Mozart's "Don Giovanni"
Peter
I would be grateful for recommendations, based on personal experience,
for a recording of "Don Giovanni."
I would prefer a "modern" recording with excellent sound, and I am
especially interested in the role of Leporello.
Thank you in advance for your comments.
Alexander Phoon
I enjoy Sir Charles Mackerras on Telarc. Perhaps it is a bit rushed in
spots but the sound quality is pretty good.
Also enjoy Haitink's version on EMI.
Perhaps the best remains the older Guilini set on EMI - despite the age no
problems with the sound quality. I really do think that this ought to be
reissued at mid price by now.
Erik Jan van Sten
There are many good new Don Giovannis, but I don't think there is a
perfect one yet.
Giulini (1959 stereo) still sounds good and remains one of the top
recommendations.
Colin Davis directed one of the all time best also in the beginning of the
seventies (now reissued with Le Nozze and Cosi in a super-bargain box). In
the nineties, I prefer Muti, although the sound is a bit muddy (not too
bad) and you have to like the singers. To have Cheryl Studer as Donna Anna
and William Shimell as the Don clinches it for me...and the death scene is
the best of all, with Muti ingeniously slowly emphasising the rythm.
And, before I forget, in May Deutsche Grammophon will release their new
Don Giovanni, with an unknown Donna Anna, Simon Keenlyside as the Don and
Bryn Terfel as Leporello. Claudio Abbado at the helm. This is worth
waiting for, if Abbado managed to keep the thing running. Sadly, he didn't
do so with his otherwise recommendable Le Nozze.
Regards,
EJ
katr...@aol.com
In article <352DF703...@student.eur.nl>,
Erik Jan van Sten <1274...@student.eur.nl> wrote:
>
> There are many good new Don Giovannis, but I don't think there is a
> perfect one yet.
Agreed...why do you think it's so difficult to get a good all-around
recording (or performance, for that matter) of Don G?
>
I prefer Muti, although the sound is a bit muddy (not too
> bad) and you have to like the singers. To have Cheryl Studer as Donna Anna > and William Shimell as the Don clinches it for me...and the death scene is the best of all, with Muti ingeniously slowly emphasising the rythm.
That's the one with Ramey as Leporello, isn't it? I love that one too...was
trying to remember who else was in the cast besides Shimell before I
recommended it. It's an excellent piece of work.
> And, before I forget, in May Deutsche Grammophon will release their new
> Don Giovanni, with an unknown Donna Anna, Simon Keenlyside as the Don >and Bryn Terfel as Leporello. Claudio Abbado at the helm.
Now THAT sounds interesting, depending on who the women are. Althought the
new Solti Giovanni is something of a mess, IMHO (why is Terfel singing the
Don, for one thing?), Michele Pertusi's Leporello is worth a listen--well
sung, committed, etc., etc.
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Leah Coffin
> I would be grateful for recommendations, based on personal experience,
> for a recording of "Don Giovanni."
>
> I would prefer a "modern" recording with excellent sound, and I am
> especially interested in the role of Leporello.
>
I like the Haitink Glyndebourne recording with Thomas Allen et al. Allen
and the prime donne (Vaness and Ewing) are all excellent, and the
Leporello (Richard Van Allan) is a hoot, drily sarcastic rather than
buffo. The recorded sound is excellent, but there is still an exhilarating
"live" feel to the recording.
--
Leah C.
lco...@brynmawr.edu
"When talking to dogs, sometimes you must bark." -Paul List
Edward A. Cowan
Peter wrote:
>
> I would be grateful for recommendations, based on personal experience,
> for a recording of "Don Giovanni."
>
> I would prefer a "modern" recording with excellent sound, and I am
> especially interested in the role of Leporello.
>
If by "modern" you mean digital, then you're most likely out of luck in your
quest for a good Leporello. If, however, you mean "stereo," then the Giulini
recording on EMI is a very fine choice, with splendid singing in all the roles
(well, Eberhard Wächter in the title-role is controversial -- lacking in
"oomph" (that's a quote!) according to a remark by the late Rita Streich to
me) and featuring a well-sung interpretation of Leporello by Giuseppe Taddei.
That said, however, the greatest recording of _Don Giovanni_ remains, after
more than sixty years, the old Busch/Glyndebourne recording with the
incomparable Leporello of Salvatore Baccaloni. For the time (1936), the
original 78s had astonishing presence. There is a Met broadcast from 1942 with
Alexander Kipnis in the part, and his is a distinguished performance, but not
superior to Baccaloni. (SB, btw., is the only Italian in the Busch cast...) --E.A.C.
Kolya
Erik Jan van Sten wrote:
> There are many good new Don Giovannis, but I don't think there is a
> perfect one yet.
> Giulini (1959 stereo) still sounds good and remains one of the top
> recommendations.
> Colin Davis directed one of the all time best also in the beginning of the
> seventies (now reissued with Le Nozze and Cosi in a super-bargain box).
speaking of these phillips bargain opera boxes (the c. davis berlioz series in
particular)-are these widely available? have never seen the much-advertised
berlioz cycle in any of the local (nyc) chains.alan
na...@alphalink.com.au
In article <352E1E8D...@anet-dfw.com>,
eac...@anet-dfw.com wrote:
>
> Peter wrote:
> >
> > I would be grateful for recommendations, based on personal experience,
> > for a recording of "Don Giovanni."
