Mozart 22 Don Giovanni (2006– ) watch online HD

I enjoyed this production despite its many drawbacks. The recording, from Salzberg in 2006 makes it sound as though you are listening from the back of the opera house. This is not a good thing for home listening where a more closely miked recording would be preferable. Here, vocal nuances are lost and the skills of the Vienna Philarmonic, under Daniel Harding are wasted.

The set consists of a brightly lit stage containing a lot of white doors. It is a revolving stage but, when it rotates, all we see is more white doors. The first act is physically uncomfortable to watch because of the glare but, fortunately, by the second act the lighting is more subdued. Occasionally, when the stage rotates we see a tableau of women in their bras and panties, reminiscent of the Windmill Theatre circa 1955. This is irritating and irrelevant but it is a minor irritation that I was able to ignore.

The effect of the bright lighting and minimal scenery is to make the dramatic action clearer than it often is in this opera. The three women and two men who pursue the Don can be little more than caricatures but here they are well-rounded and believable. I particularly enjoyed Christine Schäfer's Donna Anna and the Zerlina of Isabel Bayrakdarian. Ildebrando D'Arcangelo is outstanding as Leporello. I have never seen a Leporello who is so contemptuous of his master. Usually, in the catalogue aria, there is an element of complicity or vicarious pleasure as his master's pan-European conquests are listed. Not so here, D'Arcangelo makes his disgust clear right from the start.

Thomas Hampson, as the Don, certainly makes a credible seducer. I remember this recording being criticised on Radio 3 when it came out because Hampson's baritone is allegedly too light for the role. Well, we hear with our eyes and see with our ears and, in performance, Hampson certainly looks and sounds a convincing Don. This is a brave performance. Hampson makes it clear that this Don, despite his charm is more a rapist than a seducer. He is also a coward. When attacked we see him hiding behind women's skirts or implicating Leporello to save his own skin.

The production seems to be heading for a low-key ending. It looks as though the Don is about to be dragged down to hell by devils in the form of statuesque German ladies wearing black bikinis. I was just thinking that there could be worse ways to go when something quite unexpected happens. The Don dies in a controversial way, one that I cannot reveal but which is totally believable, at least within the context of this production.

Don Giovanni is one of the old favourites, so inevitably I would see as many productions of this wonderful Mozart opera I could find. So far my favourites Don Giovannis are the 1979 Joseph Losey film, the 1987 production with Samuel Ramey, the 2000 production with Bryn Terfel and Renee Fleming and the 2001 production with Rodney Gilfry.

This 2006 Don Giovanni is good enough, but I wasn't completely blown away by it. I guess my biggest disappointment was the staging of the final Commendatore scene, that is such an intense final scene and for me the best finale of any Mozart opera. The staging with the scantily clad ladies was distracting and didn't give us the suspense, tension and horror that scene should do.

Also disappointing was the sound, it sometimes sounded very muffled and that it had been recorded from very far back.

However, I loved the revolving set and the sumptuous costuming. The picture quality is clear and the camera work is skillful, never suffering from too many close ups or the filming being so distant you have a lack of intimacy with the singers.

The staging apart from the Commendatore scene was good particularly the appropriately subdued staging of Deh Vieni with Giovanni singing it alone as the stage blackens gradually. The director shows that he doesn't sympathise with Giovanni, and while this point is not done in a very subtle way perhaps it makes its point. The orchestra are powerful and stylish, and while Harding's conducting is occasionally flaccid, such as rushing through the champagne aria, his work is impressive on the whole.

When it comes to the performances they are generally good. The least impressive was Melanie Deiner as Elvira, there is some spite and sympathy in the interpretation, and there is great independent singing. However I didn't think Elvira developed effectively enough as a character, which was disappointing seeing as Elvira is in some way the heart of the opera. Christine Schaefer as Donna Anna fares much better. Some of her high notes are on the laboured side in Non Mi Dir, however her acting is splendid, she has the agility and style in her singing and her duet with Bezcala is very chilling.

Isabel Bayrekdarian is adorable, charming and quite flirtatious as Zerlina. She is at her most effective in La Ci Darem La Mano and Batti Batti. Apart from the odd shrill note, her singing is very nicely done. I wasn't sure at first about Thomas Hampson as Don Giovanni. While I do like Hampson, I had reservations about whether he was suited to this complex character.

Overall while he is not my immediate choice in the role, I think Ramey, Pinza and Siepi had the most ideal Don Giovanni voices, he does very well. He excels at showing the devilish side of Giovanni and there is also some charm, if occasionally too casual. His voice is a little too light perhaps with moments of barking, but he sings with style and copes very well with the fast speed of the champagne aria.

Ildebrando D'Archangelo is a beautifully characterised and expressive Leporello and one of the truer and contemptuous interpretations of the character I've seen recently. His relationship with Hampson's Don Giovanni is both charming and surprising.

Luca Pasaroni is a deeply voiced and charming Massetto and Robert Lloyd while lacking a little bit of power compared to his work in the 80d vocally is very intimidating as the Commendatore. The biggest surprise for me was Piotr Bezcala, who is a wonderful Ottavio. His singing and runs are gorgeous and I find him very communicative and quite touching. Both Dalla Sua Pace and Il Mio Tesoro are two of the highlights of the production, they are beautifully sung and straight from the heart.

Overall, good mostly. 7/10 Bethany Cox