Customer Reviews

Mozart - Don Giovanni / Giorgio Strehler · Riccardo Muti · T. Allen · E. Gruberova · Teatro alla Scala

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

This DVD of 'Don Giovanni' comes from 1987 at La Scala, in Giorgio Strehler's fairly mainstream production (and thank goodness for that!) with mostly top-notch singers. It has been available before on VHS and even on DVD (on a different label) but at a much higher price. And it may be my imagination - I don't have the earlier releases at hand - but it seems to me that this issue is in cleaner sound and with clearer visuals. Riccardo Muti conducts the Scala forces in an exciting but well-controlled performance. Thomas Allen is outstanding as Don Juan, oozing charm as he snakes his way into the lives of all the women within sight. Claudio Desderi makes a suitably ambivalent (and rich-voiced) Leporello, disdaining his master at the same time he hopes to join in the debauchery. Suzanne Mentzer, looking absolutely delicious, looks (and sings) a wonderfully lively but naïve Zerlina; hers is my favorite performance here. Ann Murray is a somewhat muted Donna Elvira, but that approach can work and she pulls it off. Her voice is lush and she never shrieks during the ferocious moments. Sergey Koptchak is splendid as the Commendatore, although I did wonder why at the end he was mostly heard and not seen. Francisco Araiza sings nicely but is a bit wooden as Don Ottavio. Natale de Carolis makes a handsome young Masetto, sings ardently and is possibly the most tellingly subtle actor on the stage; he and Mentzer make the most attractive Zerlina and Masetto I recall ever seeing. The only significant letdown, and one of the reasons I gave this production four stars instead of five, is the Donna Anna of Edita Gruberova. She has been noted for her silvery coloratura and her lovely tone (as in her recording of 'Rusalka,' since, of course, trumped by that of Renée Fleming) but here she sounds tired, particularly early in the opera. This improves slightly as we go along, but the voice still sounds a bit worn. Her acting, as well, is merely serviceable.

Sets, costumes, direction are all a credit to their creators: Enzo Frigerio, Franca Squarciapino, and Giorgio Strehler. Lighting by Vannio Vanni is just the tiniest bit muted in this production, but it is otherwise adequate.

The opera takes just one DVD. There are no extras, not surprising considering the opera itself is just shy of three hours. The only subtitles are in English; there are not even Italian subtitles, but the Italian libretto is printed in the enclosed booklet. This is a bit cumbersome if one is trying to follow the libretto closely. Further, the divisions and settings of the various scenes are not marked in the libretto - it's the sung text only. Fortunately, differing from some booklets I've seen lately, the text is printed in black against white; there seems to be a trend towards printing white text (or even gray text) again dark backgrounds, which makes reading the tiny print exceedingly difficult, at least for those of us of a certain age.

I do recommend this DVD, but with the minor provisos stated above.

Scott Morrison

This La Scala production of one of the greatest operas ever written is a delight to watch. The cast is excellent with fine voices and some pretty impressive acting for opera singers. If you can draw your attention away from the marvelous singing, keep an eye on the interactions of the singers. The staging is thoughtfully done. The setting is dark but elegant in keeping with the content of the opera and creates an appropriate period mood. The camera work is commendable -- carefully zooming in when needed, giving ensemble views as appropriate and occasionally showing the orchestra director superimposed on the picture. While there aren't many frills on the DVD, the very fact of scene searches allows you to go quickly to your favorite arias and hear them again and again. Mozart's music is easily accessible to a beginning opera listener and continues to delight an experienced listener. If you have any interest in opera, I would recommend this dvd.

This production of Mozart's Don Giovanni is great. Riccardo Muti is one of my favorite conductors and (being the La Scala orchestra) he has a great orchestra under him. The singers themselves are excellent. Thomas Allen's Giovanni is one of the best in the world (it's his signature role.) I am really looking forward to see him in the Chicago Lyric Opera's Cosi fan Tutte as Don Alfonso. Sergej Koptchak is among the best of the Commendatore's. Edita Gruberova is one of the best Anna's I have ever seen. Her Non mi dir shook La Scala that night. Francisco Arazia's Ottavio is THE best I have ever seen. Ann Murray's Elvira is a little wobbly but she pulls off the role of the jilted lover very well. Claudio Desderi's Leoporello is also the best I have ever seen. Natale de Carolis and Susanne Mentzer are wonderful as Masetto and Zerlina. The stage/production is also wonderful and seemed very well-rehearsed and acted. My Verdict: Buy it without hesitation (for 20$ how can you go wrong?)

The production is classical and sumptuous, with wonderful silhouette effects and glistening reflective black floor. Very well sung and acted throughout; I especially liked the virile-sounding Don Ottavio of Araiza. Muti leads a dynamic, romantic rendition of the score, only slightly distracting when the camera repeatedly cuts to him during crucial arias. An altogether riveting performance.