> >
> > I would prefer a "modern" recording with excellent sound, and I am
> > especially interested in the role of Leporello.
> >
>
> If by "modern" you mean digital, then you're most likely out of luck in your
> quest for a good Leporello. If, however, you mean "stereo," then the Giulini
> recording on EMI is a very fine choice, with splendid singing in all the
roles
> (well, Eberhard Wächter in the title-role is controversial -- lacking in
> "oomph" (that's a quote!) according to a remark by the late Rita Streich to
> me) and featuring a well-sung interpretation of Leporello by Giuseppe
Taddei.
>
> That said, however, the greatest recording of _Don Giovanni_ remains, after
> more than sixty years, the old Busch/Glyndebourne recording with the
> incomparable Leporello of Salvatore Baccaloni. For the time (1936), the
> original 78s had astonishing presence.
I would strongly endorse all the above remarks, and add that Fritz Busch
captures the work's mixture of humour, elan and menace as no other conductor
has done. If you buy the Giulini version, note that it has recently been
reissued with improved sound: look for the issue with the ART ("Abbey Road
Technology", whatever that is) logo on the back.
I still believe, though, that ultimately _Don Giovanni_ is an opera to be seen
as well as heard. There are two currently available video productions
that I find hugely compelling, although they won't be to everyone's liking:
the Schaaf/Haitink Covent Garden production on Legato and the Warner/Kreizberg
Glyndebourne on NVC/Warner. Both productions emphasize the opera's
darker aspects and both feature Leporellos, Claudio Desderi and Steven Page
respectively, who are very striking dramatically if not necessarily vocally.
Naun.
Simon Roberts
na...@alphalink.com.au wrote:
: I would strongly endorse all the above remarks, and add that Fritz Busch
: captures the work's mixture of humour, elan and menace as no other conductor
: has done. If you buy the Giulini version, note that it has recently been
: reissued with improved sound: look for the issue with the ART ("Abbey Road
: Technology", whatever that is) logo on the back.
That's interesting; I thought most of the time it sounded exactly the same
or so subtly different that it was difficult to say which was better. But
there's no question that it's one of the great ones, better conducted than
most and, except for Alva's weak Ottavio, still the best sung of its type
(with perhaps Fricsay running it close in all departments). I should say,
though, that I prefer performances with more incisive sound and quicker
tempi, preferably with greater awareness of appoggiature and such like;
which means I tend to go for the HIP recordings, most likely Norrington's
or Malgoire's -- but the voices in these tend to be a size or two smaller
than what you get elsewhere, and you may not like that. (Since the
original poster wanted something recent, I won't get into mono
recordings.) Among digital non-HIP recordings, I think Haitink's is
lethally dully conducted, though tolerably sung. Muti's has a sort of
all-purpose excitement resulting from a combination of generally fast
tempi and a big orchestra, but the interpretation doesn't seem very
stylish; he could be conducting anything. Frankly, Klemperer's has sound
at least as good as anything digital, and, if you can get used to his
slightly slower than average tempi, you may find his, as I do, extremely
impressive, with its clear textures, strong rhythms and urgent sense of
drama (good singing too, though for reasons I don't quite understand,
Claire Watson tends to get bashed; why critics pick on her when there are
truly awful Annas from Nilsson, Arroyo and others is baffling).
Unfortunately, this is probably out of print.
Simon
The Clark Family
> I would be grateful for recommendations, based on personal experience,
> for a recording of "Don Giovanni."
>
> I would prefer a "modern" recording with excellent sound, and I am
> especially interested in the role of Leporello.
>
A fairly recent Don Giovanni from Nelville Marriner, with a wonderful
Donna Anna from Sweet, as well as a great Leporello can be found, but is
becoming more elusive. Gardiner's is almost a sure bet.
-Graham Clark
JJ
In article <6gmqk7$idi$1...@netnews.upenn.edu>, si...@dept.english.upenn.edu
(Simon Roberts) wrote:
Frankly, Klemperer's has sound
> at least as good as anything digital, and, if you can get used to his
> slightly slower than average tempi, you may find his, as I do, extremely
> impressive, with its clear textures, strong rhythms and urgent sense of
> drama (good singing too, though for reasons I don't quite understand,
> Claire Watson tends to get bashed; why critics pick on her when there are
> truly awful Annas from Nilsson, Arroyo and others is baffling).
> Unfortunately, this is probably out of print.
>
> Simon
I agree with the recommendation for Klemperer (and for Fricsay with
Jurinac in stunning voice as Donna Anna), but these both are indeed out of
print. I therefore think the Giulini is the best bet, though the Karajan
with Ramey/Baltsa/Tomowa-Sintow is quite good too. But for a really good
deal get the Giulini RAI performance from 1971, now available on the Opera
D'Oro label for around $15. The cast includes Ghiaurov as Don Giovanni,
Jurinac as Donna Elvira, Janowitz as Donna Anna, Alfredo Kraus as Don
Ottavio, and Bruscantini as Leperello. It's well conducted and superbly
sung, and at the price, a true bargain.
