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3.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointingly Overrated, Jan 21 2004
Because of the "legendary" claims Giulini's "Don Giovanni" has recieved from some circles I am surprised at how bland an affair his set actually is. The roster of singers, stellar to be sure, is largely miscast. All of Sutherland's perfection of tone and fioratura cannot compensate for her crippling shallowness in defining Anna's character. Schwarzkopf is on the other extreme, melodramatic in a manner that makes a meal of Mozart's deft vocal charactization of the mercurial Elvira. Alva's tone is much too thin and his Ottavio a dramatic non-entity. Most distressing is Wächter's Giovanni, a hectoring, hard-edged libertine mostly devoid of aristocratic elegance and elan. Each of these singers can be greatly admired in other operas by other composers. In Mozart, and in this opera in particular, they sound sadly out of place.This recording is not without its superior vocal elements. There is much to be said about Sciutti's charming Zerlina, though by the time of this recording she was a bit past her prime. Taddei sings rings around Wächter and would have been better cast as Giovanni. Frick makes the Stone Guest a wonderfully menacing visitation from Hell. There are so many fine alternatives to choose from that one need not buy into this set's weak claims of "legendary performance." Decca has the majesterial Krips version and boasts a Giovanni/Leporello pairing of Siepi and Corena, not to mention Dermota's peerless Ottavio. Busch's Glyndebourne set is graced with Baccaloni's marvelous Leporello and Brownlee's boyant Giovanni. Cetra has Taddei seen in better light and an effective use of an Italian cast. The historical Naxos Met set transcends it shaky 'historical live recording' limitations by presenting Pinza's incomparable Giovanni and Bruno Walter's magnificent leadership - a true legendary peformance. Fürtwängler has in Grümmer the best Anna and Siepi to boot. Mackerras's modern set is the best balanced vocally. Marriner's is one of the best conducted. And if you are not opposed to period performances - to me they are the most courtly and revealing - Ostman and Gardiner have much to teach us about Mozartean style and detail, not to mention exceptionally fine Giovannis in Hagegard and Gilfry. (And there are incalculable gains, dramatically and structurally, to be found in Ostman's clever use of the Prague version.) If you are a devotee of any of Giullin's cast then you will be satisfied with this set. But if you want proper casting, penetrating intelligence and dramatic integrity, the full brilliance and profundity of Mozart's inspiration, you must seek elsewhere.
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