when trying to seduce Zerlina (La ci darem) and in a “seria” style when singing to Donna Anna or Donna Elvira. It is this ability to adapt musically that Mozart cleverly uses to show Don Giovanni’s secret of success.