Mozart - Don Giovanni / Allen, Gruberova, Murray, Araiza, Desderi, Mentzer, Muti, La Scala Opera

... Lorenzo Da Ponte's greatest theatrical masterpiece, his portrayal of the infamous rake-hell Don Juan/Don Giovanni. Da Ponte's other libretti for Martin y Soler and for Mozart are thoroughly well crafted comedies, but with Don Giovanni he tapped a deeper level of the human psyche. The ambivalence of Da Ponte's moral attitude toward Don Giovanni -- not just a womanizing cad but a bullying aristocrat bent on brutalizing anyone of lower status -- permeates the whole libretto. It's the same ambivalence that permeates John Milton's "Paradise Lost". Just as Milton's Satan is by far the most fascinating character in his epic poem, Don Giovanni is really the only "attractive" personality in Da Ponte's drama. Given the number of treatments of vital rogues and charming rake-hells in 18th Century literature, it seems obvious that readers and theater-goers of the Enlightenment were obsessed with such figures. Given a magical choice, wouldn't most of them have taken the role of Giovanni in real life over that of the obsequious Don Ottavio or the plodding peasant Masetto? And wouldn't we make the same choice, vengeful statue be damned?Portraying Don Giovanni on stage is a huge challenge for an actor of our times. He can't be a fool or a fop. He can't be an admirable bon vivant whose final defiance is to be taken as redemptively heroic... but some of that "larger-than-life" heroism must be included in a satisfactory portrayal. Don Giovanni portrayed as a sick sociopath or as merely a nasty rapist who gets properly punished ... well, such interpretations are defensible, but to my mind they miss the essence of Da Ponte's theatrical genius. Thomas Allen's portrayal of Giovanni is of the latter sort; he's a brutal tyrant whose only "charm" for the beautiful peasant Zerlina is his social status. The acting by all characters in this production consistently and effectively supports that central portrayal of Giovanni as a mere evil-doer who entraps himself and gets his just reward. It's well done, I have to say, but it's too blunt. The ambivalence of Da Ponte's libretto is what has made Don Giovanni perennially vivid and ultimately greater than any single interpretation.Oh yeah, and there's the music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Do I need to say that it's not half bad?

I purchased this because Opus Arte, Teatro Alla Scala, La Scalla Collection, Cosi Fan Tutte, directed by Muti and that particular cast is the number one, best performance of any Mozart opera I have heard on DVD or CD. Muti seemed to get it - the timing was perfect, the particular moods and attitudes of the cast were consistent with the lyrics, the comedy was fantastic. So I hunted down Don Giovanni. Muti looks exactly the same - so it was all the same timeframe. Don Giovanni was done two years earlier. But Don Giovanni is one of the worst performances I have ever... I can even finish the sentence, because it was so bad, I haven't even gotten through fifteen minutes of it. Even the costumes and set, etc. were bizarre. Cosi Fan Tutte was one of the best sets and costumes I have seen for a DVD. But the music is the big disappointment. The timing is atrocious. Some drag ridiculously and others are way too fast. I just don't get it. Why was Cosi Fan Tutte so spectacular and this one so atrocious? Was it the cast of Cosi Fan Tutte that dictated the timing and things like that? I would think it would be the director. In any case, I would not recommend this at all.

I bought this to show my students. The opera is in Italian, with English subtitles. The kids got into it. It is well done. The beginning shows shots of the conductor/orchestra pit, which I loved as this is part of what I teach them. There are one or two words that are questionable when it came time to show it to my fifth graders, but most handled it well, and class that didn't I just left the subtitles out. The DVD comes with program notes as to the story for each act/scene, so this was easy to do. I would reccommend this for any other educator looking for a good version to show their classes.

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.

After reading his,I smiled. We must stop meeting this way. However, my opinion of Gruberova is less kind than his, i.e., she has no business singing a spinto bordering on dramatic role. Even in the Good Old Days, her Konstanze wasn't high on my list. (The first time I heard Martern aller Arten it was sung by Helen Traubel, just for instance). As for Ann Murray's Elvira, yes, not gutsy enough. I'm that crazy about Bartoli's take on the lady, although as I've mentioned elsewhere, she brings the same characterization to Fiodiligi who, it seems to me, cannot be nearly so enraged as Elvira, after all.Sir Thomas is marvelous and Claudio Desderi is more than up to the Leporello. And I, too, very much like de Carolis and Mentzer is the off-again/on-again Masetto and Zerlina.There are a number of really fine recordings of Giovanni, as you all know. I'd avoid the one with Terfel (whom I ADORE in some roles) and Kringelborn as Elvira - he's lacking in the suave department and she screaches.

Don't buy this. It is not the performance it purports to be.This performance was once available on Walhall. Guild hasmade cuts to fit it on two CDs -- the Il mio tesoro lacksthe middle section with the famous phrase. Someone shouldtake legal action against this label -- caveat emptor --even with a readily available source as in this case, theystill bowdlerize the material.

A lavish production by La Scala, great orchestra, charming Italian acting and staging. And then there is the sweetest music ever.