Herbert Von Karajan - His Legacy for Home Video - Mozart - Don Giovanni

Starring:Samuel Ramey, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, GÃ¶sta Winbergh, Paata Burchuladze, Julia Varady, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Alexander Malta, Kathleen Battle
Director: Claus Viller
Studio: Sony
Product Type: DVD

Description

Herbert Von Karajan, Music Director of the Berlin Phiharmonic from 1956 until his death in 1989, is one of the pre-eminent musical figures of the century. He conducted some of the most technically precise, luxurious sounding recordings in all of classical music. The Karajan Legacy film series documents many of these definitive performances, were directed by Karajan, and are among his only digital recordings. The release of these films on DVD brings the superb artistry of this man to fuller expression than ever before. The wonderful opera "Don Giovanni" by Wolgang Amadeus Mozart is performed by Herbert Von Karajan with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, featuring Samuel Ramey and Anna Tomowa-Sintow, recorded live July 1987 at the Salzburger Festspiele.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent!.......2006-05-31

This DVD of Mozart's Don Giovanni is a really good one by my standards. The top-notch cast, brilliant scenery and costumes, and wonderful orchestra make this one of my favorite Don's ever. I personally don't like Herbert von Karajan, but I learned to tolerate him. Samuel Ramey as the vile Don was a great casting decision. He blends vivacity and vileness it one very impressive package. Anna Tomowa-Sintow is a brilliant Donna Anna. Her high notes are absolutely stunning and sings with a firm foundation. The Don Ottavio of Gosta Winbergh is stunning, but he lacked something. Nevertheless he was very pleasing. The Commendatore of Paata Burchuladze is good for all that he's in. Now for the best: Julia Varady as Donna Elvira. I think she was Karajan's substitute for Agnes Baltsa but Varady surpasses her in EVERY way. She is velvety-voiced and gives light to the aguishly played Elvira. The Leoporello of Ferrucio Furlanetto is very pleasing. Kathleen Battle as Zerlina was also a good casting call. Alexander Malta as Masetto is a little guff now and then but gives a solid performance. A good DVD for an expert or a beginner.

A beautiful video of a beautiful production!.......2006-05-09

I have been familiar with Herbert von Karajan and the singers on this DVD for a long time before finally seeing them in action, and I must say, not one of them failed to impress, and each one of them is just as amazing as I had always expected. This is absolutely one of the greatest productions of Don Giovanni, which just happens to be my favorite opera, in this whole world. Von Karajan seems to be still at the peak of his power with the baton, and I just cannot say enough great things about the cast, especially Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Samuel Ramey, Julia Varady, and Kathleen Battle. This is a must-have in the collection of any opera/Don Giovanni lover!

Very sad.......2006-03-17

I do not like any opera by Mozart I have ever heard, and I've heard a bushel. They are boring. My last hold-out was this one because I've heard a few of the 18th Century pop tunes in it and liked them. But I am not going to sit here, FORCE myself to sit here for 3 hours of THIS! It is a drag. One tune (the first music in the piece), then 21 minutes of dreary, dreary, dreary, unmusical recitative. The whole movie "Amadeus" was based on Mozart's operas and gave the impression that Mozart wrote nothing else. It was a fun movie, except that and this: Salieri composed a ditty to welcome the young Mozart to court, he played it when Mozart walked into the room, Mozart complimented him, sat down at the harpsichord and played it from memory. This was the same in both the stage play and the movie. But. In the stage play Mozart asked Salieri wouldn't it sound a little better if this note went up a third. In the movie (lest the stupid, ignorant masses be confused, the stupid, ignorant masses ARE confused!), they had Mozart say wouldn't it sound a little better if this note went up. I threw away my DVD because of that retarded condescending rewrite. Mozart could not write operas. He didn't have it in him. Nor could the great 19th Century composers of operas write anything else. But in this one he did manage a few good tunes (which according to the movie poured out of him like "water" out of a boot, my foot they did!). When I bought my first DVD player, Mozart was nearly all I bought, the piano concertos (I have them all), the divertimentos and the symphonies. And that's about all I like by Mozart. Except that his piano sonatas (I have Pires) have a charm, I like them, only a few dozen of them at one sitting go a long way. That's Mozart. Mozart and me. I prefer Haydn. I love Haydn. He's warm and sweet and smooth and mellow. Mozart is ice.

Very good but need's work.......2006-02-25

This version of Don Giovanni was my first I had ever seen and it is fairly good. Here are the characters and how I thought of each of them.

Don Giovanni: very good and very convincing
Leoporello: also very good yet lacks something
Donna Elvira: good yet takes all things very slow
Donna Anna: excellent-best in show
Don Ottavio: excellent and perfect for role
Zerlina: very convincing yet doesn't fit Zerlina role
Masetto: Very good but Doesn't fit well with Battle as Zerlina
Commendatore: good for what he's worth

Overall very good performance!

Don Giovanni - Karajan, Ramey.......2006-02-22

An old performance, but excellent production with legendary and great performers coming together. Samuel Ramey is a mesmerizing evil-doer with almost too much charm... but who's to complain? Feruccio Furlanetto and Kathleen Battle shine, too. Good visual and audio quality. My family and I love it. A historical must for the opera and music lover!

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