Mozart - Don Giovanni / Fischer-Dieskau, Fricsay

Conductor Ferenc Fricsay's firm hand guides this legendary Don Giovanni unerringly toward inevitable damnation and retribution, with quick tempos and a sense of purpose rare in recordings of the opera. As the Don, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau presents a joyless, driven rake. His youthful voice (the recording was made in 1958) is splendid, but the hectoring quality that was later to become a dominant element in his singing style makes "La ci darem la mano" more menacing than seductive, while the Champagne aria becomes a call to arms rather than an invitation to drink. Kohn's Leperello is a dour servant, but the women are quite wonderful. Sena Jurinac is a splendid Donna Anna, generous of voice and characterization, and Irmgard Seefried is a delightful Zerlina. Maria Stader is the big surprise of the set, as her high soprano seems more fitting for Zerlina than Elvira, but she sings with terrific abandon, fiery in her confrontations with the Don and warmly compassionate elsewhere. This was always one of the more interesting takes on Mozart's masterpiece, and it's great to have it back in a transfer--on the DG Originals series--that freshens its early stereo sonics. --Dan Davis