Valuable information on the earlier careers of singers who took part in the première of Don Giovanni including details of the repertoire and roles they performed during the 1780s is to be found in the Stadtgeschichtliches Museum. This evidence deserves to be presented in detail as it provides an important context for the composition of Mozart’s new opera. Programmes are extant for benefit concerts in which Ponziani and the Saporiti sisters participated in the 1782 and 1783 seasons. Ponziani’s first recorded appearance in a Leipzig concert came on 12 August 1782, when he took part in a benefit with Maria Fidanza (Illustration 1). Even though specific pieces are not identified, Ponziani’s association with roles requiring acting ability is already clear in this programme’s characterisation of the Paisiello aria.

The importance of Ponziani to the company was evident early on, and this concert was a reward for his success. In the 1782 Litteratur- und Theater-Zeitung review, he received a warm commendation:

The reviewer singles out his contribution, together with that of Fidanza, as the primary reason for the company’s current success, and even mentions the joint Leipzig benefit concert.