No comments about Handel - Berenice.

5 comments about Gotterdammerung / Knappertsbusch, Varnay, Aldenhoff, Uhde, et al.

1. After having cut my Wagner teeth on the Solti Ring and reading Culshaw's "Ring Resounding" this recording was too intriguing to pass up. Overall it did not disappoint me - at least at the 30% off retail price that I paid. There is a cohesion to this performance that pulls me in and makes me want to keep listening. Whereas the Solti recording reveals the score in detail, this recording captures the dramatic possibilities of a live performance in a more impressionistic manner - a performance that is organic in the way one musical idea flows to another, yet still very dramatic. I would not want to have this as the only recording of this mighty work (Solti remains the standard IMO) but it remains in many ways a very satisfactory account of a great drama, despite some significant negative distractions. First the positives: Varnay's Brunnhilde, such a voice - lacking Nilssons power at the top range (along with every other soprano)but possessing beautiful coloration (Culshaw's description of her "singing like an angel" hits the mark) that Nilsson could not touch; Kna's pacing and flexibility of tempo - an essential record of the "old school" of Wagner conducting that has all but disappeared; Norns and Rhinemaidens - especially the former who deliver a subtle yet stunning scene to open the performance. And the negatives: Aldenhoff as Siegfried can deliver beautifully lyrical phrasing in the quieter moments (e.g. just before drinking the potion in Act I)but shifts abruptly into an unpleasantly bright and sharp mode whenever he ventures above a high g - he also doesn't seem to "get" Kna's tempos and is constantly running ahead of him (he makes Windgassen seem like a laggard); wobbly and out of tune wind (especially brass) playing - including many of the big moments) and overall ensemble that tends to swim at times; intrusiveness of the prompter in the quieter scenes (can be hard to tune out at times). The rest of the cast is adequate but not outstanding. Weber's Hagan is dramatic but lacks the weight of a Frick or Salminen - IMO he does not rate the accolades he has received from some reviewers, not that he turns in a bad performance. This is not a recording to listen to with score in hand - there are too many lapses of ensemble and other details that are just not right (bash the Solti recording all you want, but show me a recording that better illuminates what Wagner actually wrote in the score), but if you can get past the shortcomings, this is a dramatic reading that will draw you in and make you want to listen to it over and over.



2. Technical shortcomings notwithstanding, this is a joy to own and listen to. Represents an "older" conducting style of the "majestic" sort. I am not a musician, but this 1951 recording is a link to an earlier style of Wagner conducting the the late 19th and earlier 20th century. Pretty good sound and Knappertsbusch and the singers are in pretty good form. This recording is a wonderful experience. I own several Gotterdamerungs, but this recording is especially satisfying. I have been listening to Wagner since the late 1950's.



3. The most magnificent aspect of this legendary recording is clearly Knappertsbusch's conducting. The gears never crash and there is a beautiful saturated sound. Kna made me aware of patterns and colours in the score that I had never noticed before. The orchestra is fine and the recording is ideal. Culshaw and Wilkinson have found an ideal balance between voice and orchestra.
   
   The other key distinguishing factor is hearing a 50s Bayreuth Ring opera caught in a professional commercial-standard recording that brings the orchestra, in particular, closer than in the various pirate Rings of the era.
   
   The singers taken all round are very exciting. Varnay can hit the high notes with thrilling impact (love duet) and darken her voice to sheer menace (end Act II) although the fruity tinge in her tone may take some adjusting to. Aldenhoff is not as successful as Seigfried. He sounds strained in the opening duet and his tone is ungainly and sometimes gravelly. The 'bad' characters are memorably bought to life by Modl, Udhe and Weber. The opening Prelude with the mysterious Norms is particularly successful. Here Kna builds a line of dark intensity which is matched by the sheer visceral power and acting of Modl's 3rd Norn. Special mention must almost be made of the glowering menace of Hagen's Watch. So dark and sinister.
   
   The big caveat for me is the prompt who can be heard clearly in some scenes. This is subtly intrusive in the otherwise almost unsurpassed Immolation scene.
   
   Overall, the strong sense of theatrical ensemble combines with immediate sound creating a landmark (arguably, even, a benchmark) in the history of Gotterdammerung recordings.



