Description:

Pros:

• At just 25-years-old at the time of this performance, James Levine displays incredible skill with the orchestra as well as a knack for dramatic inflection in the way he shapes phrasing and articulation. This performance is unabashadley old-school in its approach, and makes a good argument for the grandeur, and proto-romantic quality of Don Giovanni.
• Ezio Flagello combines stunning vocalism and a keen sense of comedic timing as Leporello.
• A young Lorna Haywood makes an impressive role debut (with only a week’s notice) as Donna Anna.
• Jan Peerce, already in his mid-60s, shows that he still has the vocal goods, as well as the technique to navigate two of the hardest arias Mozart wrote for tenor.
• Italo Tajo brings comedic charm to the role of Masetto.
• Hearing Ramón Vinay as the Commedatore, you would have assumed he had been singing bass roles his entire life.
• I don’t think I have ever singled out the basso continuo in one of my descriptions, but I would be remiss not to mention the exquisite playing from none other than Lynn Harrell (also aged 25.) Clearly he learned a thing or two about following a singer from his father, Mack Harrell, considered one of the greatest Lieder singers of his generation.

Cons:

• None to mention

In Mono

OD 11856-3