Mozart Don Giovanni opera to libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte. Directed 2019 by Jack Furness after Kasper Holton at the Royal Opera House. Stars Roberto Tagliavini (Leporello), Malin Byström (Donna Anna), Erwin Schrott (Don Giovanni), Petros Magoulas (The Commendatore), Daniel Behle (Don Ottavio), Myrtò Papatanasiu (Donna Elvira), Louise Alder (Zerlina), and Leon Košavić (Masetto). Hartmut Haenchen conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House (Concert Master Sergey Levitin) and the Royal Opera Chorus (Chorus Director Genevieve Ellis). Set design by Es Devlin; video design by Luke Halls; costume design by Anja Vang Kragh; lighting design by Bruno Poet. Directed for TV by Jonathan Haswell. Sung in Italian. Released 2022, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: N/A
This is a revival of the 2014 show that introduced Es Devlin’s multi-story set (the one with all the safety wires) staring Kwiecien as Don Giovanni. The cast here is new except Malin Byström repeats as Donna Anna. In 2014, the set was accused of overwhelming everything else even with pretty boy/bad boy Kwiecien in charge. But according to Judith Malafronte (as a woman a much better judge of these matters than I), in this version, Schrott and Tagliavini as Leporello are in “complete” command. The set is now old news, and the musical values are old-fashioned. See the August 2022 Gramophone at pages 57-58.
So if you are forced to buy just one Don Giovanni from the 13 (!) we now have, this latest print from the Royal Opera might well be your best bet. (Is there anyone out there who would like to review 13 videos of Don Giovanni and tell us which one is the winner? )
Here’s an official trailer from the Royal Opera House showing Louise Alder’s acting and singing chops as Zerlina:
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