Customer Reviews

Mozart - Don Giovanni / Kreizberg, Cachemaille, Glyndebourne Festival Opera [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The back of the video quotes OPERA as describing this version as "hair-raising," and it is. It's a very polished, modern-dress version with good singing overall. It's got excellent direction and photography, with some eerie special effects. Sung in Italian with English subtitles. This is the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, conducted by Yakov Kreizberg.

Despite its being an overall excellent video of a truly great opera (some scholars rate it as the greatest opera every written by anyone), there are a few things I didn't like about it: (a) Gilles Cachemaille is disappointing as Don Giovanni. His rendition of the drinking song is particularly weak. (b) This is a very dark interpretation, with Don Giovanni (admittedly a scoundrel in even the most sympathetic versions) being downright evil. Every thing is interpreted in the way most detrimental to the "hero's" character. That's okay, except that it undermines the comic, satirical, and sympathetic elements that make this opera multi-dimensional. It also makes it hard to understand why Giovanni's servant, Leporello (superb in this version!), stays with him.

Still, the music is breathtaking, and the production as a whole is magnificent. I truly recommend it, even to those not familiar with opera videos. (Also, try Glyndebourne's beautifully done "Le Nozze di Figaro" with Renee Fleming.)

The only time I am bothered by "updated" or "unusual" versions of an opera is when the opera itself is altered in order to fit the production. I am not disturbed by the fact that Elvira takes Prozac halfway into "Ah chi mi dice mai" with a bottle of water, or the fact that Don Giovanni drinks a can of Diet Coke at the wedding party. I even think Leporello's little bag of potato chips is a neat idea; Don Giovanni keeps snitching from it throughout the scene. However, I do not appreciate how brutish the men tend to be, nor how victimized the women are.

It has been called a feminist production for a reason--even the mild-mannered Leporello puts on a display of physical brutality during his catalogue aria--an aria which, while being in content shocking, is delivered with only the most polite language. Only Don Ottavio restrains himself, but they nevertheless manage to portray him as something of a jerk in the "Non mi dir" scene. Masetto looks disappointed with himself for being too weak to beat Zerlina, who appears to be perfectly sincere in her normally teasing aria "Batti, batti." The feminism isn't what bothers me--it's the fact that they take away from the integrity of the characters, making them, for the most part, less interesting. There is little distinction between Donna Anna and Zerlina in regards to personality, and Donna Elvira is only slightly different from them.

Don Giovanni is really gross. There is nothing appealing about this man, not simply in the way he acts, but in his state of dress, and in his appearance in general. There is nothing seductive about him. He is so disgusting that it seems like the women are falling for him purely out of tradition. He does have a wonderful playfulness to him at times, suggesting that he takes nothing seriously, certainly not the things he should take seriously, and especially not his servant, whom he abuses to no end. Actually, I thought the amount of abuse Leporello received was a little too much; when Don Giovanni is constantly strangling him and throwing him across the stage until one thinks the servant will break in half, the moment when the Don is actually prepared to kill him (the end of the first act) is nothing new at all. In fact, I wondered why Leporello was so upset over it--Don Giovanni "almost kills" him roughly five times a day, so why should this time be any different?

Leporello is beautifully sung and well-acted. The character in this production is quite a clown, more so than I generally like, but less so than many Leporellos. His look upon seeing Donna Elvira for the first time is priceless; he looks ready to spew potato chip crumbs everywhere.

Donna Anna is sympathetically played and sung wonderfully well, making her the first Donna Anna I can remember not hating. Don Ottavio is a little wooden, but a fine tenor nonetheless. Masetto is slightly frightening, whereas Zerlina is a complete wimp. Donna Elvira is probably the best of all of them, strong even as she crumples beneath the weight of all that's happening to her. Vocally, she is nearly perfect for the role, with a nice weight to her voice so essential for her wonderful aria "Mi tradi quell'alma ingrata."

The production is very minimalistic, which creates a dark, modern atmosphere. I actually find it very clever. There is a slightly different take on the "Don Giovanni a cenar teco m'invitasti scene" in this production; Don Giovanni opens the door, only to find nothing. Looking back to the table, he sees the Commendatore standing there already.

