This may not be the greatest Don Giovanni ever recorded, but it is very, very close. It's got the inestimable
Carlo Maria Giulini on the podium, and the Italian conductor turns in a performance that's beautifully, lovingly, wonderfully lyrical, yet at the same time always highly dramatic, and often very exciting. The cast features some of the best female singers ever, with
Joan Sutherland as an imperious yet wholly womanly Donna Anna,
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf as a vulnerable yet strong-voiced Donna Elvira, and
Graziella Sciutti as a comely yet seductive Zerlina. The men are just as strong, with
Giuseppe Taddei as a hilarious yet sympathetic Leporello and
Gottlob Frick as the absolutely terrifying Commendatore. What keeps this 1959 recording from being at the absolute top is
Eberhard Wächter in the title role. That is not to say that
Wächter isn't terrific; his Don is dashing, sensuous, tough, funny, ironic, and, in the final scene, almost heroic. The only thing that keeps
Wächter from being the great Don is the fact that
Cesare Siepi was already the Don who had all the qualities
Wächter possessed, plus more pure charisma than
Wächter, or for that matter, any other Don. The greatest Don Giovanni ever recorded is
Wilhelm Furtwängler's, live from the 1953 Salzburg Festival with
Siepi in the title role.
Giulini's Don is a superlative evening at the theater.
Furtwängler's Don will change your life forever. EMI's stereo studio sound for
Giulini is far clearer, cleaner, and warmer than EMI's live on-stage monaural sound for
Furtwängler.