Mozart: Don Giovanni / Dawson, Ainsley, Finley, Halgrimson, Miles, A. Schmidt, Yurisich; Norrington [Limited Edition, Original recording reissued, Import]

London Classical Players (Artist), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Artist), Roger Norrington (Artist), Lynne Dawson (Artist), John Mark Ainsley (Artist), Nancy Argenta (Artist), Gerald Finley (Artist), Amanda Halgrimson (Artist), Adnreas Schmidt (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 13, 1999)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Limited Edition, Original recording reissued, Import
• Label: EMI Import
• ASIN: B00000JJRC
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #587,806 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Atto Primo: Ouverture - London Classical Players

2. Atto Primo, N.1 Introduzione: Notte E Giorno Faticar - Andreas Schmidt

3. Atto Primo, N.1 Introduzione: Recitativo, Leporello, Ove Sei? - Andreas Schmidt

4. Atto Primo, N.1 Introduzione: Ah! Del Padre In Periglio - John Mark Ainsley

5. Atto Primo, N.2 Recitativo Accompagnato E Duetto: Fuggi, Crudele, Fuggi! - John Mark Ainsley

6. Atto Primo, N.2 Recitativo Accompagnato E Duetto: Recitativo, Orsu, Spicciati Presto - Andreas Schmidt

See all 34 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Atto Secondo, N.14 Duetto: Eh Via, Buffone - Andreas Schmidt

2. Atto Secondo, N.14 Duetto: Recitativo, Leporello!... Signore? - Andreas Schmidt

3. Atto Secondo, N.15 Terzetto: Ah Taci, Ingiusto Core! - Andreas Schmidt

4. Atto Secondo, N.15 Terzetto: Recitativo, Amico, Che Ti Par? - Andreas Schmidt

5. Atto Secondo, N. 16 Canzonetta: Deh Vieni Alla Finestra - Andreas Schmidt

6. Atto Secondo, N. 16 Canzonetta: Recitativo, V'e Gente Alla Finestra! - Gerald Finley

See all 29 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Atto Primo, N.10 (Conclusion): Recitavo, Come Mai Creder Deggio - John Mark Ainsley

2. Atto Primo, N.10a Aria: Dalla Sua Pace - John Mark Ainsley

3. Atto Primo, N.10a Aria: Recitativo, Io Deggio Ad Ogni Patto - Gregory Yurisich

4. Atto Primo, N. 11 Aria: Finch'han Dal Vino - Andreas Schmidt

5. Atto Primo, N. 11 Aria: Recitavo, Masetto, Senti Un Po'! - Gerald Finley

6. Atto Primo, N.12 (Beginning) Aria: Batti Batti, O Bel Masetto - Nancy Argenta

See all 23 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good first act, Amazing 2nd act, September 27, 2006

By 

B. Edwards - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mozart: Don Giovanni / Dawson, Ainsley, Finley, Halgrimson, Miles, A. Schmidt, Yurisich; Norrington (Audio CD)

I've owned alot of different Don Giovanni's over the years, but ultimately I come back to this one. The only one that replaced it for a few years was Gardiner's, which I still prefer in some ways and enjoy listening to, but in the end this performance, and its amazing 2nd act, brings the most wild joy.

Cast wise the stars are Finley's Masseto and Argenta's Zerlina, both of which I find to be my favorite on record. Finley's beautiful baritone and perfect acting match so well with Argenta's angelic (though light voiced) Zerlina. I wish Finley had played the Don! Don't get me wrong, Schmidt is in very good form here, brutally masculine and powerful, but I'd prefer Finley's more golden tone. Still, Schmidt is a good Don..la ci larem la mano is particularly beautiful. Yurisch's Leporello may turn off some with his odd voice, but it is perfectly characterized and very comic sounding. It also can be surprisingly beautiful which catches you off guard after you get used to his regular comic tone. A great performance that really grows on you.

I also love Lynne Dawson's Elvira. Her soaringly pure soprano, tinged with that dark bit of sorrow is just perfect for Elvira in my book. The way her sorrowful wail pierces the textures at the final rejection (before Don is dragged to hell) still sends chills up my spine every time I hear it.