4. I bought this set after reading the story behind it--well told in the Amazon review above--but was sorely disappointed. Aldenhoff is the most dreadful Wagnerian tenor imaginable, and although the rest of the cast varies from good to great, that defect was enough for me to feel that as much as others may praise this set, I cannot. I didn't quite hear the supposed excellence of Knappertsbusch's conducting, either, although his slow way with Wagner, his absence of orchestral accuracy, and his casual apaproach to dramatic tension doesn't bother others as much as it bothers me.



5. This is a cracking performance of Gotterdammerung, arguably the very best available on disc. Knappertsbusch could be a frustrating conductor - on a good day, when he was in the mood, he could be the very best: catch him on an off day and he could be disengaged, uninspired and uninspiring. This was a very good day on the Green Hill. In fact, it seems to have been a very good festival for him as this is the same year as his classic Parsifal. Perhaps it was the adrenalin of the first reopening festival after the war.
   
   The cumulative power of this performance is immense from an intensely dark and brooding Norn Scene (with Modl, no less, as a thrilling Third Norn) right through to a towering Immolation with Varnay singing and acting her socks off. As usual, Kna's tempi tend to be slow but, on a good day like this, there is always a sense of purpose, of going somewhere in particular, of holding the long-term structure constantly in view. Take the great arch of Act 2 as an example. Knappertsbusch sees it as a single paragraph from the dark dreamworld of the Alberich/Hagen scene through the raw power of the Summoning of the Vassals, the choral splendours of the arrival of Gunther and Brunnhilde to the keystone of the arch, a white-hot oath-swearing and then down again through a grim and louring vengeance trio to the hollow glamour of the finale. This is Wagner conducting of a very high order.
   
   The cast were obviously inspired to give of their best and then some by Kna's conducting and Wieland Wagner's direction. One always admires Varnay for her commitment and emotional intensity, but I sometimes feel I'm making allowances for the voice compared to a Leider, a Flagstad or a Nilsson. Not here. This Brunnhilde is magnificently and beautifully sung. Listen to her in the Dawn Duet for some ravishing notes, daringly and thrillingly taken. This is among the greatest performances of the Gotterdammerung Brunnhilde I know. Hermann Uhde simply is the greatest performance of Gunther I know. As an amazingly complex study of vanity mixed with insecurity, honour with corruption, even a touch of heroism brought down to moral collapse, this is peerless. And Modl, who doubles Gutrune with her Third Norn, makes so much more of his troubled sister than the usual dizzy blonde. The Gibichungs here are a formidable pair. Elisabeth Hongen is a veritable Valkyrie as Waltraute, telling her tale with passion, defending her case with resilience and singing alongside Varnay, both with glorious tone. Weber, superb as Gurnemanz in the same season's Parsifal, is perhaps a touch nice of voice for Hagen compared with the black toned villainy of a Frick or, from an earlier generation, an Andresen or a List. But he had long experience of the part and sings it rather than barking and uses the words to great effect.
   
   Which brings me to the one weak link in the cast, Bernd Aldenhoff. He can certainly sing beautifully - but only below top G and below forte. When he drinks the potion in Act 1, for example, he uses a beautifully coloured bit of mezza voce. So too in large parts of the Narration and the Death. But once he opens up, as in the Dawn Duet or the Act 2 oath-taking, the voice comes under strain and takes on an unpleasant rough edge.
   
   Despite that, this is a shattering performance. It's a tragedy that contractual hang-ups kept it in the archives for half a century. Now it is available, I would urge any lover of Wagner performance to snap it up. The sound is what you would expect from 1951 - a little edgy and strident in the brass, a bit thin in the violins - but good for its time. Yes the prompter is there - though not as intrusive as on Bohm's Bayreuth set - but he really doesn't detract from this thrilling performance.

5 comments about Handel - Serse / Malafronte, J. Smith, Milne, Bickley, Asawa, D. Thomas, Ely, McGegan.

1. This is one of the truly great Handel opera recordings of the last twenty years. As usual, Nicholas McGegan proves himself to be one of the two or three greatest Handelian conductors of our time. The singing from beginning to end is first class. This opera is known for the famous largo "Ombra mai fu," but the music in this entire performance is a sheer delight.



