Staged rather conservatively in the small Theater an der Wien and filmed for Austrian television, this 1999 Vienna production of Mozart's masterpiece isn't the first outing on DVD conducted by Riccardo Muti, as it closely follows his La Scala performance--from more than a decade earlier (see VL-11/04)--in emphasizing the drama over the comedy in the work. A defensible interpretation of the Don Juan-tale of a rake who gets his just desserts, Muti here again favors fast tempi and sharp accents that sometimes unduly challenge the singers. Presented in LPCM stereo, the recording is solid though hardly state-of-the-art, with some stage noise. However, what mostly detracts from one's full enjoyment is the strange costuming, which “ages” chronologically from 16th-century garb all the way to 19th-century fashion as the opera progresses (perhaps the idea was to universalize the story, but Mozart and his librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte had already done this over 200 years ago). The Vienna State Opera Orchestra proves to be up to the conductor's demands, and while the relatively young and unknown cast may not have the name recognition of Muti's 1987 ensemble, they're all more than acceptable and occasionally remarkable (Michael Schade, for example, makes an outstanding Ottavio, tossing off his two famous arias with a clear, slightly nasal tone that's quite beautiful). Recommended. [Note: the 1977 Glyndebourne Festival Opera version of Don Giovanni, featuring Benjamin Luxon, is also newly available, priced at $19.99.] Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
Don Giovanni
(1999) 173 min. In Italian w/English subtitles. DVD: $24.99 (booklet included). TDK (dist. by Naxos of America). Color cover. Volume 20, Issue 5
Don Giovanni
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