Mozart: Don Giovanni (Great Recordings of the Century)

Mozart: Don Giovanni (Great Recordings of the Century)

Mozart: Don Giovanni (Great Recordings of the Century)
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Composer: Wolfgang A. Mozart
Conductor: Carlo Maria Giulini
Orchestra: Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra
Performer: Eberhard Wachter
Performer: Joan Sutherland
Performer: Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Performer: Giuseppe Taddei
Performer: Luigi Alva
Performer: Piero Cappuccilli
Performer: Graziella Sciutti
Edition: Music CD
Format: Box set, Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 2002-09-17
Music Label: EMI Classics
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
  1. Sinfonia
  2. Notte E Giorno Faticar
  3. Non Sperar, Se Non M'Uccidi
  4. Lasciala, Indegno!
  5. Leporello, Ove Sei?
  6. Ah! Del Padre in Periglio
  7. Fuggi, Crudele, Fuggi!
  8. Orsu, Spicciam Presto
  9. Ah, Chi Mi Dice Mai
  10. Chi E La?
  11. Madamina, Il Catalogo E Questo
  12. In Questa Forma
  13. Giovinette, Che Fate All'Amore
  14. Manco Male E Partita
  15. Ho Capito, Signor, Si!
  16. Alfin Siam Liberati
  17. La Ci Darem La Mano
  18. Fermati, Scellerato!
  19. Ah! Fuggi Il Traditor!
  20. Mi Par Ch'oggi Il Demonio Si Diverta
  21. on Ti Fidar, O Misera
  22. Povera Sventurata!
  23. Don Ottavio, Son Morta!
  24. Or Sai Chi L'Onore
  25. Come Mai Creder Deggio
  26. Dalla Sua Deggio
  27. Lo Deggio Ad Ogni Patto
  28. Finch'han Dal Vino
Music CD 2
  1. Masettoe, Senti Un Po'!
  2. Batti, Batti, O Bel Masetto
  3. Guarda Un Po'
  4. Presto, Presto, Pria Ch'ei Venga
  5. Tra Quest'Arbori Celata
  6. Bisogna Aver Coraggio
  7. Protegga Il Giusto Cielo/Vendichi Il Giusto Cielo
  8. Riposate, Vezzose Ragazze
  9. Venite Pure Avanti
  10. Ricominciate Il Suono!
  11. Ecco Il Bribo Ch T'ha Offesa!
  12. Trema. Trema, o Scellerato!
  13. Eh Via! Buffone, Non Mi Seccar!
  14. Leporello!...Signore?
  15. Ah Taci, Ingiusto Core!
  16. Amico, Che Ti Par?
  17. Eccomi A Voi
  18. Deh Vieni Alla Finestra
  19. V'E Gente alla Finestra
  20. Meta Di Voi Qua Vadano
  21. Zitto, Lascia Ch'Io Senta!
  22. Vedrai, Carino, Se Sei Buonino
  23. Di Molte Faci Il Lume
  24. Sola, Sola In Buio Loco
  25. Ferma, Briccone, Dove Ten Vai?
  26. Mille Torbidi Pensieri
  27. Dunque Quello Sie Tu
  28. Ah, Pieta, Signori Miel!
  29. Ferma, Perfido, Ferma!
  30. Il Mio Tesoro
  31. Il Quali Eccessi, O Numi
  32. Mi Tradi Quell'Alma Ingrata
Music CD 3
  1. Ah, Ah, Ah, Questa E Buona
  2. O Statua Gentilissima
  3. Calmatevi, Idol mio!
  4. Crudele? Ah No, Mio Bene!
  5. Non Mi Dir, Bell'Idol Mio
  6. Ah, Si Segua Il Suo Passo
  7. Gia La Mensa E Preparata
  8. L'Ultima Priva Dell'Amor Mio
  9. Che Grido E Questo Mai
  10. Don Giovanni A Cenar Teco
  11. Da Qual Tremore Insolito
  12. Ah, Dov'e Il Perfido?
  13. Or Che Tutti, O Mio Tesoro
  14. Questo E Il Fin

Music reviews of Mozart: Don Giovanni (Great Recordings of the Century)

Music Review: One of the greatest of all operas - simply magnificent
Rating: 5 Stars

Don Giovanni is an opera in Italian about a notorious Spanish libertine and whose music was composed by an Austrian and premiered in the Czech city of Prague. Of the Western culture's notorious libertines, Lothario is fictional, Casanova was a real person (and even gave some advice to Da Ponte, the librettist, in the preparation of this opera), but we don't know if Don Juan (Giovanni) was real or fictional. In any case, the traditional story of the Stone Guest built up around him is clearly a fiction. While people relish in the re-telling of the Don's misdeeds they also like seeing him punished in the end.

