Mozart - Don Giovanni / Furtwangler | Otto Edelmann, Elisabeth Grümmer

Mozart - Don Giovanni / Furtwangler | Otto Edelmann, Elisabeth Grümmer | good better best

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Mozart - Don Giova...

	Mozart - Don Giovanni / Furtwangler Otto Edelmann, Elisabeth Grümmer Deutsche Grammophon, 2001 average customer review:based on 30 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A stunning Don

It is many years since I first saw this as a film in a theatre and my memories of it were such that I was almost scared to play it again on DVD lest it not live up to the memory. I needn't have worried - the intervening years and seeing several wonderful live productions have taken none of the lustre off this very special offering.
Almost unashamedly filmed as a live performance on a set that allows the action to move easily through the many scene changes effectively, the camera moves from panoramic into close but never closeup. The result is totally satisfying and one can only wonder why other opera films since have not followed this principle because it delivers a perspective that entirely stands on its own (and minimises anomalies).
In the title role, Cesare Siepi is mesmerising. Recognised as one of the greatest Don's ever, one can easily see why. Vocally completely in charge of the role he moves with such incredible grace it is hard to take one's eyes off him. The gestures and facial expressions seem to capture every nuance, giving "the supreme cad" a certain "charm" one seldom sees in lesser performances.

Elisabeth Grummer as Donna Anna & Erna Berger as Zerlina are two ladies whose careers were regrettably, negatively impacted by WW2. Both were performers of great distinction and it is a joy to see how competent they really were. Ms Berger was over 50 at the time this was filmed but the sensible camera placing combined with her coquettish (not overdone) approach to the role overcomes the obvious and easily allows the suspension of belief so often necessary in opera.

Lisa Della Casa as Donna Elvira is another performer of yesteryear whose performances have become somewhat legend (and too few recordings). Known for her beauty as much as her voice- it is great to have her permanent record of a Donna Elvira that is more studied and less frantic than many. Walter Berry is a competent Masetto and Anton Dermota as Don Ottavio, delivers a darker richer toned sound that is always totally secure.

Otto Edelmann as Leporello is a delight bringing great character to the role despite some minor pitch problems during his opening aria, "Notte e Giorno faticar". Once past that, he doesn't put a foot wrong.

All in all, I believe that this is a production that has a magic all of its own and it deserves a place in any opera lover's collection. Many people say it is one of the top 5 opera DVD's of all time- I can't disagree.

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This is an optimal way of showcasing a grand opera in a traditional production. Musically immensely satisfying, I think it beats the Salzburg Karajan version. My older friends who have seen Siepi perform this role live still rave about it, and rightfully so. Also absolutely stellar is Dermota's conception of Ottavio, voice and acting. There is no flaw in the cast. It is a "show" that once you turn on the set you want see as much of it as you can, maybe do it in one sitting.

Mozart: Don Juan as Tragic Hero

In Don Giovanni, the audacity of genius pushed Mozart to write tragedy at a time when the gallant style was overpowering. And since then, how many conductors have been able to bring that tragedy forth? In the 20th century, Furtwangler is one out of two or three. Not that this rendition is without flaws. All the women scream, the acting is heavy, and the director seemed to have understood next to nothing of the complexity of Mozart's music (although it is good that the sets are traditional and they wear period costumes).

Having said this, let us take a closer look. Deep bass Cesare Siepi sings a superb title role due to his splendid vocal technique, despite the very high tessitura of the role. Not an advisable role to other basses who lack his voice training. The tremendous personality of the title character gets across through his voice, if not through his acting. Perhaps a bit too deep a voice, having almost the same color as Otto Edlemann's Leporello, and Denszo Ernster's Commendatore. All three are awesome performers of those excruciatingly difficult roles.

Furtwangler conducts it his way, creating an overall structure, as, early in the production, he teases the listeners, indicating the tragic motifs almost surreptitiously, like Chekhov's gun. In time, it all develops into a larger structure, always serving the big picture, and only reaching the climax at the end.

Only one example: the splendid contrast between the "giocoso" atmosphere of "Gia la mensa e preparata," passing through the transition of the famous chords announcing the apparition of Il Commendatore, and the fully tragic "Don Giovanni, a cenar teco."

This is where the tragedy is finally shown in sounds, with grand emphasis on the musical means Mozart used to create a work of art that is best described using Aristotle's notions. This rendition confirms Don Juan as a "tragic hero," the way Mozart created him, with his "tragic flaw": he cannot do otherwise, because, if a tragic hero behaved differently, he would no longer be a tragic hero. And with his "hubris," which is superbly emphasized musically.

Also musically, "fear and pity" are transmitted, in spite of Siepi's stage movement (which is unworthy of a tragic hero); but, luckily, the audio does indeed render Don Giovanni's "tragic grandeur" at the end, when, even faced with damnation, he refuses to repent, which would have changed his identity.

There are not enough stars in this modern computer system to rate this kind of conducting. Because Furtwangler brings forth Mozart's music in such a way, that the spectator experiences "catharsis" in the classical Greek meaning of the concept.

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Not Bad, But Not Great.

Aspect ratio and mono sound aside I knew I was in for a less than perfect opera after hearing the Commendetore's weak voice in the first scene. This is also the first opera dvd I've ever owned where the performance was not live. Nor is it a film. It's like watching a dress rehearsal without stoppage.

The music is great( this IS Don Giovanni), but I found Lisa Della Casa to be a run of the mill Elvira, and Anton Dermota to be somewhat lacking as Don Ottavio. Otto Edellmann was an entertaining Leporello, and Berger and Berry as Zerlina and Masetto did commendable jobs. Elisabeth Grummer was a GREAT Donna Anna. No one disputes the greatness of Cesare Siepi's Don and it's easy to see why.

The problem for me is that it all comes down to the finale. A weak performance by Deszo Ernster as the Commendetore nearly ruins the greatest scene in all of opera. Also, I've never been a fan of the sextet which follows and I never will be. It's like something out of Sesame Street.

This production is better than most but I'd rather sit through three bad hours with a great finale than three great hours with a weak finale.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

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