Mozart: Don Giovanni (Salzburg, 1987)

Cast: Samuel Ramey (Giovanni), Anna Tomowa-Sintow (Anna), Julia Varady (Elvira), Kathleen Battle (Zerlina), Ferruccio Furlanetto (Leporello), Gösta Winbergh (Ottavio), Paata Burchuladze (Commendatore), Alexander Malta (Masetto); Vienna Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan (conductor), Michael Hampe (director), Claus Viller (video director)

Recorded at Salzburg in July 1987

Issued on DVD by Sony in 2000 (SVD 46383, NTSC/all regions, menus in English, optional subtitles in English, French and German)

Technical details
Aspect ratio 4:3
Sound Dobly Digital, PCM Stereo

Running time: 193 minutes

Sung in Italian
Don Giovanni was identified by its creators as a 'dramma giocosa'. This performance is solidly, unequivocally 'dramma'; 'giocosa' is all but lost. If that interpretation aligns with your preferences, there may be no finer realization of the opera than this recording.

The staging might be termed sterilized Spain: somewhat abstracted, dark and foreboding sets with neutral costumes. Video would have benefitted from more light, but the production may be lighted as intended. The orchestra is superb and Karajan's approach is fully realized in their work - somehow transparent despite being weighty and deliberate. Ramey is resolute, sonorous and commanding; it would be unkind to fault him for lack of charm in a charmless production. Tomowa-Sintow fulfills the demands of the role but lacks the authority others have brought to it. Varady is more petulant than spiteful but sings admirably. Battle brings warmth and sunshine to chilly, dark Spain; her reading is discordant with the others' but welcome. Furlanetto blusters effectively but Winbergh seems lost in a role he must have sung hundreds of times.

In general, we do not 'review' documentation and other elements of DVD production, but in this case it is necessary. The disc itself is two-sided, preserving all the faults of two-layer and of separate discs with none of their advantages. In addition, it is vulnerable to damage on either side and has essential information (e.g., which side is to be played) only in microtype around the hub. No leaflet is included; only limited data are on the package, which does not specify either format or region. Test found the review copy to be NTSC and all regions, but even those data are not readily available to the typical user. No further information is available at the WWW site, where finding by number requires you to invent a leading '0'.
 
Related website:
Sony Music www.sonymusic.com/dvd/
 
Michael Richter, 19 November 2003
mrichter@cpl.net
 
See also Michael Richter's Introduction to the DVD, for a list of other reviews see the DVD Project page.