Jon
Kolya
JJ wrote:
> In article <6gmqk7$idi$1...@netnews.upenn.edu>, si...@dept.english.upenn.edu
> (Simon Roberts) wrote:
>
> Frankly, Klemperer's has sound
> > at least as good as anything digital, and, if you can get used to his
> > slightly slower than average tempi, you may find his, as I do, extremely
> > impressive, with its clear textures, strong rhythms and urgent sense of
> > drama (good singing too, though for reasons I don't quite understand,
> > Claire Watson tends to get bashed; why critics pick on her when there are
> > truly awful Annas from Nilsson, Arroyo and others is baffling).
> > Unfortunately, this is probably out of print.
> >
> > Simon
>
> I agree with the recommendation for Klemperer (and for Fricsay with
> Jurinac in stunning voice as Donna Anna), but these both are indeed out of
> print. I therefore think the Giulini is the best bet, though the Karajan
> with Ramey/Baltsa/Tomowa-Sintow is quite good too.
thank you. if you can ignore karajan at his most wilfull, the singing on this
set is an unalloyed pleasure. burchuladze's commendatore is a good reminder of
a huge, black-voiced bass who never lived up to his advanced hype.
furlanetto's lep. (not a favorite basso of mine) is his most satisfactory
recorded performance imo (contrast this to his own crack at the don on the
disappointing baremboim...let alone his travesty of a phillip in levine's don
carlos).the women are well contrasted and deliver the vocal goods (some will
not accept a mezzo elvira, but baltsa is here in full command and the role
suits her temperament). ramey is outstanding. this set rarely make's anyone's
top three, but i would suspect this has much to do with karajan.
alan
Povl Aage
Can anyone recommend a good WWW site for ordering opera CD's (this Don
Giovanni recording in particular) from America?
JJ wrote in message ...
>I agree with the recommendation for Klemperer (and for Fricsay with
>Jurinac in stunning voice as Donna Anna), but these both are indeed out of
>print. I therefore think the Giulini is the best bet, though the Karajan
>with Ramey/Baltsa/Tomowa-Sintow is quite good too. But for a really good
JJ
In article <6goru7$qi4$1...@news.ox.ac.uk>, "Povl Aage"
<Povl...@linacre.ox.ac.uk> wrote:
The performance is available on a number of labels besides Opera D'Oro,
including Cetra. Try www.cdworld.com, www.cdnow.com, www.cduniverse.com,
www.towerrecords.com -- one of them should have it.
Man F Wong
I have a somewhat tangential question. Has anyone seen a DVD of the opera
that was supposedly released sometime last month? I believe I saw an
announcement for the release at some DVD webstore and recall some comments
on it in the DVD ng. Can someone comment on it w/ more info, confirmation
of release and/or a personal review?
TIA.
Regards,
_Man_
--
To reply via email, just remove **NOSPAM** from my address.
Matthew B. Tepper
In article <01bd65b8$749bd740$b9589cd1@home-computer>,
mandn.**NOSPAM**wo...@prodigy.net spake unto the unwashed masses:
>
>I have a somewhat tangential question. Has anyone seen a DVD of the
>opera that was supposedly released sometime last month?
They have it at Tower Records Classical Annex on Sunset Boulevard in
West Hollywood.
--
Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!
My personal home page -- http://www.deltanet.com/~ducky/index.htm
My main music page --- http://www.deltanet.com/~ducky/berlioz.htm
And my science fiction club's home page --- http://www.lasfs.org/
To write to me, do for my address what Androcles did for the lion
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Simon Roberts
Man F Wong (mandn.**NOSPAM**wo...@prodigy.net) wrote:
: I have a somewhat tangential question. Has anyone seen a DVD of the opera
: that was supposedly released sometime last month? I believe I saw an
: announcement for the release at some DVD webstore and recall some comments
: on it in the DVD ng. Can someone comment on it w/ more info, confirmation
: of release and/or a personal review?
It's not in stores yet; the only opera DVD I've seen for sale so far is
Muti's William Tell (what an odd way to start).
Simon
Simon Roberts
eltanet.com>Distribution:
Matthew B. Tepper (ducky兀deltanet.com) wrote:
: In article <01bd65b8$749bd740$b9589cd1@home-computer>,
: mandn.**NOSPAM**wo...@prodigy.net spake unto the unwashed masses:
: >
: >I have a somewhat tangential question. Has anyone seen a DVD of the
: >opera that was supposedly released sometime last month?
: They have it at Tower Records Classical Annex on Sunset Boulevard in
: West Hollywood.
So ignore my message....
Simon
G.P. Kalogiannis
its the DVD of the Awarded film "Don Giovanni" and not of an opera
Simon Roberts wrote in message <6gpc4v$gbl$9...@netnews.upenn.edu>...
>Man F Wong (mandn.**NOSPAM**wo...@prodigy.net) wrote:
>: I have a somewhat tangential question. Has anyone seen a DVD of the
opera
Jeffrey Friedman
In article <6grbv9$33...@athserv.otenet.gr>,
"G.P. Kalogiannis" <xtr...@hotmail.com> wrote:
At the 5th Ave NY HMV they have the DVD releases of both William Tell AND
a La Scala Don Giovanni.
Erik Jan van Sten
Uhhmm..sorry...wrong thread...