Miles is a profound and stable commendatore.

Ainsley's Ottovio is pure toned and beautiful, a good performance though not ideal. Halgrimson's Anna is my least favorite of the bunch. While pleasant to listen to, she does not capture my heart the way the other singers do. Im not sure why.

One middling performance then, several good ones, and 3 outstanding ones puts this up with the best sung Giovanni's. (Only if you like lighter voices though: I don't care for Wagnerian Mozart)

The most special bit here is the conducting and orchestra though. Norrington can be odd. The staid champaigne aria loses much excitement, the overture sounds somewhat contrived, the fast mask aria doesn't go over very well. The brass and tympani can be heavy handed at times. But so much is gained!

Don's being dragged to hell has never been so awesomely terrifying before, though it may sound oddly fast to those used to more romantic tempos. The first piece of the Act2 Finale has such fire and vigour! You can feel the Don defying all with his whirlwind of energy and passion. The mini-finale of the Sestina in act 2 is a sung and played tour-de-force, the statue scene just bristles and hums with out of this world string playing. Elvira's Fuggi and the following Terzetto are horrifyingly eerie and enchantingly sung by all involved. Zerlina's 2nd aria to Masseto has a wonderful profundity thanks to stellar cello bass and horn playing. The first act finale has such power that you really feel how pathetic Don and Leporelloro are before the combined righteousness of the rest of the world. Last but not least, the finale after Don is dragged down, which sounds so feeble in most performances rings here with rip-roaring panache and nobility, like Don's out of control desires now infuse the rest of the cast with flaming passion, but one that is free and exultant, no longer selfish.

These above are some of the reasons I love this performance the best, even with its oddities and quirks. It gets closest to the heart of the opera, and the orchestra is as much a star as the singers. When I hear other performances in comparison they just are sleepwalking through so much of the score compared to this Don!

One final quirk is the separate prague and vienna versions, which means you will have to do some fiddling to get everything you want in.

But if you don't mind hearing Don Giovanni in a new way, where lots of parts you liked are given annoying twists, but so many new wonders are opened up you will soon forget the annoyance, try this one. Definately my favorite Norrington record.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Mid-Priced Choice, December 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Mozart: Don Giovanni / Dawson, Ainsley, Finley, Halgrimson, Miles, A. Schmidt, Yurisich; Norrington (Audio CD)

This is a highly underrated recording of Mozart's masterpiece, competitive with the best, especially at mid-price. Norrington made many mediocre recordings in the '80s and '90s, but his work here is a wonderful surprise: Dramatic, energetic, and with imaginative tempo and phrasing choices. As for the singers, once you accept the fact that they have light voices, they're all quite good. Lynne Dawson, one of the best singers of her generation, is especially touching as Elvira (the traditional "angry harpy" characterization is not for her). Amanda Halgrimson is probably the lightest-voiced Anna on record, but she's an intelligent singer who knows the part well, the basic quality of her voice is not unattractive, and she certainly has less trouble with the music than, say, Martina Arroyo for Colin Davis. The others range from good to very good, and they work together very well as a team, especially in the recitatives.

The classic studio recording of "Don Giovanni" is Giulini's on EMI (highlighted by the best Anna on records, Joan Sutherland). But if you want a version with more up-to-date sound, or a version that's fairly observant of the need for appogiaturas and ornamentation, or just an excellent all-around performance at mid-price, this is the one.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Clear View of Mozart's Genius, But Not Through 19th Century Spectacles, December 27, 2007

By 

Leslie Richford (Selsingen, Lower Saxony) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mozart: Don Giovanni / Dawson, Ainsley, Finley, Halgrimson, Miles, A. Schmidt, Yurisich; Norrington (Audio CD)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791): Don Giovanni. Prague and Vienna versions. Performed by Andreas Schmidt (Don Giovanni), Gregory Yurisich (Leporello), Alastair Miles (Commendatore), Amanda Halgrimson (Donna Anna), John Mark Ainsley (Don Ottavio), Lynne Dawson (Donna Elvira), Nancy Argenta (Zerlina), Gerald Finley (Masetto), the Schütz Choir of London, the London Classical Players, dir. Roger Norrington. Recorded in August 1992 at No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London. Originally released in 1993 by EMI, since re-released by Virgin Classics. Total playing time: approx 3 hrs 16 mins.