Mozart's operas have never been the easiest to set, and this production's director does little to alleviate that stigma. The sets are austere and repetitive, the costume design is good but hackneyed by overuse, and the lighting often obscures the more delicate details of the staging. But, if the backdrop to the music is slightly disappointing, the music itself is anything but. Mutti leads a roaring interpretation that lets down neither his lightning fast tempo nor the jubilent spirit at the heart of Mozart's music.The casting is superb! From Zerlina (Metzner), meek and innocent (even through her final curtain call) to Leoporello (Desderi) whose antics on the stage make us fall in love with his character to Thomas Allen's Don Giovanni who is the perfect blend of regality and wickedness. All around this is the best recording of Don Giovanni available on DVD, and one those eager to aquire Mozart's grand masterpiece in this format first need look in to.

Here are my reasons: 1. The delightful staging by Giorgio Strehler - a subtle and elegant setting for the precious jewel of Mozart's opera! Every little detail matters: dry leaves flutter with fear and fury when Don Giovanni escapes from Donna Anna's house; "fleur d'orange" removed from Zerlina's head by amorous Don Giovanni and flowers thrown down by Masetto silently witness the passionate conversation between Don Giovanni, Don Ottavio, Donna Anna and Donna Elvira till finally are picked up by Leporello and Don Giovanni to remind them of the unhappy wedding celebration; Don Giovanni turns his would-be handshake with Leporello into a vulgar bribe to let the servant know his place... The "catalogue scene" (Leporello, Donna Elvira), the opening scene of the 2nd Act (Don Giovanni, Leporello), the "dinner scene" at the end of the 2nd Act (Don Giovanni, Leporello, Donna Elvira) are simply masterpieces! ...and not the only ones in this opera! 1. Acting/Performance

Certainly in an opera it is the quality of the music and singers' voices that matters. But the opera should not only be sung but performed! I mean the singers' performance starting with the intonation to the gestures and movement. Well, in this production you have the advantage of seeing all possible operatic performance styles... ;-) "*" - The singer goes to the middle of the stage and delivers his aria, his only concern being to start and stop singing with the music (F. Araiza as Don Ottavio). The singer feels the character's emotions. Her severe sufferings make the spectators suffer too till they start longing for someone to stop the poor singer's torments! (E. Gruberova as Donna Anna) I'm sorry to write this because they both have beautiful voices but poor performance ruins the effect! Try closing your eyes when they start singing! ;-} "**" - N. de Carolis as Masetto and S. Koptchak as the Commendatore - adequate performance. "***" - A. Murray as Donna Elvira - there are some obvious faults in her acting, but despite of it her performance seemed very sincere to me. S. Mentzer as Zerlina - charming!!! "*****" - T. Allen as Don Giovanni and C. Desderi as Leporello - there's actually so much to say about them that I think I shouldn't say anything... :) Gorgeous!! Every intonation, every turn of the head and every step shows their characters' personality and emotions. They are not Mr. Allen and Mr. Desderi singing arias: It is Don Giovanni, a Spanish nobleman, and Leporello, his servant, flirting with women, fooling about, plotting intrigues, enjoying life's pleasures and fearing the deadly handshake of the Commendatore... An exciting portrayal of the love-hate relationship between the master and the servant and on the whole - a brilliant performance rarely to be seen in an opera! 3. Last but not least: the excellent "screen version" of the opera. I've seen several recorded operas and dramatic performances - most of them were impossibly tedious (being at the same time tremendous success at the theater). It seems that some very essential part of the theatre magic is lost when the opera/play/ballet is transferred to the video tape or DVD. Not in this case! C. Battistoni and his team did a creative and very professional job - the magic of Mozart's music (marvelously conducted by R. Muti) shines in all its glory!

Heavenly music + wonderful voices + beautiful staging + great performance = well deserved 5 stars!!!

With copious amounts of material swirling around in this over busy production, it is hard at times to concentrate on the performances. With cloaks flourished and hats put on and taken off ad-nauseum the two main performers Allen and Desdiri occasionally suffer from shortage of breath and at times you feel like screaming "please just stand still".

Thomas Allen is a singer I greatly admire - however on this night he just doesn't seem vocally up to the challenge, his aria `Fin ch'han dal vino' Is taken so fast by Muti that he is breathless and seems unable to cope, by the end of the opera he is evidently flagging. I don't want to be too unkind as all singers have off nights and the audience at La Scala obviously loved him and who am I to argue with them. A quick mention for Francisco Ariza - a wonderful singer whose voice here sounds tired but still melodious with hints of the beauty of his vocal youth.

Of the women Edita Gruberova, as you would expect, gives the overall polished performance, her pure voice ringing out like a bell with never a hint of a screech. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for Ann Murray whose top notes are squally and jarr the ear, however her lower register is still lovely and she is a very good actress, able to communicate her anguish, her aria `Mi tradi quell'alma ingrata `is very touching.

The set itself is of highly polished architectural splendour and so in keeping with the period of the opera as indeed are the costumes, not exaggerated or over sumptuous and all the better for that.

This is a fairly enjoyable evenings viewing but I was left feeling slightly cheated and wanting to strangle the stage director.