Customer Reviews

Mozart: Don Giovanni

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Karl Bohm made two commercial recordings of "Don Giovanni" for Deutsche Grammaphon" -- a studio recording from 1967, and a live recording from the 1977 Salzburg Festival. Critical consensus favors the latter; in fact, the 1967 version excited little praise. Why then did DG release the 1967 on CD some years ago with full production values (libretto, notes and essays) and the 1977 only recently on a budget line with no libretto (only a track by track synopsis)? Heaven knows why market departments do what they do.

At least we now have the 1977 live performance complete (a highlights disc had appeared earlier) and at a very attractive price. Bohm gives a materful performance. It is a Germanic "Don", a lofty morality play that stresses Giovanni's cruelty and the justice of his damnation. From the opening bars, Bohm leads us into a dark and turbulent world, then proceeds at a sober pace tinted with foreboding. He leans hard on the horn dissonance when the stone statue enters the banquet hall, and the hellfire scene shatters. Yet it is not all doom and gloom: there is Bohm's customarily light and airy string sound, the bright woodwinds, the graceful movement and style; the final pages are delivered with unusual exuberance. This is a beautifully balanced interpretation.

The cast is good. Sherrill Milnes may not be one of the great Giovanni's, but his handsome swagger sounds right. He points up the character's brutishness but knows when and where to honey the voice. In the judgement scene he is defiance personified. Of the ladies, none are best in category, but they are excellent: Anna Tomowa-Sintow gives an urgent, passionate Donna Anna who, in 1977 anyway, had the technical security to meet the roles musical demands; Teresa Zylis-Gara delivers and especially beautiful Elvira with a darkish, slightly husky tone that suggests a lush sexuality we rarely hear in this role; Edith Mathis is an enchanting Zerlina. Peter Schreier, a static, wimpish Ottavio in the 1967 recording, sings well and comes positively alive this time around, really throwing himself into the action. True to Germanic tradition, Walter Berry makes Leporello into a bit of a ruffian, but so filled with charisma and sparkling singing-acting that we forget the Italianate model. He is one of the best Leporello's yet. John Macurdy cannot thunder away like some Commandantore's do, but the sepulchral, unyielding quality of his voice works very well.

What really makes this cast go is the splendid ensemble feel; they acutely play off one another throughout and get more life out of the recits than any other cast, especially when Milnes and Berry square off. The VPO is matchless; the sound is wonderfully rich and reeks of the theater; DG engineers have left in some audience applause (not present on the LP release). If this set had a decent booklet with libretto, it could easily be a first choice.

ABOUT THE ALBUM: LIVE PERFORMANCE FROM THE SALZBURG FESTIVAL, SALZBURG, AUSTRIA, July and August, 1977, originally released in LP, remastered as a 3-CD set by Deutsche Grammophon. THE CAST: Sherrill Milnes, baritone (Don Giovanni) Walter Berry, baritone (Leporello), Anna Tomowa-Sintow, soprano (Donna Anna), Peter Schreier, tenor (Don Ottavio), Edith Mathis, soprano (Zerlina), Teresa Zylis-Gara, mezzo soprano (Donna Elvira), Dale Duesing, baritone (Masetto), John Macurdy, bass (Commandatore) Vienna State Opera Chorus, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Karl Bohm.

