Customer Reviews

Mozart - Don Giovanni / Allen, Furlanetto, Vaness, Rost, James, Dorn, Sandve, Holle, Conlon, Cologne Opera

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

James Conlon leads the Cologne Orchestra in this exciting 1991 production of Don Giovanni. Conlon conducts well; it is readily apparent that he is expert with Mozart's magnificent music and supports his singers well.

The Michael Hampe production is a traditional staging, simple and uncomplicated, and lends a welcome rustic quality to the production, not at all glossy and lavish as in the La Scala production, also on DVD. The costumes are somewhat drab and understated: shades of black and dark brown, with the occasional white apron, scarf, or chemise. The camera work is highly professional, with just the right amount of close-ups and distant shots.

During the late 1970s and 1980s, Thomas Allen was one of the premier Don Giovannis, and it is clear in this production that he is a master in the role. He is a bit past his prime, and his voice has the occasional dryness, but he makes up for it with his outstanding acting. He appears more comfortable in this Cologne production than he did under Muti in the La Scala DVD. Ferrucio Furlanetto is in fine voice as Leporello and, as ever, he is a joy to watch. World-reknowned Matthias Holle as the Commandatore is a major plus, and Reinhard Dorn is fine as Masetto. Kjell Magnus Sandve's strikingly handsome looks complements his well-sung Don Ottavio and dismisses the notion that Don Ottavio is a wimp.

The trio of women are outstanding. Carolyn James as Donna Anna is convincing, her soprano strong and beautiful. At times, her lower voice is not as strong as her high notes, but she is to be commended on her fine performance. This production catches Carol Vaness in her prime, and her Donna Elvira is magnficently sung. We are fortunate to see the young and beautiful Andrea Rost near the onset of her career, her bright and clarion soprano a perfect fit for Zerlina.

The DVD is beautifully presented in a clear plastic case and is accompanied with a slick 32-page pamphlet with pictures, synopsis, and notes on the performance and cast.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable DVD, highly recommended, and is a "must-have" for those of us who love Mozart and Don Giovanni.

Now that I have seen all of the Don Giovannis currently available on DVD in North America (Conlon, Karajan, Losey, Harnoncourt, and Muti) in my opinion this is easily the best of the lot. Its one major flaw is the lame treatment of Don Giovanni's final scene w/ the Commendatore, more of which later. Of the other productions on DVD, principal competition comes from the Karajan version on Sony, which uses the exact same production and staging (by Michael Hampe). I must admit that I was rather disappointed when I realized that this was the case, as I found that staging to be rather cold, dark and uninvolving in the Karajan version. However, this version manages to inject much more life and warmth into the production, and while Hampe's staging will never be my favorite, this production manages to make the best of it.

The principal reason for the extra warmth of this version is the cast, which I find preferable to Karajan's in every instance, especially in acting and stage manner. Thomas Allen's Don Giovanni is superior in every way to Samuel Ramey's w/ Karajan - he is simply much more convincing in the role. Ferruccio Furlanetto plays Leporello quite nicely in both versions, but seems to be having more fun here. Even though Karajan had very strong Donnas in his version, Carolyn James and Carol Vanness are superb in the present version, and offer more sympathic portrayals overall (esp. James' Donna Anna). And Conlon's Zerlina (forget her name) is light years better than Kathleen Battle's undistinguished performance for Karajan. The rest of the case is equally fine - there is no real weak link anywhere.

Conlon's conducting is truly first-rate - everything is well-judged, lively and totally natural, without ever sounding dull or routine. In fact, based on this and on some recent live performances I've heard him conduct with the Boston Symphony, I'd say that among conductors Conlon is one of the best current Mozarteans, and is quite underrated in this regard. I hope he records more Mozart in the future...

As other reviewers have pointed out, this set's achilles heel is the extremely lame Commendatore scene. I don't know whether this is after peformance patch-up job as some seem to think (it seems like part of the original performance to me...) or if it is simply a completely unimaginative directoral concept, but whatever the case, it is a disappointment, especially since the rest of the opera is so solid. And the post-production special effects (worthy of a 1960's B-level sci-fi movie) are supremely cheesy, and totally unneccesary...

Technically, the DVD is pretty good. Picture is clearer and sharper than in the Karajan version, although there seems to have been a problem with one of the cameras, resulting in certain long-distance shots having some major distortion in the top left-hand corner of the screen. I did not find this to be a big deal, however, as it is confined to only a few shots. Sound quality is also pretty good. The orchestra is a little soft sounding at first, but the voices are very clearly recorded. Volume needs to be turned up a little more than normal for best results.

The subtitles are absolutely maddening, however. Apart from offering only a "bare bones" translation (just enough info to give you a general idea) their placement is rather erratic - sometimes they appear before a character sings their line, sometimes during, and sometimes they simply drop out all together (for example Zerlina's aria Batti, battti is completely absent of subtitles, as is the final chorus...). Really poorly done...

