Customer Reviews

Mozart - Don Giovanni / Raimondi, Te Kanawa, Berganza, Moser, van Dam, Opera de Paris, Maazel (1979 film)

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I just bought this set and I am very impressed. To start off I am a very big fan of the soprano and baritone voice. In addition to this I am of the belief that Kiri Te Kanawa and Ruggiero Raimondi can do no wrong when it comes to singing, so naturally it was not very hard for me to decide which Don Giovanni to add to my collection.

This set does not dissapoint. Both the Don and Elvira are in exceptional voice. In addition to this rest of the cast is terrific. Donna Anna, sung by Edda Moser, is truly remarkable especially in her first aria. I have read other reviews about her singing of this role and it seems that the reviewers are split in half. One half seems to think her Wagnerian sounding voice is far too heavy and aggressive for this role while the other half seems to find her perfect. Although, I must admit there are others that I have listened to and enjoyed just as much as Moser, it is nice to be able to hear "Or sai che l'onore" sung as though the soprano has just deiscoverd some horrifying fact and is ready to take action against it rather than faint. True, singing anything softer than forte is an alien concept to this woman, I feel that most people will be duly impressed.

Besides, if you do not enjoy Edda Moser's voice then any buyer can be certain to have loads of fun with Teresa Berganza, who sings the role of Zerlina. To put it plainly Berganza's singing and interpretation of this role may exceed even that of Bartoli's, who is yet another singer I firmly believe does no wrong when it comes to music.

The rest of the cast is also excellent. Don Ottavio, Leporello, and Masetto are all sung and portrayed as well as any. Overall this is a fine set and is well worth the purchase

This recording is exciting no doubt but it has a serious flaw- the sound. All of Mozart's orchestral brillance reduced to mush with the exaggerrated acoustics. An engineering disaster not helped by Maazels excessive use of string. Having said that wow- the singing catches fire. This version is comes close to comparing with the legendary Guilini recording with Schwartkoft and Sutherland. Kiri te Kanawa is phenomenal!!!. Very rarely does she sound so convincing dramatically but she is heavenly in this recording. Ah che di mai, Inquali eccesi, Masker's trio, Ah Fuggi.. are all sung excellently with a full throated creamy tone as golden as the morning sun and as smooth as silk. Not a note out of place or scooped. Schwartkopf occassional shows her troubles with Mozart- esp in Inquali eccesi but otherwise she is commanding. Her's is the more compelling potrait but te Kanawa outshines her in all other aspects of the role- youthful brilliance coupled with a voice that is truly unforgettable.

In the 1970's te Kanawa as a lyric soprano had no equal esp in Mozart. Freni, Riciarelli, Tomowa Sintow, Cotrubas, Popp comes nowhere near and four of her Mozart recordings then deserves to be ranked as some of the most sensational recordings ever committed to disc ( along with her Grammy award Four Lasts Songs ). Of her many Mozartian potraits; Fiordiligi and Pamina with Lombard and her Figaro with Boehm, this Elvira has to be the most breathtaking and quintessential of all. Her incredible voice, the manner of her delivery and the warmth of her superlative singing is magical.

Edda Moser is a wondefully dramatic Anna, not always focused and she sounds positively insecure in her entrance. Sutherland is incomparable. I find her 'Or sai' tellingly dramatic. Berganza is lovely and she manages the high tessitura well.

The men lack something of the spark in comparison. Van Dam is a most aristocratic Leporello. Terfel is more believable. Raimondi is commanding- his is the most sexually appealling of all recordings. Maazel has wonderful moments but tends to rush much of Mozart's orchestral colour.

Don Giovanni has always been my favorite opera. This is a soundtrack from Joseph Losey's excellent film version of Don Giovanni. Ruggero Raimondi is the best Don Giovanni ever: an unique singer, talented actor and handsome. Jose van Dam is very good too, and the other's aren't bad either. Some people say Teresa Berganza was too old for the part of Zerlina. Maybe, but I really liked her in the movie. The end scene was even better in the movie Amadeus

If you have seen the 1984 Milos Forman Best Picture Amadeus, you would have seen the Commandatore Scene from Don Giovanni. This soundtrack is to the 1979 film version of the opera, with the great conductor Lorin Maazel at the baton, Kiri Te Kenawa, Edda Moser, Berganza and Van Dam putting in their talents. This is a great performance, and if you loved the film, this is a must have. Dark, comic, it is Mozart's finest Italian opera. Popular for its beautiful melodies, such as "La Ci Darem La Mano" "Viva La Libertad " the Don's lusty champagne aria "Finch hal Del Vino" and of course the climatic encounter with the Commandatore, Don Giovanni remains one of the world's greatest operas. Before you listen to all the other recordings, try this one out. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Of course, Maazel fans might appreciate it better, as well as fans of Te Kenawa and Moser.

Everyone has their pick of their favorite Don Giovanni, and recordings which they consider to be the ultimate. For me, this 1979 studio recording, which was also the soundtrack for the Joseph Losey film, is the greatest on record. It has the right voices for the dark and witty drama that is Don Giovanni, the right orchestration and there is a certain magic to the whole thing that is going to leave you an opera fan for life. Ruggero Raimond sings the role of the Don. He is convincing both as a singer and an actor, bringing life to the dark, predatory, perverted, scheming character. Don Giovanni is a wolf disguised as a gentleman. He is charming, elegant but beneath his mantle of aristocratic nobility, he is the Devil incarnate. His music, mostly through recitatives (he gets only a toast aria "Finc al vino" and a Serenade "Vieni A La Finestra"of elegance) is full of wit, sophisticated humor and bawdy ribald perversion. He is a man whore, who delights in making love to all women of any age, shape or size (but never twice). He is anti-marriage even anti-romantic love. He was married briefly to Dona Elvira who is still demanding her rights as a wife and follows him everywhere, obscessed with him, attempting to regain his love, warning other women of his deception and betrayal. The role of Dona Elvira is sung by Kiri Te Kenawa who is in excellent late 70's voice, her dramatic inflections are perfect for the role. Actually, she makes a convincing and less cartoonish Elvira. Dona Elvira is usually played quite histerically and even comically but Kiri Te Kenawa plays her with a dignity of her own. If she is dramatic it is because she is madly in love with Don Giovanni and conflicted. She has a love/hate relationship with him.

Donna Ana is performed by Edda Moser. A German soprano of lyric dramatic coloratura, she has the perfect category of voice for Dona Ana the way she ought to be sung. Nowadays it's popular for a light lyric soprano to sing the role, as Renee Fleming has done. But I am pretty sure Mozart intended for her to be a dramatic soprano with a heavier voice that is nevertheless lyric, beautiful, full of pianissimo and high top register. There is one coloratura aria "A Forse Un Giorno Il Cielo" and dramatic lines in her recitatives. Right from the start, she is screaming in horror as she discovers her father has been killed by Don Giovanni. There are also moments in which the dramatic music compliment the dramatic outbursts such as the moment when she recognizes Don Giovanni as the man who tried to rape her. "O Dei ! O Gods!" she cries. There is an intense quality to the aria "Or Sai Che L'Onore" in which she is resolved that Don Ottavio take revenge against the Don. Edda Moser has a Wagnerian voice that is quite good for Dona Ana, especially because in this "version" she has some feelings of temptation for the Don which she is vigorously fighting to kill.

Lorin Maazel is a good conductor, even if he makes an excess of strings and conducts some moments such as the Act I finale at a faster pace. Jose Van Dam is a perfect support for Raimondi as Leporello, the faithful, clever and comic servant. His basso buffo voice is perfect for the role. Zerlina is sung by the adorable Teresa Berganza who has a sweet, lyric voice and who plays the almost seduced peasant girl with great conviction. In the end, she loves Masetto and will not betray him. Malcom King's Masetto is quite good, adorably jealous. Jon Macurdy has a terrifying voice as the Commandatore. This is the perfect Don Giovanni. What are you waiting for ? See the movie and get this soundtrack.

Frankly, this is very overated recording, as is the so-called legendary Gulini. Best in my view are a) Josef Krips (Decca) and Mitropoulos (Sony Classics). The latter is live, which this opera can take and in fact it adds to the frisson and excitement particularly in the final act. And the singers. Nobody has yet bettered Grummer, or Della Casa as Donna Anna or Donna Elivira. Hear them and you won't be able to listen to others doing this opera. The sound for a 1956 recording is excellent as is the Krips one which was recorded around 1959. In both recordings Siepi is the Don and his voice is a marvellous mixture of suave, erotic and downright sinister. In short he encompases the whole role. Do yourself a favour and get BOTH these recordings.