KARL BOHM'S THEATRICAL DON GIOVANNI

This Don Giovanni was recorded live at one of the performances at the July-August Salzburg Festival. Karl Bohm was a prominent post-World War II conductor, considered one of the greats (along with Karajan) and who specialized in conducting opera. His recordings of Wagner's Ring Des Nibelung with Birgit Nilsson, Wolfgang Windgassen and Theo Adam is legendary, as is his Tristan and Isolde and Strauss' Salome with Leonie Rysanek. Although the heavier German opera repertoire was his forte, he was equally as impressive conducting Mozart opera. His studio recording of Le Nozze Di Figaro with Hermann Prey, Dietrich Fischer Dieskau, Gundula Janowitz and Edith Mathis has always been critically acclaimed. By 1977, Bohm had already conducted a studio Don Giovanni (1967, with Dieskau, Nilsson and Martina Arroyo) also available on Deutsche Grammophon but it was not a very inspired recording, mostly because critics believed Dieskau and Nilsson were miscast singing Mozart. This live recording is a lot better. It's a supremely theatrical Don Giovanni, the Vienna Philharmonic sounds wonderful, and there is a continuous dramatic flow and brilliant freshness that can still be felt to this date. Unlike most live recordings, there are no distracting "live noises" that would otherwise ruin an opera. Instead, the live sounds we hear - the dueling swords of the Commandatore and the Don in the opening scene, doors shutting and opening, the players walking about, as well as Zerlina's scream in the Masquerade Ball toward the end of Act 1 and Don Giovanni's own scream as he is dragged into Hell in Act 2, make for a dramatically potent opera. There is applause at the end of each major aria. Even with these theatrical touches, the lyricism that is inherent in Mozart's score is beautifully captured by the colorful and expessive Vienna Philharmonic.

SHERILL MILNES AS DON GIOVANNI is absolutely great. The role was not in his usual repertoire (he was primarily a Verdi baritone) and by 1977 he was already a big star with recordings under his belt. His excellent phrasing, high baritone voice, dramatic abilities, legato and incisive rhythmic style served him well. And yes, he had some experience singing Mozart. He is featured in the Leinsdorf "Cosi Fan Tutte" with Leontyne Price and Tatiana Troyanos. He was one of few American opera singers who were featured at the Salzburg Festival. His Don Giovanni here is wonderful. The real strengths lie in his dramatic recitative styling, as found in his interactions with Walter Berry's Leporello. A good Don Giovanni-Leporello relationship is at the heart of the comedy. He makes the Don out to be a relaxed, leisurely but wild and insensitive playboy. The voice is flawless. WALTER BERRY AS LEPORELLO is the best. No other baritone could make Leporello appear as comical. The acting is a little on the campy side, but this is a classic basso-buffo performance. Walter Berry was a Mozart specialist and he enjoyed success with such roles as Papageno in Die Zauberflote. Because Karl Bohm and the Vienna Philharmonic allowed the singers to shine and the orchestra never drowned out the performers, this is one Leporello that is a star in his own right. Note for instance how Bohm slows down the orchestra for the Catalog Aria (Madamina, Il Catalogo Questo) and Walter Berry sings this as no other has sung it before, making the aria seem grander than it normally sounds. PETER SCHREIER AS OTTAVIO is strong, elegant and masterful. Schreier was a true Mozart tenor and he performed many of the early Mozart tenor heroes (Idomeneo, Mitridate, Il Re Pastore) but he was also a first-rate Tamino in Die Zauberflote. His voice was born to sing Mozart. This Ottavio is never boring and sounds more heroic than usual. DALE DUESING AS MASETTO is very dramatic and makes the role a lot more interesting than other baritones who do nothing with it. He sounds every bit the jealous and angry boyfriend. His voice is in excellent shape in this recording. JOHN MACURDY would sing for the Joseph Losey film of Don Giovanni the following year in '78. This baritone never really sounded powerful or frightening but approached the role in a different way, bringing out the ghostly, eerie, spectral sounds. After all, the Commandatore in Act 1 that the Don murders is the same Commandatore that shows up at Dinner as either a statue or a ghost.

