The best don Giovanni ever recorded
Karajan`s conduction is magnificent. Mr Ramey is de Best Don Giovanni ever to play the role. Baltsa as Donna Elvira is simply great. Burchuladze plays a very powerful role as the commendatore. For Opera fans this is a must have version

The Most Beautifully Sung Don G But Not Dramatic or Moving
CAST: Samuel Ramey [Don Giovanni] ** Paata Burchuladze [Commendatore/La Statua] ** Anna Tomowa-Sintow [Donna Anna] ** Gösta Winbergh [Don Ottavio] ** Agnes Baltsa [Donna Elvira] ** Ferruccio Furlanetto [Leporello] ** Alexander Malta [Masetto] ** Kathleen Battle [Zerlina] ** Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin ** Berlin Philharmonic ** Herbert von Karajan (conductor)

This early 1980's recording compliments the film version of the production by Karajan both at the Met and Salzburg Festival. A perennial favorite, it's blessed with the great talents of Maestro Karajan and his illustrious Berlin forces, bass Samuel Ramey in his prime and a vocally beautiful cast. While many operaphiles love this recording, I don't find it especially moving or dramatic. It is almost strictly for fans of Samuel Ramey or Karajan's take on Don Giovanni. Far from the more vigorous 60's Don Giovanni performances, this recording finds Karajan in the last decade of his life - the 80's. Consequently, his treatment of the score is less fresh or dramatic, and is so easy for him it feels like he could conduct it with his eyes closed, a tendency of his. The strength of this recording is the beauty, most likely because the musicians and the singers are young and trained by an old master. Kathleen Battle was in her prime and this role was one which garnered her much acclaim as a Mozart soprano. As Zerlina, she sings with sweet youthfulness, purity of tone and a refined, feminine allure. She makes Zerlina too flat, however, and lacks any character. This Zerlina is not feisty, scheming and or conflicted, which is how she should be portrayed. "Vorrei e non vorrei" "I can and I cannot go with you" she tells Don Giovanni in the famous "La Ci Darem La Mano" duet. She is betrothed to the peasant Masetto, and earnestly in love with him, but she has a definate attraction for him, especially because he has promised to better her social status. In such dramatic moments as when Zerlina is about to be raped by Don Giovanni at his own ball and screams out "Genti! Genti! Soccoridimi!" (People! People! Help me!)she doesn't sing with any real intensity. Frankly, Kathleen Battle could have cared less if her Zerlina was any good. She is on here to show off, to be seen and take part of a production with the great Karajan while he was still alive. But if you are a fan of Miss Battle, this one is for you.

Mezzo soprano Agnes Baltsa was a versatile and gifted singer, just as successful in her Mozart and bel canto roles as she was in the dramatic mezzo soprano roles of Italian opera - like Princess Eboli in Don Carlos or even Venus in Wagner's Tannhauser. As Elvira, she sings with a supreme mastership of Mozart's music and recitative, she is far more committed to the character than Kathleen Battle's Zerlina. She sings with genuine dramatic integrity and still sounds beautiful. I love her account of "A Che Mi Dice Mai" and the coloratura showpiece -" Me Tradita Il Alma Ingrato". She is warm, round, a full mezzo voice with enough flexibility to essay the highs and lows of the character. She's feisty, passionate, vindictive and yet never borders on hysteria. Elvira suits her so beautifully. She's even better than Kiri Te Kenawa who sang Zerlina to much acclaim.