The Commendatore was done in a commendably low-tech fashion; he was essentially presented as a ghost rather than a statue. During "O statua gentilissima," Don Giovanni and Leporello sing to a real statue, while the ghost moves slowly about the stage, watching them. It is the ghost which nods and sings "si." Very well done for a low-budget production.

Altogether, not terrible, but not so great. It balances out to an average. Three stars seems right.

DON GIOVANNI is such a masterpiece that it takes poor conducting, very poor singers, or extremely poor direction to screw it up. It's the last that is the downfall of this production, with the combined lack of a adequate performance in the title role.
In concept, the staging could work: the production strips the Don of whatever shred of nobility he has, and he is shown as a brutal rapist and murderer who is still somehow strangely compelling to the fairer sex. I'd go see that GIOVANNI. But the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, and what we are left with is a bit of a mess.
To start at the end, the final scene is deprived of any terror, full of cheesy fire floating in the background. The Commandatore appears to be a businessman in grey makeup, without a notion of the frightening specter that drags the dirty Don to hell. Before we get to the climax, there is some very uneven direction. Elvira is a valium-popping neurotic, which works. She tries to attack Leporello during their love duet, which doesn't. Masetto's beating is really brutal, which works. Masetto offers the Don a Heinekin when he crashes the wedding, which doesn't. Anna is clearly reliving her near-rape during her first act aria, which works tremendously well. During said rape, The Commandatore is strangled, which doesn't work at all, for not only must he sing after he receives his wound, but the music calls for a sword fight and the libretto depicts him lying in a pool of blood. Worst of all, the Don gropes a statue of the Madonna during the graveyard scene and the banquet, a clear-cut case of directorial silliness.
This is also a Don Giovanni without a real Don Giovanni. Elsewhere, Gilles Cachemaille has done fine work as Lepporello and Masetto on CD, but the Canadian Bass-Baritone is a lost cause as the Don. He's compitant enoungh, but he doesn't make much of a vocal impression when compared with his rivals on dvd: Siepi, Ramey, Allen, Luxon, and Terfel are playing a whole different ballgame. The serenade is completely unmemorable, the Champagne Aria rushed and uncomfortable. Cachemaille is usually a fine actor, but has been left to wallow here. (The Final scream as he is dragged to hell is comical, nothing more than a kind of yelp.) With the concept of a brutal Don, we must be offered another reason why women are so attracted to him, a magnetism or a zest for life. Cachemaille offers us nothing by way of compensation. Why does Elvira follow him, why does Anna feel at the same time repulsed and attracted to him, why does Zerlina nearly leave Masetto for him? Cachemaille gives us nothing in return, and we have no clue.
The production's saving graces come in the supporting cast. Steven Page is a wonderful Leporello who makes me wonder if the production would have been more successful if Master and Servant had switched roles, and both Donna Anna and Donna Elvira (Hellivi Martinpelto and Adrianne Pieczonka, respectively) are superb. Roberto Scaltriti's angry young Masetto is one of the best I've ever seen, and Julianne Banse is a sweetly-sung Zerlina. John Mark Ainsley is a noble Ottavio, for once worthy of both Donna Anna's hand and the divine Music he is given. Gudjon Oskarsson is an unobjectionable but unmemorable Commandatore. Yakov Kreizberg's conducting is workmanlike and brisk, video direction is fine, sound a bit weak in certain areas (The opera starts off with a very bad echo.) I'll give this two out of five stars for the excellent supporting cast.

Many things about this production were good. The singing was wonderful and Leporello, Donna Elivra, Don Ottavio and the Comendatore all pleased me greatly. The meager sets did not distress me as they did several of the other reviewers. I have found that a spare stage can often be effective and opulent sets can be distracting. I thought the sets were sufficient and that the actors used them well. The hell scene in particular was, I thought, effective.


I did not, however, much care for the rest of the production. Mozart does not modernize well. Too much of the stories depend on the relationships between the upper and lower classes in Mozart's own time. There is no reason for Masetto to go when Don Giovanni sends him away if there is no class difference. He is furious and Don Giovanni cannot really use physical intimidation and still expect to seduce Zerlina.
I was also displeased with Don Giovanni himself. I found him vulgar and brutish, and had trouble imagining that he could seduce even one women. For an excellant Don Giovanni I recomend Samuel Ramey. He is every bit as evil as this man, but far more appealing.