2. Nicolas McGegan leads a spritely performance of this late Handel opera. The countertenor, Asawa, is excellent as are Milne, Bickley and Ely. In the comic role sounds like an actor who is singing. Though billed as a bass, his voice lacks resonance and depth. The biggest problems, however, are the two leads. Smith sounds like someone who is close to the end of a nice career. She is ready for seconda donna roles...too old for Romilda. In the title role Malafronte is inadaquate. She seems incapable of shaping a phrase musically. Her "Ombra mai fu" sounds amateurish. She is somewhat better in the more dramatic sections where she has to fill out the voice more but the all important matter of shaping the phrases is still absent. Many have praised this recording but I found it dissapointing because of the reasons above.



3. I like giving 5-star reviews. If I don't it's because something's more 'wrong' than 'missing'.
   
   Firstly though, I'll say what is so 'right' about this opera. To begin with, Brian Asawa. Apart from a superb technique, the sheer beauty of his voice alone makes him worth hearing. Susan Bickley as Amastre is the other protagonist who makes this a luxurious experience. Her firm and beautiful chest register punctuates her sumptuous tones with some heart-stopping moments. "Or che siete speranze tradite" in Act 2 is truly magnetic and in her preceeding exchnage with Elviro, she is most compelling (and I don't necessarily mean 'forceful' here). Lisa Milne, blessed with a light golden voice, sings her soprano role of Atalanta with grace and beauty without sounding too 'airy'. Truly beautiful. David Thomas' Elviro may have been a little overdone in the comic scene dressed as a flower-peddler but he is otherwise suitably expressive and reliable. Dean Ely's Ariodate is deep and firm...again beautiful.
   
   Judith Malafronte's Xerxes isn't so much what's wrong, but she wouldn't have been my first pick. She's not as clean of attack as desirable and doesn't possess the sort of tone that would convince anyone of her 'trousers' role. In fact, the singing technique may be satisfactory but the sound is unattractive to my ears. Bickley in this lead role would have been brilliantly cast....or (can we be even more ambitious) the fabulous Bernarda Fink (now THAT'S hoping for a lot!). Nevertheless, Ms. Malafronte was adequate (if not suitably heroic), though many countertenors have done superior renditions of 'Frondi tenere....Ombra mai fu'. Again, as hope springs eternal (even ex post facto), I can only wonder at what the more full-voiced countertenor Andreas Scholl would have made of this role.
   
   My real grouse then? Jennifer Smith's Romilda. While her performance is passionate (which is her sole mitigation), she manages to sound like Arsamene's mother....PARTICULARLY alongside Brian Asawa's ravishing countertenor. At times she is flat....that annoying sensation that just borders on the horizon of your perceptions but is nonetheless 'there'. Nowhere is this more vivid than the duet with Arsamene in Act 3: "Troppo oltraggi, troppo inganni". Ms. Smith is audibly taxed and struggles to 'hit' (her goal) rather than 'eventually reach' (her approximate effect) her high notes beside a flawless Mr. Asawa. The result is frustrating for me, especially when listening to Handel. The standard for baroque music involves greater surety and precision, otherwise it just sounds messy....especially where there is ornamentation. Unsteadiness and flatness/sharpness just don't fit in. It is unfortunate that modern recornings of this opera seem to be plagued with terrible Romildas.
   
   Nevertheless, I give it 4-stars because it's my favourite Handel opera and the performance 'evens out' overall, producing a 'good enough' rating. The style of this work isn't made too cloying or artificial by a preponderance of arias. There's more recitative and hence more 'real' drama. Coupled with the fact that this is a love story bordering on tragedy, albeit with a happy ending, the added passion combines with the other elements to make this one of Handel's most convincing and moving pieces...and very alluring music.
   
   The conducting is wonderful and achingly elegant. There are no extremes of speed. The strings are well harmonised and the harpsichord graceful, without sounding too exhuberant. The recording is well balanced and the acoustics are dramatically effective. There is some very effective sound direction to convey events occuring off-stage or aside; e.g., Romilda's music after Arsamene and Elviro enter scene 1, Act 1; and again during the duet recitative between Elviro and Amastre at the beginning of Act 2.
   
   But even further tribute to Mr. Asawa. I think he's brilliant and his rave reviews are well-deserved. I WILL be exploring his recordings further. He has a naturally high pitch and the tone is truly stunning. I will also continue to be drawn to the reliable opulence of Ms. Bickley and (newly added) Ms. Milne. Still well-recommended, though I frown at the price.



4. This is an excellent recording of what may be Handel's finest opera. The music is lovely and the performances are all excellent. This is considerably more than a lovely piece of music. When performed well, Serse (Xerxes in English translation) is a fine piece of stage work. It contains real wit and fine integration of the music and action on stage. There is actually a good English language version, though I am unaware of any recordings using this version.



5. Es Serse, de Handel, una de sus mas hermosas obras. Con un desarrollo dramatico in crescendo, contiene momentos musicales deslumbrantes y es quiza esta grabacion el mejor modo para acercarse a conocerla. Judith Malafronte es un rey imponente en lo dramatico, aunque a veces no sea completamente pulido en lo vocal. Su zona aguda pierde brillo en algunas partes pero se desenvuelve correctamente en las agilidades y canta con gusto su personaje. La Smith no tiene una voz hermosa pero su sentido del canto y su concepcion de la Romilda ganan a su favor. El resto del elenco cumple maravillosamente, el Arsamene de Asawa es antologico y la Atalanta de la Milne deliciosa. El Elviro de David Thomas es simplemente hilarante dando el caracter bufo de la obra de forma magistral. Pero, sin lugar a dudas, el cenit de la grabacion lo constituyen McGegan y la Hanover Band, en quienes la partitura de Handel brilla en toda su extension. En pocas palabras una adquisicion indispensable dentro de la discografia handeliana.

1 comments about Berg - Lulu / Migenes · Fassbaender · Adam · Hotter · Maazel.

1. A Lulu to leave you cold: Maazel's conducting is far from the electrifying, and cossets the music far too much. The good cast is not put to use as it should be.

2 comments about Saint Francis of Assisi (Box Set).

1. I didn't hear this actual CD, but the opera itself is transformative and I hate to see that readers might think it is somehow, not so great. Listen, if you dare. JJC



2. No libretto in any language; no English in booklet (rating based solely on this aspect, not the performance: Amazon requires a rating simply to comment)

4 comments about Wagner: Tristan und Isolde.

1. While there are many excellent recordings of Tristan und Isolde available, this has to rank right up there with the best. Chilean bass Ramon Vinay has a rich baritone timbre to his voice, (he started his career as a baritone and finished as one as well), and he brings a maturity and masculinity as well as a level of passion to Tristan that has to be heard to be believed.
   Astrid Varnay is enjoying a bit of a renaissance since last year's issuance by Testament of the Decca Bayreuth live stereo recordings of 1955, and most deservedly so. She has a slight mezzo timbre to her voice, that gives it a richness and warmth lacking in the burnished steel of Birgit Nilsson, another great Isolde. Their duets are simply incandescent.
   Though this recording is in mono, the sound quality is extremely good and well balanced, especially for a live recording. This is an opportunity to hear to fantastic artists at the prime of their careers. Go for it!



2. When recordings of Tristan are mentioned, Astrid Varnay is a name that is mentioned in the great roster of Isoldes who make their careers on the role. However, because her discography is so short in terms of studio recordings, only the select few who search far and wide for her recordings to get to listen to her great reading of this very complex role. Her dark voice is also perfect for the role, the dark timbre seductive, the colours expressive, and the power excellent in contrasting the dynamics Herr Wagner wanted for a great Isolde...and a great one she truly is! Her first act is a combination of frustration, rage, pain, hurt, blinded love, and nobility. Her uttering of the phrase "Er sah mir in die Augen" is unrivaled, even by the Isoldes who have committed their interpretations in the larger labels. In many aspects, she betters her colleagues Martha Mödl and Birgit Nilsson in her projection of the first act Isolde. While Birgit Nilsson had a voice of steel, she hardly projected the love that Isolde felt while huring after Tristan's mockery. Martha Mödl, a thespian of the highest order, was a revelation in the role of Isolde, but she lacked the vocal security of Varnay, an aspect which is very important in perhaps what is the apex of the dramatic soprano repertoire. The second act is where Varnay truly shines in her lucid, languid, almost erotic reading of Isolde. Nilsson and Mödl do not have the requisite warmth which makes Isolde so seductive, and Varnay is a singer who has all the intelligence and the vocal prowess to make her Isolde a femme fatale in the truest sense of the word. Although Isolde does not appear much in the third Act, Varnay what music she has and the closing Liebestod with passion, pathos, and transfiguration...truly one of the few singers to achieve apotheosis in a role made legendary by great singers like Birgit Nilsson, Martha Mödl, Kirsten Flagstad, Helen Traubel, Gertrude Grob-Prandl, Helga Dernesch, and recently, Christine Brewer. This truly is one of the great Isoldes.
   