Ferrucio Furlanetto's Leporello is well-executed from a vocal perspective. His voice is rich, Italian and he is an intelligent singer. He is far better as Leporello than Don Giovanni, a role he also sang, often switching with Samuel Ramey. As Leporello, he is everything the grumbling servant is supposed to be. Paata Burchuladze as the Commandatore is superb as the Commandatore. To my ears, he's the finest interpretor. He is masculine, strong, fatherly and even God-like. It is the Commandatore who sends Don Giovanni to hell after all. It should be sung with vigor and this is what Burchuladze does. Alexander Malta sings the role of Masetto. Like another reviewer states, I much prefer a lighter baritone as Masetto, for Masetto must come off as a good guy next to the bad Don Giovanni. But unlike Don Ottavio, Masetto must also come off as romantic and winsome. Malta is too gruff and growling as Masetto. As for Gosta Windbergh, he truly understands how to effectively portray Don Ottavio. Ottavio's character is written to bore the audience. Without being too overt about it, Mozart must have intended for audiences to have a sneaky suspicion that Ottavio holds no real charms for Donna Anna. He may be protective, dutiful and romantic, but Dona Ana must find him lackluster and dull next to the more exciting Don Giovanni. Though this is always open to interpretation, a lot of people say this about the Ottavio/Anna relationship. Thus, Windberg sings the arias "Dalla Sua Pace" and "Mio Tesoro" along with other scenes with the appropriate boring quality, even a mechanical voice. Soprano Anna Tomowa Sintow was considered a "Karajan" voice - beautiful but strong in the dramatic department. Tomowa-Sintow's Dona Ana is dramatically satisfying. She is able to sing everything just right! I loved her "Or Sai che L'onore" and her "Non Mi Dir" plus all her other scenes. She is actually taking the modern approach of Dona Ana. She is no rape victim who is also demanding justice for the death of father. Rather, she is somewhat attracted by the man who murdered her father and this is what's bothering her. Don Giovanni is virile and attractive and far more exciting than her dull boyfriend/fiance Ottavio. In order to rid herself of the attraction to the Don, she wants Don Ottavio to extract revenge and have him killed. Thus, everything she sings has a tension to it and a strong passionate intensity. The Dona Ana of Edda Moser most effectively implies this, but so does Anna Tomowa Sintow's.

Samuel Ramey as Don Giovanni was perhaps his greatest success as a bass-baritone. In the 80's when he sang the role, audiences felt his interpretation was modern, bold and completely different from previous Don Giovannis they had seen - Ezio Pinza, Cesare Siepi and Eberhard Wachter. Rather than performing with the old school conservative style, Ramey makes the Don unabashedly sexual and seductive. His voice is actually a "basso-cantante" and there is nothing truly dramatic about it. He scored huge success singing Rossini and Italian bel canto. Everything he sings in the bass range is beautiful but seldom dramatic. Thus, when I hear his Don Giovanni, I hear the most beautifully sung Don Giovanni. He doesn't strike me as a rogue or villain. His style is just too beautiful to hear. While many may find his Don Giovanni to be one of the best, I don't think so. This same "too sexy and sweet to be a rotten guy" technique is also present in his Scarpia under DG with Mirella Freni and Placido Domingo. His "Devil" roles were also beautifully sung. Everyone just loves Samuel Ramey because he sings so beautifully. This recording is great for what it is but I think you can choose from better Don Giovannis, like the following:

Mozart Don Giovanni: Ruggero Raimondi, Jose Van Dam, Kiri Te Kenawa, Edda Moser, Teresa Berganza, Malcolm King/Lorin Maazel

Mozart: Don Giovanni/Eberhard Wachter, Joan Sutherland, Luigi Alva, Gottlib Frick, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Giuseppe Taddei, Piero Cappucilli/ Carlo Maria Giulini

Mozart: Don Giovanni/Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Sena Jurinac, Maria Stader,Imgard Seefried, Karl Christian Kohn/ Ferenc Fricsay

Mozart Don Giovanni: Eberhard Wachter, Fritz Wunderlich, Leontyne Price, Walter Berry, Elisabeth Schwartzkopff/Karajan

Mozart Don Giovanni/Cesare Siepi, Birgit Nilsson, Leontyne Price, Fernando Corena/Leinsdorf

Some great singing, but this Don has a steel spine
The timing for this recording couldn't have been better vocally speaking: Samuel Ramey was ascending as an eminent Don with the best bass voice for the role since Siepi, and the rest of Karajan's cast, except for the Don Ottavio, is first-rate. So why does this feel like an over-disciplined conductor's show, with almost no humor or humanity? Karajan was capable of much better, yet somehow both this and his Decca Figaro feel steely and impersonal, despite all the musical skill being applied. If others admire the technical accomplishment, I can't disagree. It's just a feeling thing.

Glorious!
This is a marvelous recording. The more I listen to it, the more deeply in love with it I fall. While von Karajan's tempos can be a little slow, he is very precise, and every amazing note of Mozart can be heard. His dynamics are dead-on, although I disagree with some of his articulations (I am thinking specifically of the inexplicable forte-piano on Donna Anna and Don Giovanni's driving tritones in the "Non sperar, se non m'uccidi" section of the opening).

