Product Details

• Actors: Thomas Allen, Sergei Koptchak, Edita Gruberova, Francisco Araiza, Ann Murray
• Directors: Carlo Battistoni
• Writers: Lorenzo da Ponte
• Format: Classical, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: Italian (PCM)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Image Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: March 25, 1998
• Run Time: 176 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305078610
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #145,596 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Mozart - Don Giovanni / Giorgio Strehler · Riccardo Muti · T. Allen · E. Gruberova · Teatro alla Scala" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video

This is the greatest of all operas. Mozart called it a "dramma giocoso," which might be translated as "serious comedy," and in fact it is tragic and comic at the same time--climaxing with a spectacular final scene in which the libertine hero (hero? let's say "central character") is dragged alive down to hell amid blood-curdling screams. Mozart treated this as a happy ending, and the punishment is richly earned by the rape, murder, and seduction that lead up to it, but at the same time Giovanni has a charm (most clearly displayed in the duet "La ci darem") that makes it easy to believe in his amorous conquests (which are brilliantly detailed in his servant Leporello's "catalogue aria"). Don Giovanni can be interpreted in many ways; the first DVD recording is a solid, middle-of-the-road interpretation, handsomely staged and photographed, generally well conducted and sung (though Thomas Allen has rough spots in his serenade), and acted capably if not brilliantly. It would be a good way to begin acquaintance with this masterpiece. Strikingly different concepts worth knowing are Joseph Losey's psychologically probing and symbol-laden movie version, and the Peter Sellars television production (both available on VHS), which plays out the drama in the wasteland of the modern South Bronx. --Joe McLellan

Product Description

This acclaimed La Scala performance of "Don Giovanni" instantly took its place among the most important Mozart productions. Thomas Allen, hailed as one of the best British baritones ever, gives an engaging and seductive performance as the famous lover. Under the baton of Riccardo Muti, this La Scala production highlights all of the tragic grandeur of this masterpiece without sacrificing its lighthearted moments. Director Giorgio Strehler's staging has been lauded for its subtle psychological treatment of the characters.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, September 17, 2005

By 

Zenka B. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mozart - Don Giovanni / Allen, Gruberova, Murray, Araiza, Desderi, Mentzer, Muti, La Scala Opera (DVD)

This is rather old fashioned production but I liked it very much.
Thomas Allen is an excellent Don, Zerlina is just charming, one of the sweetest I have ever seen. The staging of the final Commendatore scene was little strange and confusing, but his singing was great.
Special praise must be reserved for Edita Gruberova as Donna Anna, her singing is just impeccable, and Non mir dir aria is the highlight of the evening. She gets the biggest ovation at the of the show.
This DVD would be a great first Don Giovanni for any opera lover, with its traditional production and excellent singing.

51 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This dvd is fine. I disagree with the other reviewers., July 27, 2000

By 

"gioacchino" (Farmington, CT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mozart - Don Giovanni / Giorgio Strehler · Riccardo Muti · T. Allen · E. Gruberova · Teatro alla Scala (DVD)

I have been listening to opera for my entire and in having listened to over 500 different recordings of opera on video and countless 100's of cd's, I have experienced all the different types of weakness and greatness that make recordings what they are. There is the infamous background noise that drives you crazy, the poor balance of sound between the instruments, voices and even the weak chorus microphoning that makes it impossible to hear parts. Sometimes even poor staging or simply poor casting for different roles is the culprit for a poor opera recording. I had never heard the La Scala recording of Don Giovanni and guided only by the reviews of DVD on Amazon.com and several otherreviews from several opera magazines, I almost didn't buy this DVD because everyone seems to like to put down this recording. Although I agree with the opinions of some reviewers that certain La Scala DVD recordings sound and look like VHS recordings simply "passed on to DVD," (i.e., Cosi Fan Tutti, don't buy it! ) I did not have that feeling with this recording. Riccardo Muti conducts with reasonable and controlled flair and tempo, the singing is for the most part strong except in the part of Leoporello in which he has somewhat of a tendency to fall off tempo, the musical parts are fairly easy to differentiate in the orchestra, the costumes and sets are pretty, and the interpretion of the libretto is a fabulous translation. Yes, I would not give this recording 5 stars or say that it is the favorite of my recordings of opera, but as Don Giovanni is probably (in my opinion) one of the greatest 3 operas to ever be written, it is a shame for people interested in opera and classical music to not accquaint themselves with its beautiful music and plot before seeing it live in the opera house. This recording is the only good production of the opera out there. There are two other recordings and if you think that this one isn't your cup of tea, I promise you that you will hate the other two recordings. It is impossible to even differentiate parts in them. Even for fanatics of opera like me who rip their hair out when there is the slighest background noise or difficulty in differentiating parts in the recording, I think that this is a reasonably good production with good sound and video quality that will give you great listening value. Buy it and enjoy. The sound quality is great, I promise. If the subtle psychological treatment of the staging and acting doesn't do it for you, this recording sounds so good that you can even turn off the picture and enjoy yourself (Although I believe that the video heightens the enjoyment of the music). If you want a great audio recording of Don Giovanni, I recommend the Claudio Abbado recording with Bryn Terfel for which I have also written a review.

Happy Listening!

31 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Dreadful production values, August 26, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mozart - Don Giovanni / Giorgio Strehler · Riccardo Muti · T. Allen · E. Gruberova · Teatro alla Scala (DVD)

This is a poor use of the DVD format - obviously just a copy from a video version. There are no DVD features, aside from chapter search. The production values are just awful - grainy, fuzzy, dark.