But aside from that and the Commendatore scene, I'd say this is the one to get if you want a Don Giovanni on DVD. There is another production of Don Giovanni on Arthaus - w/ Harnoncourt conducting. That version offers perhaps the best singer currently doing the role of Don Giovanni (Rodney Gilfry - absolutely riveting) but the Eurotrash staging and Harnoncourt's unbearably ugly and eccentric conducting completely take it out of the running for me. I give Conlon's 5 stars only because it is the best currently available - on an absoute scale it probably is closer to a 4, or 4.5. But I'm still waiting for a true 5 star Don Giovanni to come out on DVD...

...although this is not my "dream" performance, it seems like the best one currently available on DVD. As for the other reviews which fault it for Sound Quality (this criticism I find wildly exaggerated) and for the awkward "patch-up" scene(s), I can only counter by saying that this is the only video of Don Giovanni where I cannot point to at least 1 badly-cast role, and its excellent camera work gives it a most "intimate" feel. In fact,while it is (largely) a live performance, it seems to be where the gestures are sized with the camera in mind. I agree with the comment that Thomas Allen appears older and slightly less vital that in his La Scala version (another consequence of the intimate camera work), but he is still wickedly and magnificently Thomas Allen. The Leporello is also surprisingly good. My 5-star rating here is inflated, in order to counter the ridiculous 1-star rating by another reviewer. In truth, this probably deserves 4 stars.

I didn't find the sound bad on my DVD at all, in fact it was extremely good. Thomas Allen is my Don of choice and I have always loved his voice which was just fine, if not as youthful as the La Scala version which I also have on VHS and Laser Disc. The La Scala version is a must in a collection along with the film with Raimondi, however, this camera work was far superior to the La Scala version and the cast every bit as good, if not better. All the cast members were wonderful. Thomas Allen has the best movement on stage of any opera singer - he moves like a dancer. Vaness, Rost and James are superb as the rest of the cast! I must have 10 different versions of this opera and this is in the top 4 - 5. Highly recommend this version. The death scene was a bit disappointing but there is another 165 minutes of opera (total running time 173 min.) that are moving. The palette of color bothered me to begin with - costumes and sets drab - but by the end, I enjoyed the production because it brought focus to the excellent singers! I originally saw James do this at the Met as cover for Sharon Sweet and was I glad James had to sing! She is superior to Sweet in acting and voice. Buy this, curl up and enjoy one of the best casts of Don Giovanni ever! (Karita Mattila was listed in the booklet as a cast member; James must have been covering for her and the producers neglected to correct the cast notes.) James Conlon was a wonderful conductor and should do more opera. Highly recommend as the singing, acting and pace will propel you through this Mozart masterpiece. I loved it!

Unfortunately, I just can't share my colleague reviewers'general enthusiasm for this Don Giovanni DVD. It appears to combine live segments (that is, with an audience present) with what I take to be patch-ups (standard practice, no qualms about that) and even so, something very odd happens in the last-but-one scene, when the statue shows up for dinner. Something must have gone very awry during the performance that altogether prevented the using of whatever was filmed for this scene and thus a very clumsily made patch-up is inserted, devoid of decor and with very crude "effects", as if filmed much later, when decor & costumes were no longer available to the producers and money usage had been stretched to the limit, as if in a last-minute effort to salvage the project. When the statue enters, all stage decor disappears and Thomas Allen acts and sings in front of a white cloth which apperas to go to hell with him, as once he's gone we're immediately transported back to the theatre for Leporello's recounting to all the characters that burst in then. This is unacceptable, and in any case ought to be stated in the package.

Ce DVD est super. Allen est extra, Vaness parfaite. Rost est un joyau. La mise en scène est EPOUSTOUFLANTE. La fin du Don est extraordinaire. Achetez ce DVD, d'autant qu'il est théatral.

I cannot say enough about how amazing this production of Don Giovanni is. But to go through the Principle singers:

Thomas Allen IS Don Giovanni. I know I am a huge fan of is, and may therefore be biased, but at the same time, he is considered one of the greatest Don Giovanni's of the century, and from this performance it is easy to see why. His voice is powerful and masculine--that's the best way I can describe it. It has a certain pleasing roughness: perhaps "sublime" is a good descriptor. In any case, he acts Don Giovanni with his voice and his body, sometimes very subtly. I was particularly impressed at his ability to be seductive without slobbering over every girl he meets. He is frightening and magnetic in "La ci darem," yet he only kisses the tips of her fingers as far as I can remember. He also sings his recitative as if he really meant what he was saying. Not knowing Italian very much as all, I have been able to pick things up because of the way in which he delivers his recitative. Finally, he makes a chilling descent into Hell. A previous reviewer fairly noted that the set was disappointingly sparse at that moment in this production. However, Sir Thomas's voice was enough to (in my opinion) to make up for the lack of props.