These were the glory days of Samuel Ramey. While he is slightly wooden in the role of Don Giovanni, his voice is beautiful. His forceful introduction in the first scene is very memorable, as is his beautiful rendition of "Deh, vieni alla finestra." The dark gold tones of his voice are also perfectly capable of the fire necessary for his final scene. He and Furlanetto (Leporello) performed these roles together often, even alternating them at times, and their wonderful chemistry communicates itself in this recording--an essential thing, as the relationship between master and servant is crucial to the opera. Their voices blend beautifully, as well.

Ferruccio Furlanetto is my favorite Leporello. He transforms Leporello from a ridiculous clown to a fascinating, sympathetic character, which comes across in the recording. At the same time, Furlanetto is wonderfully comical, and seems to be having a blast. These were also his glory days; Furlanetto's voice is big and juicy, but rich and dark, like chocolate sauce. There are times, even in his comic "Madamina" aria, when he sounds like he is caressing the music. His "Perdon, perdono, signori miei" section in "Sola, sola in buio loco" is sublime.

While Agnes Baltsa (Donna Elvira) is perfectly good, she uses a little too much chest voice for my taste in some numbers (particularly "Sola, sola in buio loco). "Mi tradi" is sung well enough, but without a great deal of fire on her part. On the other hand, there were moments, particularly "L'ultima prova," when I was simply enchanted by her. She has a beautiful voice, and a great passion in that last scene which does not express itself in gasps and grunts which detract from the music.

Anna Tomowa-Sintow is a little old for the role of Donna Anna, but sings it with gusto nevertheless, her voice a perfect fit for the music. "Or sai chi l'onore," one of my favorite arias, is powerfully and masterfully done. Winbergh has a beautiful, beautiful voice, bringing some wonderful expressions to "Dalla sua pace" in particular. He and Tomowa-Sintow sing "Fuggi, crudele, fuggi!" with both fire and tenderness, proving themselves worthy of the roles in this amazing duet.

Kathleen Battle is a sweet-voiced Zerlina, charming and innocent. I have had the privilege of hearing this singer live, and her silver-bell-tones are a delight. Her Masetto is Alexander Malta, an older but unique Masetto--he is a gruff but ultimately cuddly Masetto. His "Ho capito, signor si" is wonderfully spiteful. His voice is not my favorite, however; I would have liked to hear a smoother baritone in the role, with less growl. Somehow, I cannot like this recording any less for it--he is still a fantastic Masetto, and his voice is far from unpleasant, just less than idealistic.

This recording is wonderful for hearing most every note. It seems to be one of the few times Leporello's "Ah, cosa fate!" in the Act I finale is sung instead of shrieked, and the same can be said for the screams of Donna Elvira and Leporello in the Act II finale. The orchestra is marvelous; the strings in "Dalla Sua Pace" sound ecclesiastical, with a blend as blissful as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The recitative is crisp, and very much where the characters are expressed and developed. The sound is crystal-clear, allowing the layers of beauty in each voice to be heard. Altogether, a wonderful recording.

La opera perfetta ...
one can not simply write a review about mozart ... there are certain levels of creativity that traverse methods of critique ,for they represent the (standards) which everything else is measured by ...

Don giovanni has been called the perfect opera because it has delivered a wide spectrum of emotions as a satire mixture between comedy and tragedy ...

i would never imply a musical evaluation of (Don Giovanni) for the above mentioned reasons ,rather ,i would give my (own) likings in this wonderful tour de force.

The Stylistic ingenuity was clear in the finale of the first act ... the three dances which perfectly incarnated the different social states of characters which we are about to encounter ...

Moreover ,the evil D Minor key which is utilised throughout the opera is a strong indication towards the macabre murder of the Commendatore on the hands of the depraved Don Giovanni ... again ,that key conveys fury and terror near the end when Don Giovanni confronts the stone statue ,and the dramatic descent into the depths of hell ...

The performance is outstanding ,and karajan with his militaristically steady -and the unusual slow tempo - conductance - adds the drastic touch which enriches this dark voyage ...

For those who are about to buy this oeuvre ,and delve into the depth of mozart's madness ,Dante once wrote :

(Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate)