The Royal Opera House Heritage Series is dedicated to releasing live recordings of important performances from their illustrious history. So far, we've enjoyed Joan Sutherland in her first Lucia di Lammermoor, Gobbi and Christoff in the Visconti production of Don Carlo (which is what brought the opera back to prominence) and Ramón Vinay in Otello.
But this new release of Don Giovanni from 1962 is the most exciting release in the series so far, for me at least. A stellar cast joins Sir Georg Solti at his most inspired for an evidently atmospheric performance with few flaws.
It is a pleasure to hear the Turkish soprano Leyla Gencer in a relatively rare Mozart role. She instills Donna Anna with an unusual strength, transcending the character's sometimes stilted music and attacking every note with energy. 'Or sai chi l'onore' is one of the highlights of the recording, especially the accompagnato section, while Gencer's voice shines above the other singers in a thrilling account of the sextet 'Sola, sola in buio loco'.
Geraint Evans collaborated with Solti on many occasions to great effect - their recording of Falstaff together is a cracker - and Leporello is another role in which the Hungarian conductor brings out the best in the Welsh baritone. After some inconsistencies between stage and pit in the opening scene, Evans dazzles in the 'Catalogue Aria' and throughout provides the perfect foil to Cesare Siepi's gloriously aristocratic assumption of the title role.
Siepi was making his Royal Opera debut with this performance and he must have wowed the crowds, for his singing is simply exquisite. One of the most difficult balances in this role is contrasting the Don's status as a gentleman with his complete disregard for the social status of others (as described in Leporello's aria). Siepi understands this challenge and rises to it in almost every scene. There is rakish charm in the Champagne Aria; elegant, intimate seduction in 'Là, ci darem la mano'; and he brings nobility to the final scene, addressing the Commendatore with dignity rather than laughing at him. It's a complete rendition of the role in every way, and one to be revisited regularly.
As if all this were not enough, Siepi and the others are joined by two of the finest Mozart singers of all time as Donna Elvira and Zerlina. In the latter role, Mirella Freni was at her absolute peak in 1962. Her voice is in full bloom, her coloratura well supported, and her interpretative instincts superlative. Meanwhile, Sena Jurinac is a formidable Elvira, her velvet tone gracing the smooth arcs of 'Mi tradì' unlike almost any other singer I can think of (with the exception of Kiri te Kanawa, perhaps).
I'm less keen on Richard Lewis as Don Ottavio, his dry tone totally wrong for his two luxurious arias, and Robert Savoie is an unimaginative Masetto. But David Ward - a future Covent Garden Wotan for Solti - is superlative as the Commendatore, adding weight and authority to his singing.
Solti himself excels on almost every level. The woodwinds of the Covent Garden Orchestra are strikingly sinewy in the chromatic scales that pervade this score; the strings play with a glowing tone; and on every page, Sir Georg brings vitality and life to the score, only occasionally choosing speeds that seem too slow or fast.
At times the sound quality in this recording is so excellent that I can hardly believe it was recorded live (and forty-five years ago at that). The only question mark hangs over the Act One finale, when the tape evidently ran out when the recording was being made, so we lose a section of the music.
But this is a minor blip in a highly-recommended recording. As a bonus item, the final CD contains a speech made by Sir David Webster in tribute to Bruno Walter, who died two days before the performance, and a rendition of the Priests' March from The Magic Flute, which Solti chose to pay tribute to a conductor who had inspired him in his younger days.