As the opera opens, Leporello is pacing in front of Donna Anna's house and complaining about his master, Don Giovanni. A commotion interrupts him as the Don tries to escape his attempted rape of Donna Anna, but she won't let go of him. Her father, the Commandant, enters and challenges the assailant to a fight. The Don resists the fight, but finally engages and kills the old man. Just this quickly the opera is underway.

Soon we meet Donna Elivira who refers to the Don as a monster, a criminal, and a pack of lies. She is one of his past conquests who took seriously his promises of love and fidelity. Elivira is the most determined to unmask and thwart the Don, but in the end she would take him back and forgive him if he would just turn to her alone.

Leporello, the Don's servant, has many just complaints against the Don and is rightly critical of his seduction and rape of two thousand women in a variety of countries, but when he has the chance to take advantage of a woman, he proves that his own lusts are stronger than his convictions.

Donna Anna and her finance, Don Ottavio speak many threatening words to avenge themselves against Don Giovanni, but are strangely impotent and hesitant to do so. Ottavio swears to avenge Anna's honor and her father's death, but when offered an opportunity to act, just can't be sure enough to actually risk action against Giovanni.

The peasant couple Masetto and Zerlina are another incarnation of the human condition. The Don sees them on their wedding day and decides to have Zerlina. He arranges to be alone with her, much to Masetto's anger. While alone, he woos her and finds her willing to betray Masetto in favor of the Don's promises of love and marriage. Clearly, she understands that money may not be everything, but it sure can tip the balance.

To say that Don Giovanni is brazen is not enough. He is endlessly for his own appetites. He is so diseased that he considers it sport to betray and defile. At one point he says that to be faithful to one would be to deprive all the rest of his benefits and that it is a sign of weakness for women to claim betrayal or to demand fidelity. Nothing deters him from his course, he is never afraid to stand up to anything. Even when he feels to cold hand of death upon him, he cannot realize the need to change and repent.

Yes, there is irony and lots of wit about human duplicity and weakness, but there is also a deeper sense of real humanity and horror in this opera. The libretto is quite excellent, but it is the transcendent genius of Mozart's music that adds the depth and human heart to each character in this, one of the greatest of all operas. Each aria reveals so much about each character that we marvel at the power and beauty of the music. Even so, the ensembles reveal even more about the characters and each situation. Even the recitative, normally barely endured, is delightful in this opera. Mozart is even able to recast the ridiculous ending of the story into something of weight and even horror through the brilliance of his musical setting. It is a magnificent achievement.

It is true that Beethoven preferred the ideal of the male and female relationship in "The Magic Flute" to the hedonism of this opera, but tradition also says he kept the trombone parts of the second finale on his writing desk. Even during the height of the Wagnerian revolution that eclipsed the work of so many composers, Mozart and especially this opera were always performed and held in the highest regard. Rossini, with his hand on the autograph score of this opera, called Mozart the master of them all and the only composer with as much genius as science and as much science as genius.

This opera was begun in early 1787 to capitalize on the tremendous success of his "Marriage of Figaro" (the beginning of that overture is even quoted in this opera). Da Ponte, who was in great demand as a librettist, had other projects underway. He either wrote "Don Giovanni" with superhuman speed or adapted something that he already had on hand. In any case the first performance was in Prague on October 29, 1787. Mozart composed at a furious pace as the premier approached. He was so late with the overture (which he wrote in the night before the opening while his wife plied him with coffee and stories to keep him awake) that the orchestra had to read it on sight without any rehearsal.

When they took the opera to Vienna some changes were made to suit the available singing talent and a moralizing ending was tacked on. Most people agree that the real end of the opera is the descent of the Don into the flames of hell and that the silly statements to tie things up actually detract from the drama of the piece. Stravinsky consciously copied the same double ending in "The Rake's Progress" with similar anti-climactic results.

This recording has been in print for more than forty years and that speaks volumes about its quality. Yes, there are things to pick at here or there, and there are probably better singers for the Don the Waechter. However, we get to hear Joan Sutherland (Donna Anna) and Elizabeth Schwarzkopf (Donna Elivra) at the height of their powers. It is all quite fine and a glorious musical achievement.
More Mozart: Don Giovanni (Great Recordings of the Century) free music reviews:
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