Mozart: Don Giovanni [Highlights]

Eberhard Wächter (Performer), Giuseppe Taddei (Performer), Piero Cappuccilli (Performer), Gottlob Frick (Performer), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), Carlo Maria Giulini (Conductor), Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus (Orchestra), Philharmonia Orchestra of London (Orchestra), Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (Performer), Graziella Sciutti (Performer), Joan Sutherland (Performer), Luigi Alva (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Eberhard Wächter, Giuseppe Taddei, Piero Cappuccilli, Gottlob Frick, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, et al.
• Orchestra: Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus, Philharmonia Orchestra of London
• Conductor: Carlo Maria Giulini
• Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
• Audio CD (June 5, 1989)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: EMI Classics
• ASIN: B000002S0W
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #62,931 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Of all opera recordings, this is the best value..., June 30, 2000

By	"mchreg" (USA) - See all my reviews

"Don Giovanni" is, in my humble opinion, Mozart's greatest work: a romantic and unforgettable journey into the darkest realms of his ingenius imagination. The complete opera, with its many dialogues, is really intended for the opera hall, for the vividness of the work can best be appreciated around the personae of theatre. The music, however, flows like the Danube, especially the hand-picked favorites. This cd is exquisite -- the best version available. Pop it into the stereo and let it play every track, for they are among Mozart's greatest pieces. The singers are simply outstanding -- and the Philharmonia, which is the orchestra to consider above all others when dealing with opera, is charming. I bought the cd a year ago for "La ci darem la Mano," and it remains my favorite aria of all time, and the cd itself is my favorite among an armoire filled with Mozart and dozens of other composers. I don't know why anyone would pass this cd up -- it is truly the best value in opera, and maybe in all classical music!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo ...., April 14, 2008

By	Mr Bassil A MARDELLI "Antoun" (Riad El-SOLH , Beirut Lebanon) - See all my reviews

In this recording we have fourteen highlights of Lorenzo Da Ponte's Don Giovanni.

Da Ponte finished the libretto in June 1787 and the whole score was successfully completed on 28th October 1787 for an opera `'buffa''
Throughout the rehearsal period, Mozart and librettists were working hard and fast making certain changes that slightly delayed the premiere.

Listen to the wonderful six (+) minutes Overture. Can one believe that it was performed at sight, as soon as the ink had hardly dried on the page?

Don Giovanni is one of the many operas based on the legend of Don Juan.
The opera speaks of a young nobleman, Don Giovanni, who after a life of romantic seductions, fails in his three last encounters: with Donna Elvira, his wife, whom he has abandoned but still follows him; with Donna Anna, whose father, the Commendatore, the Don kills in a duel while escaping from an unsuccessful attempt to have sex with Donna Anna and as a result postpones her marriage to Don Ottavio; and with Zerlina, whom he vainly tries to lure her into deserting her fiancé, the simple peasant Masetto.

All players promise vengeance on both Don Giovanni and his irritated but faithful servant Leporello.

Elvira alone breaks in her resolution and tries to reconcile in the hope that the Don straightens out and makes changes to remove his abusive conducts.
That fails too.

Don Giovanni's destruction and death in hell are affected by the cemetery statue of the Commendatore - Listen to ""Don Giovanni, a cenar teco, m'ínvitasti"" a six and a half minutes of unparalleled musical recitative. "" Don Giovanni has cynically invited the statue of Donna Anna's father, the Commendatore, to supper. He appears and returns the invitation: will Don Giovanni sup with him? Don Giovanni agrees, but as he offers his hand on it, he is transfixed by a deadly chill. The Statue calls on him to repent. Repentance, however, is no part of the Don's nature, and as he refuses, Hell opens beneath his feet, flames shoot up and he is dragged away by demons....""""

Carlo Giulini: BRAVO

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pre-Bonynge Sutherland, September 29, 2000

By A Customer

I don't care what you think about Sutherland's later recordings- you really ought to hear this. No mushy diction or moony mannerism here- it's crystal clear, and the voice sounds so gloriously fresh that it's actually poigniant to hear (I mean no disrespect to the path that Dame Joan and her husband took in developing her voice). She is perfection- precise, agile and yet powerful, not pasty like so many Annas; she sounds highly agitated (which is perfect for Donna Anna). If fact, she sounds like more of a threat to the Don than her tenor boyfriend. Highly recommended- and perfect in highlight form for those of you who own a full set and don't want to fork over the bucks for another full set.