EJ
Erik Jan van Sten wrote:
> A bit off-topic perhaps, but the greatest recording of Sibelius' Fourth
> for me is Levine's dramatic performance with the Berliner (DG). I'm
> curious as to what others have to say about it.
>
> EJ
Erik Jan van Sten
Arnie Cohen
Has anybody heard the Norrington version?
Any opinions?
Kolya wrote:
> JJ wrote:
>
> > In article <6gmqk7$idi$1...@netnews.upenn.edu>, si...@dept.english.upenn.edu
> > (Simon Roberts) wrote:
> >
> > Frankly, Klemperer's has sound
> > > at least as good as anything digital, and, if you can get used to his
> > > slightly slower than average tempi, you may find his, as I do, extremely
> > > impressive, with its clear textures, strong rhythms and urgent sense of
> > > drama (good singing too, though for reasons I don't quite understand,
> > > Claire Watson tends to get bashed; why critics pick on her when there are
> > > truly awful Annas from Nilsson, Arroyo and others is baffling).
> > > Unfortunately, this is probably out of print.
> > >
> > > Simon
> >
> > I agree with the recommendation for Klemperer (and for Fricsay with
> > Jurinac in stunning voice as Donna Anna), but these both are indeed out of
> > print. I therefore think the Giulini is the best bet, though the Karajan
> > with Ramey/Baltsa/Tomowa-Sintow is quite good too.
>
> thank you. if you can ignore karajan at his most wilfull, the singing on this
> set is an unalloyed pleasure. burchuladze's commendatore is a good reminder of
> a huge, black-voiced bass who never lived up to his advanced hype.
> furlanetto's lep. (not a favorite basso of mine) is his most satisfactory
> recorded performance imo (contrast this to his own crack at the don on the
> disappointing baremboim...let alone his travesty of a phillip in levine's don
> carlos).the women are well contrasted and deliver the vocal goods (some will
> not accept a mezzo elvira, but baltsa is here in full command and the role
> suits her temperament). ramey is outstanding. this set rarely make's anyone's
> top three, but i would suspect this has much to do with karajan.
> alan
>
Simon Roberts
Arnie Cohen (CEL...@email.mot.com) wrote:
: Has anybody heard the Norrington version?
: Any opinions?
I thought I mentioned it; anyway, it's probably the best conducted of the
HIP versions (though I would prefer a slightly more immediate recording to
bring out the tang of his instruments more) and very well sung if you're
into lighter than usual voices in this music (I am; this is one of my
favorite performances). There's a significant practical problem with it
though (depending on your machinery and how you like to listen); like one
or two others they allow you to listen to both the Vienna and Prague
versions, but EMI's witless solution entails that individual numbers are
not tracked separately but may only be reached via the index feature,
which not many CD players seem to have.
Simon
Mark K. Ehlert
Simon Roberts wrote:
I own two HIP "Giovanni"'s, the Norrington and the Ostman/Drottingholm
(on L'Oiseau Lyre, probably out of print now). Although I like both
performances, I prefer the Ostman a little more because of the
characterizations (i.e., "acting"). Whoever plays the Don also does
a very good Leporello impression.
I agree too with your assessment about the tracking features. The Ostman
recording puts the Viennese cuts on the third CD on separate tracks. If
you've
got a multi-CD player you can program back and forth between the first two
discs and the third to get the later version of the opera.
I haven't heard the Gardiner yet.
--
Mark K. Ehlert
To reply personally, please remove NO_SPAM from my address...
This post is Spam Protected (tm)
Peter Huang
> Man F Wong (mandn.**NOSPAM**wo...@prodigy.net) wrote:
> : I have a somewhat tangential question. Has anyone seen a DVD of the opera
> : that was supposedly released sometime last month? I believe I saw an
> : announcement for the release at some DVD webstore and recall some comments
> : on it in the DVD ng. Can someone comment on it w/ more info, confirmation
> : of release and/or a personal review?
>
> It's not in stores yet; the only opera DVD I've seen for sale so far is
> Muti's William Tell (what an odd way to start).
>
>
Cosi Fan Tutte is to be released later this month
--
Peter Huang
Amherst, NY
Please reply by email.
Andrew Stedman
Simon Roberts (si...@dept.english.upenn.edu) wrote:
: Arnie Cohen (CEL...@email.mot.com) wrote:
: : Has anybody heard the Norrington version?
: : Any opinions?
: I thought I mentioned it; anyway, it's probably the best conducted of the
: HIP versions (though I would prefer a slightly more immediate recording to
: bring out the tang of his instruments more) and very well sung if you're
: into lighter than usual voices in this music (I am; this is one of my
: favorite performances). There's a significant practical problem with it
I agree with Simon in that I think the Norrington version is very well
conducted; the orchestral sound is both clear and powerful, and the
playing is zesty. Occasionally Norrington is too inflexible with his
tempi, however; he generally sets fast speeds, which work wonderfully, but
he sometimes refuses to ease up (even ever so slightly) when it could
benefit the drama. Oestman is better in this respect, though the
orchestral playing is not so imaginative and the violins often sound
underpowered and thin.
