Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Peter Mattei, Veronique Gens :: Mozart - Don Giovanni / Mattei, Cachemaille, Remigio, Gens, Padmore, Larsson, Fechner, Oskarsson; Harding

A Don Giovanni, again?

Marco Ossani | MILANO Italy | 10/31/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm not sure I want to live with this sole Don Giovanni, but I think it must be seriously considered by everybody. Just to clarify my starting point, I think no existing Don Giovanni is enough, but I can easily (if not better)live without Muti's or Barenboim's and I can hardly survive without Gardiner's and Abbado's... This is a tremendously emotionally driven reading, with everything justified by this exceptional musical momentum: single things can be criticized (I don't like Cachemaille's attacks and overall intonation, as an example) but even the "worst" things have a reason in theatrical effect. I knew Harding's recording of Beethoven Ouvertures, and I expected new test with trepidation; clean, clear sound, massive emotional impact not impairing great architectural awareness, those are the points amazing me in Beethoven, these same are in this Don Giovanni. You don't like this harpsichord everywere, you even mind this has no scholar full reason? Probably you're right, but you cannot say it's not beautiful or it makes no sense! This is 100% theatre, this is 100% Mozart and 100% da Ponte, that's for sure; I'm italian, and quite "expert" in italian opera, and I can assure I (almost) never heard so a deep sense of the sung words as I hear in this set; recitatives are perfectly done (only the other great Abbado set can rival)and the atmosphere is always thrilling and white-heat. The general tempos are sometimes astonishing, but the virtuosity of Orchestra & singers makes you accept even the strangest (at the beginning of the ouverture you can hardly imagine he can continue this pace with singers but...it happens, and sounds good!). Orchestral sound is "modern" (but period instruments mediated, as in Harnoncourt), and the overall effect makes me wondering what could Harding do with late Mozart's Symphonies (and, why not, with a "period" orchestra...); articulation is perfect, colours are pure pleasure, texture is clear, not cold, not dry.I cannot continue discussing every single detail; I simply can tell I love this set, and I think you cannot say you know Don Giovanni without knowing it; a fresh, new, emotional, beautiful reading! Why not 5 stars? Because probably it'll be too "epater les bourgeois" (I remember one of my University teachers claiming "maximum score is for God only"...); also the quality of live recording is below the standards this recording would have deserved (a bit close and foggy, with a lot of noises from the stage). The booklet is lacking in artists information, and the ideas of Harding and Brooks are simply outlined very approximatively; Virgin could also apply some effort to compress everything on two CDs (one CD for 24 minutes is terrible!) making it a real bargain. But believe me, you must have it!"

Exceedingly fresh

Fred Chung | San Francisco, CA | 12/07/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

A Review from ClassicsToday.com by Robert Levine

A Music Fan | 06/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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"