Mozart: Don Giovanni - 1956 Salzburger Festpiele

Recorded live at the 1956 Salzburg Festival, this is one of the great Don Giovannis on disc. Why? Look at the cast list--the top Mozartians of the 1950s in their prime. Cesare Siepi was THE Don of his generation, a carefree rake with a glorious bass voice. Fernando Corena, for all his stage mugging, was made for Leporello. Elisabeth Grummer's powerful Donna Anna reminds us of her shameful neglect by recording companies. Lisa Della Casa's Elvira is beautifully sung and characterized. Leopold Simoneau was the best lyric tenor of the era; his sweet-voiced Ottavio is unforgettable. But the real hero is Dimitri Mitropoulos, who leads a performance of great intensity, yet never breaks the classic frame. --Dan Davis