Don Giovanni - Mozart Details

Customer Review

What strikes the viewer/listener about this performance by the Vienna State Opera in 1999 is its superior vocal and orchestral playing quality. Carlos Alvarez (Don Giovanni) is a virile-sounding Don, while Ildebrando d'Arcangelo (Leporello) sings and acts well, bringing out the poor servant's personality. Michael Schade (Ottavio) is also very good.

Among women, Anna Caterina Antonacci is excellent as the tormented and love-sick Donna Elvira; her voice has a luminous qualtiy. Angela Kirchschlager is a charming Zerlina; her voice has a beautiful and warm timbre. On the other hand, Adrianne Pieczonka is miscast; her appearance is a little too matronly for Donna Anna, the young and vulnerable daughter of the Commandatore, and she has a voice which is a little too sharp for the role, to this reviewer's taste.

Riccardo Muti's conducting is incisive, although he occasionally drives the music (particularly arias) a little too hard so that the music doesn't "breathe" enough. The Vienna State Opera Orchestra (virtually the same as the Vienna Philharmonic), who knows the work inside out, plays with the usual elan. They would make Mozart proud.

Now, a few negative points. First, the whole action takes place in a rather cramped space on and around steps on the small stage of the Theater an der Wien; this restricts action on the stage. Secondly, the costumes are an oddity, as the previous reviewer has noted. The style of the Don's costumes progresses from the 16th century Spanish clothing at the start of Act 1 to that of the 20th century towards the end in Act 2! Finally, Leporello's face is painted white at the beginning of Act 1 for no particular reason. (Perhaps he is meant to appear like a clown.) There is really no point to this sort of gimmick since it does not add value to or enjoyment of the opera. This reflects a modern and whimsical trend by directors, which is commonplace nowadays.

Having said all that, musically this is a very enjoyable live recording of the dramatic masterpiece. The stereo sound is excellent.