Don Giovanni

Description

Herbert von Karajan's relationship with Mozart's operas was quite ambivalent, especially in his early years. Later, however, he returned increasingly to the work, conducting Don Giovanni at the Salzburg Festival in three different productions; this 1970 recording is from the 1968 production, with only two roles in the original cast of high-profile singers redistributed. While the Festival audience was impressed, the critical reaction was mixed. From today's perspective, the 1970 live recording places this Don Giovanni among the legendary performances of the Salzburg Festival. The title role is sung by Bulgarian bass Nicolai Ghiaurov, whose performances at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, the Sofia Opera, and La Scala in Milan established him as a great dramatic singer. The role of Leporello is performed by the famous Welsh baritone Geraint Evans, who had already proven his extraordinary abilities as a character actor at the Festival between 1962 and 1967, in the role of Mozart's Figaro. In the role of Donna Anna, Gundula Janowitz is heard at the peak of her career, which was largely promoted by Karajan. Teresa ylis-Gara, of Polish origin, who had impressed as a Mozart singer at Glyndebourne and elsewhere, also fit perfectly into the role of Donna Elvira in Karajan's conception: sensitive, wavering between her pain and her feelings for Don Giovanni, which resurface again and again.