This Zerlina could have been charming if paired with a gentler Masetto; Masetto could have been amusing if paired with a stronger Zerlina, but together they made me uncomfortable. When Zerlina sings "Batti, batti o bel Masetto" he looks very ready to oblige her and she does not look as though she would object.

I just got this version of Don Giovanni and was very pleased with it. First of, Gilles Cachemailles was a great Don in this- the nastiest ever, I think, especially since I'm used to Thomas Allen, Benjamin Luxon, or Cesare Siepi, who are much more likable in a way. The rest of the cast is great- most notably Julian Banse's lovely Zerlina and Steven Page's comical Leporello. However, there are practically no sets- just a bridge and a platform that goes up and down. The costumes (modern) are totally blah. How scary is a Commendatore that doesn't look like a statue, but a businessman? Ugh. Still, the singing is so good that it makes up for the lack of creativity or fanciness in the sets or costumes.

The trouble with this bleakly modern staging of Don Giovanni isn't that it fails but that it works all too well. Instead of the Faustian Giovanni of traditional productions, whose defiance is so appealing that one almost wishes him a better fate, Gilles Cachemaille portrays a sex-crazed psychopath who unquestionably deserves the psychological hell he's created for himself. Instead of the stock commedia Donna Elvira, we get a hopeless co-dependent. The cocky survivor Leoporello, traditionally a double of Figaro but less lucky in his master, becomes a self-hating neurotic with just a hint of masochistic homoeroticism. Don Ottavio, traditionally a satiric role, in the Glyndebourne production becomes the most stable character, the "therapist" for Donna Anna. And so on. All the roles are well conceived in this dark, Bergmanesque psychodrama. It's a good piece of theater!

Oh, but what about the music? Unfortunately, it's not well-suited to the action, and perhaps should be replaced.

The production is stark, the costumes modern, the acting dramatic and exciting, the singing for the most part is superb, the orchestral sound is incisive, sharp and compelling. Altogether a gripping and committed performance of an old war horse. Also great video mix of close-ups and more distant shots.

This Don Giovanni takes some getting used to but it is worth the effort and it keeps getting better. The singing and acting are spectacular. Leporello (Steven Page) sets a new standard for a totally convincing character and commited performer. He is perfect and original. Zerlina is also magnificent and well paired with Masetto. The slightly less coherent couple is Don Anna and Ottavio - both of whom are wonderful (John Mark Ainsley IS Don Ottavio)but they don't quite work together. It is hard to understand why he would be so in love with this sloppy half-undressed hysterical woman - but can he sing!! The whole cast is great. The only weak link is Don Giovanni himself. Even given this unusual interpretation which makes DG a thoroughly unlikeable character - and I'm talking disgusting - not evil, I feel Cahemaille is inadequate to the role. He sings well but his acting does not convince and he doesn't understand this complex character. He is too disgusting to be seductive, too goofy to be dangerous and annoyingly violent to Leporello. That being said - it is still a great show and you will be very entertained by the novelty and the quality.

As for the contemporary setting - I loved it. It is refreshing if not downright thrilling to see a new take on the old story and this one is quite brilliant. Deborah Warner is a brave woman. I don't have a problem with transferring Mozart to today's (supposedly) classless society. Wealth still equals power, There are rich and poor, powerful and less powerful, intimidating and intimidated in any time period. She is obviously making a point of doing things differently and why not? I thought the bland vaguely 1950's costumes were perfect. The three different dances during the party scene (waltz, jitterbug and twist) are a great touch. Once you get over the disappointment of minimanlist sets (which do have the advantage of not distracting - but then lots of other distractions are provided in the form of dressing and undressing) and the shock of the garish lighting, the contemporary costumes and extremely inventive use of props all work together to make a wonderfully creative whole. Then of course you have to accept that Don Giovanni is an unattractive rapist but that is another matter. There are so many inventive and expressive things done with clothing and accessories, such as DG seducing Zerlina with her wedding dress, the 18th century costumes at the ball, not to mention Don Elvira taking her prozac, DG wearing a sheet in the graveyard scene, and the life size plastic virgin Mary. In short, there are not many props but they are really considered and used effectively. Contrary to one reviewer I thought Masetto offering DG a coke was wonderful, but I could have dome without the chewing gum and potato chips.