   But of course, this opera isn't called Tristan und Isolde for the Isolde alone. What makes the opera so difficult to perform are the many long exposed moments where the lead singers dominate through the four to five long hours they are onstage. The other most difficult role in this opera goes to Tristan, naturally, and Varnay is fortunate to have Ramon Vinay as her tenor. Ramon Vinay has a timbre touched with that tinge of baritonal darkness needed for Tristan. Only a few heldentenors today have the voice needed to sing Tristan, one of them being Ben Heppner, and they only had half the voice that some of the greatest Tristans such as Vickers had. Vickers, Melchior, and Windgassen are usually mentioned in history books as the greatest Tristans of all time, but history neglected the work of Ramon Vinay, a Chilean tenor with a sweet, dark voice with carrying power and an erotic timbre to make the role work. He is loving and erotic in Act II, and almost has this sexually-tinted angst in his voice in Act III. Definitely a great by-product of Wieland Wagner's excellent training. Gustav Neidlinger plays his sidekick, Kurwenal, and it is quite interesting to hear what one of the greatest Alberichs in recordings does with this role. He makes a rather sarcastic, intelligent interpretation of the role, and I find it rather endearing to see him in this role. Brangäne is played by Ira Malaniuk, a Bayreuth regular during the Neo-Bayreuth years who played the mezzo roles from Fricka to Waltraute to the Rheintöchters and Norns. A great artist in a role that wouldn't remove the memories of Christa Ludwig or Kerstin Meyer, but an excellent artist nonetheless. Perhaps one the most memorable singers who makes an appearance in this recording is the König Marke of Ludwig Weber. He has the vocal weight, the authority, and the sensitivity to give his monologue the necessary gravitas and the attention-holding pathos to make listeners hear what the King has to say. In short, he is noble, and he isn't boring.
   
   This performance is recorded by Eugene Jochum, known by many collectors as a superior Brucknerian. His long, arching melodies are sustained with the perfect combination of tension and lyricism which make him such a compelling Wagner conductor in the ranks of Knappertsbusch and Kleiber, and while he doesn't have the epic insights of Wilhelm Furtwängler in the score, he certainly pulls it off better than many conductors like Solti and Karajan. A romantic reading of the pentultimate romantic work.
   
   The unmentioned star in this recording, of course, is the producer Wieland Wagner, who played a key role in transforming the greatest Wagnerians of his day into the most magnetic singing artists in the history of German musical theater. Hey was the key figure in transforming Birgit Nilsson's Isolde into something that is truly memorable and bringing the passion and love in Varnay's Brünnhilde and the epicness in Martha Mödl's Kundry. If it weren't for him, Bayreuth would probably not be the historic icon that it is today, and I would say that he is the man who changed the history of Wagnerian theater and production.



3. I was riven with intellectual, as well as erotic longing, during Act III. It dumbfounded me that I could so long for a man who was a creature of imagination conjured by the collaboration of Richard Wagner and Ramon Vinay. The colossal suffering of Tristan, as essayed by Vinay, so moved my womanly heart... Also, Varnay, often eclipsed by Nilsson, was a voluptuous Isolde. She was able to summon the steel for the warrior Brunnhilde, but she was also able to soften into the femininity of Isolde and the Brunnhilde of Gotterdammerung. Her "mezzo"-touched dramatic soprano imbued a warmth and luxury to these roles. In my opinion, this recording ties with the Flagstad/Suthaus recording as the greatest of all Tristan und Isolde 's on record.



4. The only recording available of the great Astrid Varnay as Isolde. Buy it if you are a Wagnerian!

2 comments about Bellini: I Puritani.

1. 
   
   It sometimes makes one wonder if the people who've reviewed a certain item, have ever actually listened to it.
   
