Mozart Opera “Don Giovanni” – the new Pizzi Italian production
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| Posted on January 12, 2015 at 15:14:22 | ||
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Posts: 5146
Location: Northern Tasmania Joined: November 9, 1999 |
 Enthused by rave reviews I purchased the Blu Ray of this opera and viewed it last night with friends. Yes the production is very good and not Euro trash, demonstrating a more playful approach than most, particularly with the relationship between Don Giovanni and Leporello. Myrto Papatanasiu (new artist to me) was a pleasure to look at and had an extraordinary voice to listen to. The rest of the cast was not far behind although Enrico Iori was not as commanding as we would have liked in the role of Il Commendatore. So far so good but overall it was spoiled by poor orchestral reproduction. It not only took a back seat acoustically but lacked weight with minimal bass. This was a major disappointment as DTS-HD audio is usually great. In the end the system was reverted to stereo with the Onkyo processor adding a little extra ambience. That audio was better, but still relatively thin and unbalanced making one wonder if the subs were working at all. They were, but had nothing much to do! Yet the review this purchase was based on (BBC Music Mag.December 2014) gave the recording a misleading 4/5 stars. So, I agree with the review’s high rating of the artistry but warn prospective purchasers that the orchestral audio sound is poor and severely impacts on the effectiveness of the great singing. Yes, we did appreciate this disc but it was not as awe inspiring for us as the review would lead us to believe. What can be more subjective than music? It reflects our personal tastes and preferences.
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