Looking at some other reviews, I had the feeling that oranges were being compared to lemons. Roger Norrington's recording of "Don Giovanni" does not only use period instruments but is a fruit of "historically informed performance practice". This means that it is based on thorough research not only into the history and music of Mozart's opera but into the performance practice of the late 18th century. This alone would be enough to disqualify any comparison with romanticized versions from the general classical scene, but it also explains why the voices seem to some listeners to be too "light": In the 18th century, auditoriums were much smaller than those we associate with opera today and singers were not required to sing so loudly, nor did they use the vast amounts of vibrato often heard in more traditional performances. Roger Norrington's essay in the 284 page booklet (I have the original EMI edition) offers justifications for many of his choices and clear explanations of what he was doing (including diagrams and pictures of the seating/standing arrangements of the orchestra and singers), and I think anyone who comes to this with a background in "HIPP" (ancient music) will confirm that the acoustic results are superb, flattening any doubts about Norrington's skills as a conductor and musicologist. (The reviewer who accused him of producing many mediocre recordings must have been listening on a different planet to where I have been.) The orhestral accompaniment to the opera is taken beautifully, with so much clarity and detail that it would be impossible to list all the highlights; the result is that I was able to appreciate Mozart's genius without ever seeing him through 19th century spectacles. And Norrington's choice of singers I found to be excellent: I agree with all the positive comments of other reviewers, but would also like to come to the defence of Gregory Yurisich, who to my mind gives an outstanding Leporello. Yes, he fills the role with humour, but that is surely what Mozart intended: Leporello is a kind of Sancho Pansa to the Don's Quijote, a male figure of identification in a work where the title protagonist is, however much one may secretly admire him, one of the blackest of blackguards. In fact, I think the relationship between Don Giovanni and Leporello on this recording adequately reflects the paradoxical nature of Mozart's and Da Ponte's opera, a comic tragedy or a tragic comedy. I found the three female protagonists to be equally praiseworthy, with Amanda Halgrimson, whom I have never encountered before on record, greatly impressing me with her clear, stylish singing and her pure voice. Lynne Dawson has been a favourite of mine for many years (apart from her Handel recordings, which have drawn so much praise from the critics, I loved her performance in Mozart's "Abduction from the Seraglio" under Christopher Hogwood). And Nancy Argenta is on the same high level as John Mark Ainsley, whose Don Ottavio is anything but a wimp or a "metrosexual" - in fact, I found his lyrical tenor was giving the role a stature I had never envisioned up to now. Andreas Schmidt, Alastair Miles and Gerald Finley all fulfil everything I could ask of singers in a historically informed performance of 18th century music, making this a most enjoyable CD box. The fact that both versions of Don Giovanni are to be found here in full is an extra "bonbon". I have not heard the HIPP competition (Östman on Decca, Gardiner on DG Archiv), but from what critical reviews I have read it would seem that there is little to choose between them - they are all excellent.

Of course, those who prefer the more traditional sound may not be happy, but perhaps they should place the blame for this not on Norrington, who is merely attempting to bridge the gap between the 18th and the 20th/21st centuries, but on their own listening habits. Personally, I think I have stumbled on "the best of both worlds" because my only other recording of Don Giovanni is the live radio broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera New York made in 1942 under the direction of Bruno Walter (and now made available in Europe by Cantus Classics). A live production in the theatre is of course very different from a studio production, and Walter's performance (with Ezio Pinza, Alexander Kipnis, Rose Bampton and a host of other 30's stars) captures both the comical and the theatrical perhaps even better than Norrington's does, despite its being a slightly abridged mix of the Prague and Vienna versions. But where both performances (Walter and Norrington) meet is in their rapid tempi (following Mozart's instructions closely) and in their glorious "feel" for the "sitcom" aspects of this drama. I'm extremely grateful for both recordings.