Both versions use singers that are lighter than usual, but this is as it
should be for Mozart: unfortunately, neither performance goes far enough
in an attempt to capture the style of singing probably prevalent in
Mozart's day (for example, neither performance has the singers adding the
numerous obligatory appogiaturas now believed to proper practice for this
music, and many of the singers use too much vibrato too consistently); and
hybrid performances are the result, with rather 'HIP' orchestral support
but only semi-HIP singing.
The quality of the singing weighs heavily in Oestman's favour: Don
Giovanni and Leporello are delightful and extremely characterful,
especially when they engage in comic repartee in loud whispers. Zerlina
and Masetto are also superb: Zerlina has a wide range of vocal colour
ranging from innocent to knowing to erotic; Masetto is extrovert,
volatile, and resonantly sung. Donna Anna and Don Ottavio probably do not
sing with enough passion, though their voices are beautiful. Donna Elvira
is expressive and vulnerable-sounding though occasionally warbly. The
Commendatore is good: firm and assertive.
Norrington's cast has serious problems: Donna Anna has a beautiful tone
in her middle register and she is certainly passionate; but her
performance is marred by an excreble, shrill vibrato in her upper
register: not only is this inappropriate for Mozart; it is ugly. Don
Ottavio is also a disappointment; he relentlessly uses too much vibrato
(witness the ugly sustained notes in Dalla sua pace) and gives an
automatic-pilot performance for the most part; he is very fluent in runs,
however. Donna Elvira disappoints as well; normally I like Lynne Dawson's
voice, but hear she has a strange, extremely fluttery vibrato that sounds
unnatural to her voice, almost as if it were artificially imposed; many
times it sounds as if she is about to lose control of her voice; she
sings expressively, though, with more fire than Oestman's Elvira. Don
Giovanni, Zerlina, and Masetto are good, though not excellent; their
interpretations are sometimes bland. The Commendatore is very good.
Only the Leporello is excellent; he sings with a lot of wit and character,
though he does not surpass Oestman's Leporello.
Based on my opinnions, I have chosen the Oestman performance as my
favourite. Although the orchestral playing often lacks imagination and
power, the singing is so much better overall than in the Norrington, large
parts of which I find painful to listen to.
I hope I've provided enough information as to be useful, but not so much
as to be boring!
Andrew
Matthew Silverstein
Andrew Stedman wrote in message
<6h1gf2$3ko$1...@testinfo.cs.uoguelph.ca>...
>Based on my opinnions, I have chosen the Oestman performance as
my
>favourite. Although the orchestral playing often lacks
imagination and
>power, the singing is so much better overall than in the
Norrington, large
>parts of which I find painful to listen to.
What do you think of Gardiner's recording?
Matty Silverstein
Andrew Stedman
Matthew Silverstein (mesi...@unix.amherst.edu) wrote:
: Andrew Stedman wrote in message
: <6h1gf2$3ko$1...@testinfo.cs.uoguelph.ca>...
: >Based on my opinions, I have chosen the Oestman performance as my
: >favourite. Although the orchestral playing often lacks imagination and
: >power, the singing is so much better overall than in the Norrington, large
: >parts of which I find painful to listen to.
: What do you think of Gardiner's recording?
I hate to seem so discontented, but I found this issue really
disappointing; I don't think it meets the high standards of some of
Gardiner's other Mozart opera recordings (e.g., Le Nozze di Figaro and Die
Zauberfloete). Initially off-putting was the sound quality: the sound is
less clear than in most of Gardiner's other Archiv recordings and the
voices are less forwardly balanced than usual. If the recording had been
clearer, I would have welcomed this balance, because it placed the singers
in a more realistic perspective; but with the recording as it is, it made
the singers a bit difficult to hear distinctly, and I frequently found
myself straining to hear detail. I tried this recording on a variety of
not-too-expensive stereos, with similar results each time; of course, the
sound may be better on high-end equipment.
I was not too fond of Gardiner's cast, either. Be aware, though, that I
very much prefer quiet, pure voices and am much more interested in beauty
of tone and agility than in power; I tend to dislike voices with more than
a little vibrato: all these preferences (or prejudices!) colour my
opinion of singers. If your priorities in singing are different than
mine, you may very well like Gardiner's cast; a Gramophone reviewer and
the editors of the Penguin Guide approved of it.
To my mind, the worst cast members were Zerlina and Donna Elvira. I was
particularly repulsed by Zerlina: I think this role should be sung by
someone with a particularly youthful, girlish voice and a lively,
expressive manner of singing; the Zerlina on this recording, however,
sounded too old, too wobbly, and expressively monochromatic. So often I
wanted her to stop singing how she probably imagines an opera singer
"should" sound, and instead caress the line; Zerlina shouldn't be afraid
to be winsome and tender--Oestman's Barbara Bonney is wonderful in this
role. Gardiner's Donna Elvira also annoyed me with her wobbles and her
rather boring tone (which is simply a matter of taste). Her "Mi tradi"
is sung in a half-whisper throughout, which I think is an interesting
idea but not too successful; the result is far from beautiful because the
beginning of nearly every word is loud and sibilant, quickly decaying to
near-inaudibility: it quickly sounds disjointed.
