[EponineBarker]

After listening to the OLC version a dozen times and hearing another version on youtube, there's one thing I'm kinda confused about: Piangi screws up "Those who tangle with Don Juan..." but how excatly is he messing up the line? Is it a wrong note, or just mispronounciation? Is it one definate thing, or does it vary depending on the actor?

[High-baritonne]

When I saw it on Broadway he sang another tone, which actually sounded better than the "right" way, and that is the way it is supposed to be I believe, since the script have Carlotta saying "His way is much better." So I believe he sings it in a different way that actually fits the music very well, but still is wrong.

[Vice]

When I saw it it was a matter of pronounication. He kept using a long a instead of a short one. (i.e. "Those who tongle..." instead of "those who tangle...")

I haven't had a chance to hear it in any of the recording though...

[shakalakababy]

yeah same here.
all three times i've seen it it's been a pronunciation thing. Though it may vary by production.

[operafantomet]

From the top of my head...

I seem to remember that Piangi doesn't handle the half-note-scale "Don Juan Triumphant" is composed in, so he "transpose" it, or parts of it, to full-note-scale. Sometimes it's the whole phrase, but most often it's only a few notes.

[Emilala]

Basically, the scale is supposed to be a whole-tone scale (a scale of all whole-steps/no half-steps), but Piangi doesn't get it and sings a regular major scale, which is much more familiar to western listeners and is probably why it "sounds more correct."