   The Callas "vedovi" take it on me simply because I point out the flaws but hey, John Ardoin, a quite serious Callas admirer but knowledgeable enough to hear the problems, called this performance chaotic! I just happen to agree.
   
   Elvira, as heard on the Fonit Cetra and EMI studio recording is one of my favourite Callas roles. She made me sob with her first recording of Qui la voce. In Mexico however apart from some lovely moments, she fails to convince. I've been told that the Mexico performances were under rehearsed and judging from this and her Rigoletto, which is another all-over-the-place performance, I'm sure it's true. Picco in this case is also to blame for his support is far from ideal. Although struggling to lighten the voice throughout the performance, Callas sang many great top notes. The E-flat at the end of an otherwise touching mad scene however turns unruly as if she didn't know what she was doing.
   
   Di Stefano is in fine voice and sings with ardour. His voice in "a te o cara" as on the EMI recording shines. He and Callas however fail to impress in the third act duets, which sound rather routine. The rest of the cast is inadequate and forgettable. Under these circumstances, this is hardly a recommendable Puritani, particularly when the EMI recording with the excellent Serafin has Callas, Di Stefano in better shape with a good supporting cast is available. Sutherland's second studio is still the all-around most recommendable recording for its sound, complete score and outstanding cast while any Devia Elvira will give you probably the most Bellinian singing ever.
   
   In terms of sound by the way, the new archipel release offers probably the best.



2. Callas once performed a true vocal miracle: She sang Wagner's Brünnhilde and Bellini's Elvira in the same week! That's like letting Nilsson do Elvira and Sills Brünnhilde!!!! Impossible? Callas made it possible and conquered the world of opera! This is one of those recordings where Callas was caught in her fullest prime, the time where she was a true assoluta. This word fits no other soprano because neither Sills nor Sutherland nor anyone could do Puritani AND Walküre. She has brilliant moments, INCREDIBLE Ds, Es and more! Glittering coloratura, powerful drama! Not even the most fanatic Callas-basher will find a mistake in her singing here. And this recording also destroys the stupid prejudice that Callas was fine for the drama and not the technique. Her high notes, the burning, exquisite coloratura and the haunting pathos of "Qui la voce sua suave" where she alone brings out the madness, tragedy and the fear of this precious woman rank this as THE "I Puritani". Di Stefano sounds better than on the studio-recording he and Callas did later and is a real opponent for Pavarotti. Picco's conducting is fine, the sound-quality is great for a live-broadcast. The audience adores them. And so will you!

No comments about Coronation of Poppea - L'incoronazione di Poppea.

5 comments about Mozart - Don Giovanni / Mattei, Cachemaille, Remigio, Gens, Padmore, Larsson, Fechner, Oskarsson; Harding.

1. Artistic Quality 8/8 Sound Quality
   
   Whew! This may not be the most perfectly sung Don Giovanni available, but hands down it's the most exciting--more so than the Gardiner, which is more polished, and up there with the old, and somewhat old-fashioned Mitropolous on Sony. The Mahler Chamber Orchestra plays on modern instruments but with period timpani (which add great "thwap" and tension whenever they appear) and period brass (which makes Mozart's score buzz with agitation every time they show up). Twenty-three-year-old conductor Daniel Harding leads a furiously fast reading, with recitatives flying by at conversational speed. Indeed, these busy characters interact in what feels like real time (the recording is taken from a live performance, so there's plenty of dramatic give-and-take, and stage noises rarely get in the way). The final chord of the penultimate scene is held to a point of almost unbearable tension and the final sextet begins immediately on its heels. The effect is stunning.
   
   In Peter Mattei (a Swede of Italian background, I believe) we have a Don as spontaneous and mercurial as we'd like. His light, Hampson-like baritone is agile and beautiful (even more than Hampson's), and vocally at least, he's a smooth actor, capable of both real seduction--in "La ci darem..." and the second act Serenade--and stupendous arrogance. He polishes off "Finch'an del vino" in 70 seconds and never backs down--rhythmically or tonally--even when faced with eternal damnation. The Leporello is Gilles Cachemaille, so superb with Arnold Östman on L'Oiseau-Lyre but even better here, singing with real bite. Mark Padmore's Don Ottavio is very light-voiced, but he focuses the tone right on the text and is very effective nonetheless (although Harding almost drives him crazy in "Il mio tesoro"). Till Fechner's Masetto is outraged but servile and Gudjon Oskarsson's Commendatore has great presence, even without a true booming-bass sound.
   