The other singers are somewhat better. Masetto made nearly no impression
on me; his performance is inoffensive but uninteresting. Don Ottavio has
an interesting, distinctive timbre, and he sings expressively, but he
sounds rushed in the runs of Il mio tesoro. Donna Anna is very agile--she
performs the rapid section of Non mi dir impressively and precisely,
without slowing down as many other sopranos do--but I wasn't fond of her
timbre, which at times reminded me of Cecilia Bartoli, whom I often find
heavy and sour (I am quite certain that I am in the minority in thinking
this!); she also used portamento a bit too much for my taste.
The Don Giovanni and Leporello made for an unusual pair. The Don's voice
struck me as rich and aristocratic, wholly appopriate for the role; at
times he sounded quite seductive, but I found him curiously uninvolved
when the Commendatore arrived for dinner. I think the singer of Leporello
would have done better as the Don. He had a dark, pure voice, and a
serious manner of singing which seemed at odds with Leporello's buffo
music; he was an introverted, urbane, straightforward Leporello rather
than the extroverted character I'm used to. The Commendatore was well
sung; unfortunately, his voice was modified somehow for the duration of
the dinner scene: it sounded as if he were singing into a can or at the
back of an adjacent cave; as a result, the words here projected even more
poorly than elsewhere in this recording, which I thought detracted greatly
from the drama in this crucial scene.
Gardiner's conducting is as extrovert as usual; it doesn't sound as vivid
as it could, though, because of the recording: Norrington's sound is
better. Gardiner's pacing is apt. I didn't notice any audience noise,
though this is a live recording. The amount of stage creaking in the
arias (and thumping in the recitatives!) is sometimes distracting,
however.
I still prefer Oestman, though I wish his orchestral playing were at the
level of Norrington's or Gardiner's.
I hope this has been of some help!
Andrew
Sanjeev Ranade
Ok, speaking of Don Giovanni, I just received Guilini's performance on
Opera d'oro and for 11.50 it was an amazing deal. Anyway, the only
problem is that it does not come with the words. This is basically my
second opera that I have bought. The first is Klemperer's Magic Flute.
That one came with words, in German and English. Well, does any one know
where maybe on the internet I can find a place where I can get the words
to Don Giovanni? Thanks.
Sanjeev
Simon Roberts
6h053k$l4c$1...@netnews.upenn.edu> <6h1gf2$3ko$1...@testinfo.cs.uoguelph.ca>
<3534e...@amhnt2.amherst.edu>
<6h47s1$edq$1...@testinfo.uoguelph.ca>Distribution:
Andrew Stedman (aste...@uoguelph.ca) wrote:
: Matthew Silverstein (mesi...@unix.amherst.edu) wrote:
: : What do you think of Gardiner's recording?
: I hate to seem so discontented, but I found this issue really
: disappointing; I don't think it meets the high standards of some of
: Gardiner's other Mozart opera recordings (e.g., Le Nozze di Figaro and Die
: Zauberfloete). Initially off-putting was the sound quality: the sound is
: less clear than in most of Gardiner's other Archiv recordings and the
: voices are less forwardly balanced than usual. If the recording had been
: clearer, I would have welcomed this balance, because it placed the singers
: in a more realistic perspective; but with the recording as it is, it made
: the singers a bit difficult to hear distinctly, and I frequently found
: myself straining to hear detail. I tried this recording on a variety of
: not-too-expensive stereos, with similar results each time; of course, the
: sound may be better on high-end equipment.
[snip]
I actually this has better sound than many in Gardiner's series (Idomeneo
is the worst; the orchestra seems almost subdued even though its playing
doesn't seem to be), though that may merely reflect my preference for a
forward orchestral balance in opera recordings (especially if the composer
is capable, as here of course, of interesting orchestral writing). As for
your complaints about the singing, there was a time when I wanted the sort
of singing you evidently do and was satisfied by nothing less, at least in
HIP recordings; and I suppose I still do; but as the HIP movement settles
into its mainstream rut, that seems ever more unlikely, so I try to like
the alternatives. Sometimes we get singers who seem suitable, at others
we get generically good singers, but at others we also get singers who
just aren't very good by any standards, HIP or otherwise; we even get
entire recordings that I can enjoy without worrying about vocal flaws,
such as Christie's Zauberfloete (it doesn't merely lack flaws; Mannion's
"Ach ich fuehl's" is perhaps the best I've ever heard) and several
Figaros. But not Don Giovanni, which seems cursed: in pre-HIP days
there wasn't one recording that didn't have at least one serious casting
problem (even Giulini's, by general reckoning the best sung overall, has
Alva), some more than that (Boehm/DG a notable problem), and the same is
true now. I wonder if this situation will ever change....
Simon
Andrew Stedman
Simon Roberts (si...@dept.english.upenn.edu) wrote:
: 6h053k$l4c$1...@netnews.upenn.edu> <6h1gf2$3ko$1...@testinfo.cs.uoguelph.ca>
: <3534e...@amhnt2.amherst.edu>
: <6h47s1$edq$1...@testinfo.uoguelph.ca>Distribution:
: Andrew Stedman (aste...@uoguelph.ca) wrote:
: : Matthew Silverstein (mesi...@unix.amherst.edu) wrote:
: : : What do you think of Gardiner's recording?
