Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I had never before seen the Furtwängler Don Giovanni, but I knew that it was considered by many to be one of the greatest productions of this much loved opera. This production was filmed shortly after its wildly successful run in Salzburg, Austria in 1953. It has lost none of its appeal nearly a half century later. This is the most rivetting account I have ever seen, live or on video, of Mozart's "dramma giocoso", which in this production definitely tilts towards the "dramma" aspect. The singing is fabulous from all members of this stellar cast assembled in the early 1950s. The Wiener Philharmoniker plays with a real feeling for this opera under Furtwängler. Indeed, this is a highly atmospheric production on all levels. Cesare Siepe is regarded as one of the all-time great Giovannis, and you will see and most importantly hear why in his highly dramatic portrayal of the lascivious don. Siepe not only sings the part flawlessly, but he can truly act, too. The final act will have you on the edge of your seat, to be sure. After brazenly lunging at the statue of the Commendatore with a knife, he recoils in terror when his action has no effect. After a brief moment of fear, he regains his composure and defiance. The emotions of Giovanni are conveyed by Sierpe in the most subtle of ways, a gesture here, a facial expression there, and of course via his singing. I'm sure everyone reading this knows the rest of the story, but you may be surprised at how brilliantly Siepe brings it all about, with his actions as much as his singing. I found myself feeling much more sympathetic towards the doomed Giovanni in this production than I have in most others, and that is entirely due to Siepe's brilliant portrayal. The rest of the cast is equally or very nearly as strong as its lead character. I watched this performance in utter amazement from start to finish, and cannot recommend it highly enough. It is in color, although the colors are on the pale side (not a problem!) and the sound format is in a high-quality mono (please don't let that steer you away from this masterpiece!). The sets are very realistic, and unlike many other operas on DVD, the picture is clear and the color excellent even in the night scenes (of which there are many in this opera). Included is a very informative booklet that gives background of this production as well as a summary of the opera. The picture format is 4:3, so it will fill your entire screen, and the playing time is 177 minutes. Subtitles are in English, Italian, Spanish, French German and Chinese. This is an opera DVD not to be missed, as it captures a historic performance that is nothing short of stunning. I would definitely rank this Don Giovanni in the top 5 best operas on DVD that I have seen.