Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, René Jacobs, Freibruger Barcokorchester :: Mozart - Don Giovanni / Weisser, Regazzo, Pendatchanska, Pasichnyk, Tarver, Im, Borchev, Guerzoni, RIAS, Freiburg, Jacobs (Hybr)

A brimming jewel-box!

Lala R. | CA, USA | 10/14/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording has the signature Jacobs sound: sweeping and vibrant with lovingly punctuated, crisp details. The orchestra here is an assertive dramatic protagonist and competes with the singers, interrupting at will, or merging into breathtakingly seamless ensembles where you cannot tell where an instrument ends and a voice begins. All sounds seem to come from one mind, one throat; this orchestra truly sounds like a human being.

The entire cast is excellent, perfectly well-matched, and convincing in their roles. Especially faultless is Leporello of Lorenzo Regazzo with his thousand mercurial acting nuances. His rich, painterly voice of exceptional beauty is set against Don Giovanni, here a spoiled but charming youth sung by Johannes Weisser with a deliberately careless yet not unpleasing tone. These two characters and their relationship are particularly engaging. Pendatchanska interprets Donna Elvira as especially desperate and tormented, and it works perfectly. Pasichnyk is a strong, beautifully-voiced Donna Anna. Don Ottavio of Tarver is also one of the more pleasant-sounding voices of the cast. Im's Zerlina boasts precise coloratura.

The most satisfying aspect of the recording is that something so researched, and seeking so carefully to be accurate to the performance practices of Mozart's time sounds so fresh and beautiful, that it both validates Jacobs's approach and captivates and delights the lucky listener of any musical preference."

OUTSTANDING!

huntermusic | USA | 12/06/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
this recording has wonderful, musically inspiring performances, with many new interpretive touches by Rene Jacobs. The SACD recording is better than any other recording on the market today. I highly recommend this refreshing new version. It is like the cleaned up version of the Sistine Chapel, a hundred years of interpretive tradition and stodginess has been wiped clean and the brilliant music of Mozart comes thru ever more clearly."