: : I hate to seem so discontented, but I found this issue really
: : disappointing; I don't think it meets the high standards of some of
: : Gardiner's other Mozart opera recordings (e.g., Le Nozze di Figaro and Die
: : Zauberfloete). Initially off-putting was the sound quality: the sound is
: : less clear than in most of Gardiner's other Archiv recordings and the
: : voices are less forwardly balanced than usual. If the recording had been
: : clearer, I would have welcomed this balance, because it placed the singers
: : in a more realistic perspective; but with the recording as it is, it made
: : the singers a bit difficult to hear distinctly, and I frequently found
: : myself straining to hear detail. I tried this recording on a variety of
: : not-too-expensive stereos, with similar results each time; of course, the
: : sound may be better on high-end equipment.
: [snip]
: I actually this has better sound than many in Gardiner's series (Idomeneo
: is the worst; the orchestra seems almost subdued even though its playing
: doesn't seem to be), though that may merely reflect my preference for a
: forward orchestral balance in opera recordings (especially if the composer
: is capable, as here of course, of interesting orchestral writing).
I certainly agree with you that a forward orchestral balance is nice in
principle (I am frequently frustrated by the lack thereof in concerto
recordings, for example--the forward orchestral balance is one of the
nicest things about the Bilson/Gardiner cycle of Mozart piano concertos),
but for the reasons I outlined in my previous post, it just didn't work
for me here. I haven't heard Gardiner's Idomeneo in years, so I don't
remember the recording quality. I do think, though, that Gardiner's Le
Nozze di Figaro and Die Zauberfloete are somewhat better recorded than Don
Giovanni (in terms of clarity if not balance).
: As for
: your complaints about the singing, there was a time when I wanted the sort
: of singing you evidently do and was satisfied by nothing less, at least in
: HIP recordings; and I suppose I still do; but as the HIP movement settles
: into its mainstream rut, that seems ever more unlikely, so I try to like
: the alternatives.
It is so unfortunate, though, and even hypocritical, especially after all
the polemics that we have heard (especially in the notes to earlier period
recordings) about period performance being the "right" way to perform this
music, because it reflects the sounds the composers would have intended.
Surely the singing is the most important of this sound in the case of a
vocal work. So what gives? Is HIP (beyond the scope of purely
instrumental works) a crock?
: Sometimes we get singers who seem suitable, at others
: we get generically good singers, but at others we also get singers who
: just aren't very good by any standards, HIP or otherwise; we even get
: entire recordings that I can enjoy without worrying about vocal flaws,
: such as Christie's Zauberfloete (it doesn't merely lack flaws; Mannion's
: "Ach ich fuehl's" is perhaps the best I've ever heard) and several
: Figaros.
I wish I could be so pleased with Christie's Die Zauberfloete as you are!
A friend of mine, while listening to my recording, recently commented that
Dessay (in "Der Hoelle Rache") had a vibrato you could drive a truck
through, and I really can't disagree; the Drei Damen and Papagena are also
too vibrato-y for comfort and for what historical evidence suggests
singers of the time were to expected to sound like (and so, strictly
speaking, their singing is not so HIP). My problem is that I don't like
marked vibrato; it sounds unmusical to me--I avoided classical singing
completely, listening only to instrumental pieces, until I heard Emma
Kirkby, whose voice encouraged me to explore further (though I haven't
enjoyed some of her recent singing). I doubt I will ever listen
appreciatively to Verdi, Puccini, or Richard. The style has shifted in
the direction of frequent, wide vibrato; and almost no conductors or
singers have the tenacity to challenge this, unless they are performing
music far from the mainstream.
The people involved in the early days of HIP movement used to be
iconoclasts, but now they are middle-aged and mostly complacent; they
haven't finished their task, but now that they are successful, I wonder
if they care?
But not Don Giovanni, which seems cursed: in pre-HIP days
: there wasn't one recording that didn't have at least one serious casting
: problem (even Giulini's, by general reckoning the best sung overall, has
: Alva), some more than that (Boehm/DG a notable problem), and the same is
: true now. I wonder if this situation will ever change....
I hope so, but we might have some time to wait. Thanks for your
response; I find it interesting to discuss this. If anyone wishes to
continue to talk about this and related subjects in this forum or by
e-mail, please feel free to write.
Andrew
luis-m...@telecom.pt
In article <3536294E...@mnsinc.com>,
Try the following URLs:
http://php.indiana.edu/~lneff/liblist.html
http://rick.stanford.edu/opera/Mozart/DonGiovanni/main.html
Luis
Piotr Kaminski
Simon Roberts a écrit:
> Don Giovanni [...] seems cursed: in pre-HIP days
> there wasn't one recording that didn't have at least one serious casting
> problem (even Giulini's, by general reckoning the best sung overall, has
> Alva), some more than that (Boehm/DG a notable problem), and the same is
> true now. I wonder if this situation will ever change....
I try to resist the pleasure of a detailed reaction (for me the flaw in the
Giulini isn't Alva, but Waechter : hysterical, un-sexy ranting), because the
problem is exactly as serious as you say : having heard almost all of the
recorded Giovannis studio or live, I had to conclude that no other opera has
suffered from such incredible casting mistakes. The Böhm One is a case in point
: in what other opera would you cast Isolde, Aida and Stravinsky's Nightingale?