Ferruccio Furlanetto is also the ideal Leporello. He, like Sir Thomas, really acts. When he's scared you can tell, and when he's amused you can tell from the way he's singing, unlike (I'm rude and will name names) Samuel Ramey who with his absolutely GORGEOUS voice could not act his way vocally or physically out of a paper bag. (Furlanetto's three repetitions of "Ah cosa fate" after Don Giovanni accuses him as the one who tried to rape Zerlina provide a marvelous example of his acting...he goes from being amused, to annoyed, to really frightened, and his voice and body language make it quite cleaer). He also gives one of the most hysterical performances of "Elvira Idolo Mio" as Don Giovanni sings, that I have ever seen. And his catalogue aria! You just have to see it!

Carol Vaness has a powerful, and even harsh voice at times, but she uses it to great advantage as Donna Elvira. She is better known for her portrayal of Donna Anna, but I think that her Elvira is even better!

Andrea Rost is the best Zerlina I've seen. I am very put off by Zerlina's with big voices and heavy vibrato. She is a young bride! Rost's voice is beautifully light. She can be heard in ensembles, but her voice is not too big for her part.

Donna Anna is played by Carolyn James. She has a lovely voice. I am not a fan of Donna Anna as a part, but Carolyn James is my favorite so far. She never sounds like she is screaming, which is more than can be said for many Anna's.

I do not dislike Don Ottavio in this production. My favorite Don Ottavio is Francisco Araiza, and I do not think this Ottavio sings the runs in Il Mio Tesoro nearly as well as Araiza does. His voice is a little cloudy sounding--perhaps the way Furlanetto's is, but when transferred to tenor, it sounds strange. However, he is not bad. Perhaps he belies my title "Ideal Don Giovanni" but Ottavio being less than perfect does not really ruin the opera for me. I never was a fan of tenors.

The Commendatore is loud and deep, which is all I ever have expected or will expect from a commendatore. (I wish Samuel Ramey would sing the Commendatore...)

Masetto is also very nice. I really enjoy his "Ho Capito."

Buyers should be warned that this is not the BEST quality DVD ever. That being said, I think it is quite acceptable for something shot in 1990--all this high definition TV has spoiled us. On my HD screen, the picture about the same quality as the picture a non-HD TV channel gives. However, the performance is so excellent that it brings this DVD to 5 stars in my opinion.

Mozart - Don Giovanni / Allen, Furlanetto, Vaness, Rost, James, Dorn, Sandve, Holle, Conlon, Cologne Opera is a 1991 production of Don Giovanni being led by James Conlon. The costumes are right on the mark. This is a great recording and the singers do a great job. Compared to Von Karajan's recording the pace is sometimes a bit too quick. However, this is just a minor difference but enough to not give it a 5. The booklet contains 34 pages and contains short notes about the the composer and his work, the performance, the plot and the performers. The sound quality is superb and it verily feels as if one is enjoying this in person. A very fine performance indeed. Recommended. 4/5.

This production of Don Giovanni is recommended, but I still prefer the Karajon version as a whole. Everyone has their favorite singers and that will always enter into one's opinion. But the Final Scene in Conlon's version simply does not hold up to my expectations. This is the climax of the whole opera and this production leaves a bitter taste after viewing it. And that is regrettable.

On the basis of several reviews here on Amazon I purchased this DVD of DG. However, comparing it between two machines number by number, I still find that the Von Karajan tops it. Allen is a very engaging and nuanced Don but he does not sing it as well as Ramey. If anything, Allen makes the Don a bit too knowing. I prefer Ramey's bravado. One example on the vocal side...Ramey's champagne aria is more rhythmically solid than Allen's. I always thought that Furlanetto was the best Leporello. Here we have two performances with him spaced several years apart. The voice is in great shape in both versions but he looks better in the Von Karajan. Don Anna is nicely sung by James but it is not that much better than Tomowa-Sintow who is not as stiff physically. Vaness is fine as Elvira but Varady is more intense and dramatic. The Don Ottavio is a far cry from Von Karajan's Winbergh who has a more beautiful voice and is more assured technically. The Massetto's are a toss up but the Comendatore is better in Von Karajan's version. In fact the only real element of improvement is the Zerlina in the person of gorgeous Andrea Rost. But this is not to write off Battle. The music actually lies better for Battle. But people do not usually buy a Don Giovanni just for the Zerlina. Since this DVD was produced later than the Von Karajan the picture quality is superior to the earlier. All in all, one can't go wrong with this version. The production is the same as the Von Karajan but the sets are more austere. The Von Karajan cast is somewhat older so one has to put up with a few more wrinkles but the singing is worth it in my opinion. Besides which Herbie's version is sold at a bargain price.