The annoying things have to do with the unusual and unexpected use of action. In other words, where a character is usually very active, such as DG's champagne aria, he is completely static, and where characters are usually a little less active, such as conversations between DG and Leporello, they are so busy doing things that it is distracting. Most of these distractions, as I already mentioned, have to do with Don Giovanni changing his clothes which he does so many times I can't even count. Four or five times in the party scene alone.

The other problem is that the ghost of the Commendatore is not scary at all, unless you close your eyes (brilliant singing). Given that the filming is often close-ups, it is hard to get the full effect of the final scene.

This feminist interpretation makes men physically abusive (lots of hands-on physical violence. Only Ottavio is hesitant about physical contact). There is less physical touching when it comes to love or seduction. The sensuality is missing. When DG IS seductive, it is more because he is impersonating a sensitive new age guy than because of his sexual desireability.

I admit that I didn't like it at first - but that is probably because I was watching a bad quality pirated VCD (in China) where among other things the opening chords are missing, and the sound was awful. Now that I have a quality performance which I have watched over and over, I can only recommend that it is excellent - never a dull moment - with the stipulation that if you have never seen the opera before you might want to start with one of the more traditional versions.

While not the best Don Giovanni, it is certainly far from the worst.
Those who enjoy lush staging and period costumes might be disappointed, but the modern setting does provide a different perspective on this classic.

Juliane Banse portrays a more lively Zerlina whose joyful Mozartian entrance reminds us of why we love Mozart. She continues to be a more active and involved peasant girl than many past Zerlinas. Her counterpart, Masetto, sung by Roberto Scaltriti, ingenuously offers the Don a Diet Coke. He means no offense by this--he's simply a peasant working man, innocently offering an upper-class gentleman what he would give a fellow laborer. And this is a good illustration of the way this performance accentuates the class differences put forth in this Mozart work.

This production also emphasizes the incurably evil nature of a man who exploits others for his own sick motives. Besides living to take advantage of all women, he is not nice to men either. He is perfectly ready to sacrifice to an angry mob, the life of his ever-loyal buddy, Leporello.

Some will be more than a bit offended when "The Don" gropes Zerlina, or when he humps a statue of the Madonna, but these actions really help to add to the portrayal of a sick, vicious, spoiled, elite society scion--a vile man who makes an eloquent argument for capital punishment.

The music and singing are more than adequate; the acting excellent.
A weak spot might be the Commendatore's rather subdued singing--we are all used to more commanding pronouncements from this ghostly statue.

Though not my favorite Don Giovanni, this presents a starkly realistic take on a womanizer who is more a truly evil individual, rather than just the usual portrayal as a playing-around fun-loving Casanova. Brace yourself before you face this vicious Don.

I have made a collection of Don Giovanni videos and feel confident in saying that this is the worst one I have. The production has absurdist and pointless elements that belie the greatness of the drama as a whole. Conceptual items (for example the dreadful costumes, cheap second-hand looking props, confusing set, many of the stage actions...) come across as entirely self-indulgent on Deborah Warner's part.
However, in better news, the singers are mostly wonderful though unbalanced. John Mark Ainsley makes for an elegantly voiced and stylishly sung Don Ottavio (though the direction he's been given makes the character come across as superfluous). Adrianne Pieczonka handles Elvira with great strength and a strong core to her voice, though lovers of Kiri Te Kanawa might feel that there is less elegance than the role 'perhaps' demands. The Leporello is wonderful with a bitterly tinged comedic flair and an oddly beautiful voice at some moments, while at others he practically speaks, rather than sings. Donna Anna has a voice too thick for this role, in my opinion, and is distracting as a stage presence. Masetto shouts and Zerlina is forgettable, if I'm being honest. And the Don is confusing, manic, at times annoying and rarely sings beautifully. His 'Deh Vieni' is beautifully sung but his face during the aria is infuriatingly stupid.
The conductor takes everything at a rather quick pace, which is fine, and it is refreshing to here a fortepiano for recits. though I prefer a harpsichord.

To me this is a 'Eurotrash' take on a great opera and some singers struggle against it and others simply collapse.

VERY disappointing.