ANNA TOMOWA SINTOW AS DONNA ANNA on this recording is in her prime, singing with exquisite beauty and lyrical flow. Rather than taking the "dramatic" approach, she sings with note-for-note perfection and makes Donna Anna to be more of a sympathetic heroine; elegant and noble. This Bulgarian soprano had voice that was big and beautiful. It would get a lot bigger in the 80's when she would take on heavier roles such as Tosca, Madame Butterfly and Manon Lescaut. She was very popular at the Salzburg Festival in the late 1970's and was Karajan's preferred soprano in his late career in the 80's. She would sing Donna Anna once again for Karajan's studio recording from the mid 80's, but there she sings with a lot more dramatic and even rougher intensity. TERESA ZYLIS-GARA AS ELVIRA is possibly the only weak link, but it's an opinion of mine based on my preference for more dramatic Donna Elviras. Teresa sings beautifully and she has a fine voice for Mozart. Her Elvira is sung in the mezzo soprano key. It's a warm, mature voice but very musical. She takes the usual "pity me" approach that most sopranos/mezzo sopranos take, in a voice that is pretty but not dramatic. EDITH MATHIS AS ZERLINA is exemplary. Her Zerlina is never dull or lifeless, and she makes a very charming Zerlina, with full lyric voice. She had a lot of experience singing Mozart by this time and she had sung for Bohm's studio Figaro as Susanna. Edith Mathis may not have the Italianate sound, but she has a high soprano voice with lyric richness that has no rival.

This is a really amazing Don Giovanni. If you like very well-done live recordings, this Don Giovanni is by far the best as far as live recording goes. Make it your first Don Giovanni and get ready to hear the extraordinary talents of the Vienna Phil, Sherill Milnes, Anna Tomowa Sintow, Walter Berry, Peter Schreier and Edith Mathis. Thanks to Deutsche Grammophon for remastering recordings of this calibre.

Let me only give a short comment about this recording. It is the best Don Giovanni on the market today followed, and in this order, by Leinsdorf, Klemperer and Guilini. Especially impressive is Sherril Milnes. Karl Böhm makes a wonder with the score. What power, what inspiration! All great artists make their inspired best. Just marvellous...

The audience participation is minimal, as other reviews have noted, and some of the lines are incredible. Dalla Sua Pace brought me to tears with its beauty and emotion--unlike any other I'd heard before. Definitely worth adding to your library.

I enjoyed listening to this 1979 performance but there's been no compulsion to revisit it. The real star is Deutsche Grammophon: the recording of this live performance from the Salzburg Festival is exemplary and the 2008 remastering has only added to its appeal. In furtherance, the glories and grunt of the Vienna Philharmonic are unerringly captured. While he is no Speedy Gonzales in this domain, Uncle Karl is surprisingly daemonic: come the Supper Scene, it is full throttle. It is a remarkable achievement for an octogenarian.

Thereafter we steer southwards. One of my favourite singers, Edith Mathis as Zerlina, sounds flustered and off-balance all night. Was it nerves? Who knows! She's a disappointment. Tomowa Sintow is also jumpy; she's far more assured in the studio with Karajan in '85. Walter Berry as Leporello is lively enough but he was fresher under Karajan in 1960 . The other singers are commendable. That leaves our frisky friend.

Milnes sings both confidently and sonorously. His vocal-acting eclipses the likes of Samuel Ramey (who doesn't?) and his interactions with Leporello are great fun. Afterwards I kept asking myself why I was never fully engaged by his performance. Upon reflection, his Don is more of a roguish bon vivant than procreation incarnate; he lacks the singularity of a Gobbi who unrelentingly applies the principle of 'any port in a storm', whether the harbour-master likes it or not Mozart: Don Giovanni / Furtwangler / Salzburg Festival. At no point did he make me rethink this complex character; Milnes as Don Giovanni does not require the divinations of a Kierkegaard: it's too fathomable. Still, it is worth hearing and easy on the ear.

In summary: this is a fine keepsake of a Salzburg-grade performance. It has its merits. The sound is first class and the orchestra excel themselves. But it does not terminate the search for the perfect Don Giovanni, insofar as this quest can be consummated outside the sphere of pure forms.

Initial shipment as damaged in transit. It was returned and promptly replaced. Wonderful performance.

This is a great performance of one of Mozart's most famous operas. The many beautiful arias are sung by top-rate pros, and the orchestra is superb.

Very good recording of an open air performance, but not quite up to the quality of a studio recording.