Mozart - Don Giovanni / Renato Bruson, Stefano de Peppo, Anna Laura Longo, Amarilli Nizza, Alessandro Battiato, Michael Halasz, Rome Opera

As often happens with Amazon opera reviews there appears to be a mix of reviews from various different productions. My review concerns the production who DVD is pictured. It is from Teatro Argentina, Rome italy. There are no subtitles which greatly diminishes the enjoyment for those who do not understand Italian. We watched a few minutes then stopped because of that.

I am disappointed. It does not have subtitle. Had I known before hand I would not have ordered it.

Renato Bruson aces this role like no one I have see/heard so far. He infuses humor into every scene without resorting once to silliness. Well supported by the rest of the cast, and well photographed.

This Italian production of Don Giovanni comes in Dolby 2 sound and with a choice only of English subtitles or no subtitles.There are several other very good productions with which this one really cannot compete. However, don't give up on this one. There are still many things to recommend it:For one, it is a live performance--something that always seems to add to a production. In Renato Bruson, we have one of the great Italian singers of the era, and he doesn't disappoint here, even if he is a bit older than most Dons.I thought the Leporello (Stefano De Peppo) began rather stiffly, but at the "Il Catalogo" aria, he opened up and blossomed for the rest of the opera.In Rossana Potenza, we meet a pretty and enthusiastic Zerlina. Luca Canonici deserves mention for being one of the better Don Ottavios I have seen. He is much more sure of himself, and his rich voice adds confidence to a usually bland character.This was filmed in 2002, with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Rome, led by Michael Halasz. There are better performances to be sure, and with more big name stars. But if you love Mozart and are always looking for another performance--a live performance at that--you may be pleasantly surprised. This is a more traditional production, not trying to exploit a particular aspect of the opera, but simply to produce it in a straightforward manner as Mozart wrote it.