   The women, aside from Veronique Gens' daring, offended, remarkably well sung Donna Elvira, are more problematic. Carmela Remigio's Donna Anna is nicely conceived and she has all the notes--even for the most challenging parts of "Non mi dir"--but the sound itself has little appeal. Lisa Larson's Zerlina strays from pitch often enough to be irritating. As suggested above, the playing of the orchestra is first rate (though a bit scrambly in very fast passages) and the 12-voice chorus has all the energy needed. I've played this set five times now, and while I keep wishing for more firmness from the two troublesome women (and a bit more heft from our Ottavio), I find this set irresistible.
   
   --Robert Levine



2. I have owned period performances of Don Giouvanni from Gardiner, Mackerras, Ostmann, and Norrington, discarding each one after a few listens. This set under the rising young English conductor Daniel Harding from 1999 is far and away the best, for all the rasons given by other reviewers here: it's dramatically alive, youthful, and fresh.
   
   The hidden little secret about most period conductors like Parrott, Hogwood, Norrington and Gardiner is that they aren't superior musicians (revealed the moment they step before a major non-period orchestra), but Harding has real ideas about Don Giovanni. Leaving aside the faster tempos and lean textures, his reading stands up musically to the best. I am enthusiastic about all the singers (smaller-voiced than usual), who take advantage of the smaller orchestra by sounding relaxed and dramatically alert. They are singing in their comfort zone, which is always a great advantage. The Don of Peter mattei is psychologically sly, nasty, wityt, and insinuating by turns; this singer obviously thrives on stage. In all, a veyr enjoyable surprise for this listener, who is mostly allergic to period practice.



3. Don Giovanni is a player, but he is a successful player. Hearing Peter Mattei sing "Deh vieni," I understand for the first time why so many women would fall for the Don. It is truly a seductive performance.
   
   Another thing I like about this recording is the use of ornamentation. When Mark Padmore comes back to the primary theme of "Dalla sua pace," his caressing of the melody is a treat to the ear. It make me realize how singable Mozart's songs are; the singer can make them his or her own.
   
   Conductor Daniel Harding is trying to shake the rust of centuries-old performance practice off this masterpiece. He achieves this by taking the tempos 10 to 20 percent faster than, say, Giulini. The effect is often enlightening and refreshing but it sometimes doesn't work. The act two finale sounds frenetic and unfocused and I think the dramatic intensity suffers.
   
   For all the speed of the songs proper, the recitatives are strangely halt and start. It sounds like the dialog was done in slide show and I often find myself saying, "Get on with it."
   
   A flawed treasure but a pleasure none the less. You might be better off with the highlights disc.



4. This is a superb recording, taken from an exciting live performance that I would have loved to attend. It's a totally unconventional approach -- superfast tempos, mostly young, up-and-coming performers, and (based on the cover photo) a non-traditional, minimalist staging. Nevertheless, it's a wonderfully musical performance, and none of the interpretive decisions seem to have been made just for the sake of being different. Daniel Harding's conception of the whole is unified, not episodic, and I especially like Peter Mattei's Don Giovanni -- he has both the voice and obvious intelligence needed for the part. Although some others have complained about Veronique Gens' Donna Elvira, I actually liked her best among the three women. Her interpretation is somewhat coolly detached, less "emotional" than others' interpretations of the part, but it's still a valid approach, and very well sung.

   Still, I'm not sure if this is the best choice for one's first purchase of the opera. If you've already got a recording, and want a fresh, new approach, then I say go for it -- get this one. On the other hand, it's so different from other performances that it's hard to tell whether this is going to stand the test of time. To play it safe, I'd go with the "classic" -- the Giulini version on EMI -- or maybe even the Gardiner version on Archiv.




5. I love it. I have most of Don Giovanni's on CD and this new comer is really up to the standard. I still wonder why people think the Giulini Version is the best. There is no best and this one is ranked amongst the best. Daniel Harding fast reading is electrifying and Carmela Remigio donna Anna is heartbreaking

No comments about Giacomo Puccini: Madama Butterfly.