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?

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.

Being the seventh most-performed opera in the United States, it's understandable that some prefer experimenting with Don Giovanni and create "modern" settings for this classic, but, if you're like me, you prefer a traditional mounting and this La Scala production will satisfy immensely, although I can't help feeling that something was missing. Perhaps, it's the fact that we don't "see" the ghost of the Commendatore in the final dramatic scene. Nevertheless, the ending is powerful enough to cap an enjoyable evening of opera and to renew one's appreciation of Mozart.

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.

I'm completely satisfied of my purchase. AMAZON si great!! I didn't know Amazon till I started purchasing by it. I've never had such a perfect service before. I've now decided to always choose this Firm for all my purcheses.

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.

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

You can't really go wrong with a Mozart opera and good performers. I have several versions of this opera, and I bought this just to see Sir Thomas Allen's portrayal of the the title character. I wasn't disappointed, I'll be watching this version many more times.I'm not a theatre or operatic critic who complains about depth and colour in the voices, but I know what I like, and I liked this, and I'm sure many others will too, so add it to your collection.

Not my favourite Mozart opera, but the singers are very good and the acting so realistic that I forgot that Thomas Allen is really a decent bloke. I was glad when the Don met his deserved end, which I remember seeing Allen portray before and which actually made my hair stand on end.Zerlina too, as well as being a delightful singer, brought much charm to the role, while Leporello (poor man) provided some comic relief and had my sympathy too. The stage production was rather dark, but then a lot of the action takes place at night, so no complaints.

Nothing more need be said.

A beautiful production,beautifully sung....

it was a present.