Nilsson, and Arroyo, and Grist - and Schreier, and Flagello? These people should
never have met in any cast (only in pairs : Arroyo/Flagello, Nilsson/Schreier in
other repertoires). There is no stylistic link between all of them, they come
from different worlds. Donna Anna might be the most unhappy casting 'locus' of
all : think that none of the greatest Annas have been recorded officially
(Steber, Janowitz), whereas some have been recorded as Elviras (L. Price, Della
Casa). While we have Nilsson TWICE, Arroyo TWICE (as A and as E), let alone such
curiosities as Schech, Zadek, Watson (she's OK, but why should she be recorded
for eternity?), Sgourda, and so on. With Fricsay, you have one of the greatest
Elviras singing Anna (strained, to high) and a maybe-possible Anna singing
Elvira (forget about Kaspar singing Leporello). Think of the lost Annas (and
Elviras) of the eighties (Marshall, Kenny), and of today (why Murray with Solti,
and not Joan Rodgers who sang the series?) And then, of course, you have all the
'intellectual' Don Giovannis who have read Freud, but haven't looked well into
the score to see... that there was nothing to be seen. The basic problem is
stylistic homogeneity : I'm waiting for the day when all the eight (Italians, if
possible...) shall sing the same opera, not some post-wagnero-schopenhauerian
Sauerkraut, or late-baroque-macrobiotic, but an Italian buffa from the
Pergolesi/Rossini line, where all the greatness and profoundness grows naturally
from this idiom as an extra, and isn't imposed from the outside. Isn't it what
HIP is all about?
PK
Sanjeev Ranade
Thank you very much.
Sanjeev
Simon Roberts
Andrew Stedman (aste...@uoguelph.ca) wrote:
[snip]
: It is so unfortunate, though, and even hypocritical, especially after all
: the polemics that we have heard (especially in the notes to earlier period
: recordings) about period performance being the "right" way to perform this
: music, because it reflects the sounds the composers would have intended.
: Surely the singing is the most important of this sound in the case of a
: vocal work. So what gives? Is HIP (beyond the scope of purely
: instrumental works) a crock?
I don't think it's necessary to get into composers' intent to be
dissatisfied (I don't know about you, but I would continue to prefer
singers with little vibrato even if it could be proven that Mozart liked
vibrato that flaps in the wind; I just don't like it; it sounds unmusical
and slovenly to me); I don't get the point of having instrumentalists
learn new ways of phrasing, new tonal production, and new (extremely
limited) use of vibrato if no-one else taking part is going to bother. Is
there any good historical reason to suppose that singers went one way
stylistically, instrumentalists another, at the same time in the same
performance? And why, when every Mozart pianist of any stylistic
competence in the last 30 years, HIP or otherwise, knows he should
embellish his parts (too bad they usually only do so in slow movements,
but it's a start) do so few singers do so? Worse, too often they aren't
even induced to sing appoggiaturas or, when they do so, are inconsistent
about it. (Oddly enough, from this point of view the best Mozart opera
recording may still be Davis's first Idomeneo, where every conceivable
appoggiatura is added, including some inverted ones.)
: The people involved in the early days of HIP movement used to be
: iconoclasts, but now they are middle-aged and mostly complacent; they
: haven't finished their task, but now that they are successful, I wonder
: if they care?
Yes; but there are some out there who still seem to maintain the radical,
pioneering spirit; too bad there aren't more singers among their number.
I'm pleased to be able to report, though, that a HIP concert in New York a
few years ago included hands down the most beautiful (in the senses meant
here) soprano singing I have ever heard: Brueggen conducted Cyndia Sieden
in a couple of concert arias, including the almost impossible Vorrei
spiegarvi: technically flawless, tonal perfection (to my taste, anyway),
barely any vibrato. I wish I had a tape of the event; her Queen of the
Night for Gardiner isn't as good (but it's not really music for her kind
of voice anyway, I should think).
Simon
David
Sanjeev Ranade asked:
> [D]oes any one know
> where maybe on the internet I can find a place where I can get the > words
> to Don Giovanni? Thanks.
Two places where you can probably find an inexpensive libretto (libretto
or little book is the term for the text of an opera) for Don Giovanni
are Padelson's Book Store in NYC and the Metropolitan Opera Gift Shop.
I am not sure that either of these venues has a web page, although they
might. If not, call the operator, ask for a phone number, and order by
credit card over the phone. If you have access to a library, there are
compilations of librettos published. Even if your local library doesn't
have a libretto to Don Giovanni, a librarian in the library should be
able to help you get one through inter-library loan.
It is precisely because there are collectors like you who are relatively
new to opera, classical vocal music, etc. that the record companies
should ALWAYS include texts with vocal recordings.
Feel free to e-mail me if you can't find a libretto for Don Giovanni.
-david gable
Sanjeev Ranade
Thanks, yeah I did find a place that some one pointed out to me. It
gives only the Itallian, but hey I'm not that picky. It's hard to
understand what they're talking about even with the words sometimes, and
it's murder trying to understand it w/o the words at all.
But I would imagine that giving the libretto to the opera costs
more, not only b/c you need a lot of pages in the booklet, but also you
need some one to do it.
Thanks anyway,
Sanjeev
David
Sanjeev,
You should be able to track down an Italian-English libretto of Don
Giovanni fairly easily.
-david g