A good performance with an interesting cast. Beverly Sills is the big star here, giving a furious rendition of Donna Anna’s quest for revenge. In “Non mi dir” she shows soft, sweet tones, following with crisp coloratura, earning her the night’s biggest ovation. Sills sang Donna Anna a number of times in 1966, notably in her unofficial Met debut at one of the opera’s summer outdoor concerts. Three weeks after this performance came her breakout performance as Cleopatra in Handel’s Giulio Cesare at the NY City Opera. It’s a pity that she recorded so little of the Handel/Mozart repertory and so soon set them aside for showier bel canto roles. The rest of the cast deserves credit, Lucine Amara, a Met opera workhorse and understudy, brings a stout professional approach to a role she sang often. Luis (aka “Luigi”) Alva, also an old hand at his role, likewise charms the audience with his gallant rendering of this high-flying music. Sesto Bruscantini, an expert at the basso buffo repertory, is a superb Leporello. Interestingly, the quality of his voice here is more that of a baritone than a bass. In the Catalogue Aria, when he sings the repeated phrase “È la grande maestosa” (“The big women [the Don says] are ‘majestic’.”), one can hear the top of his voice opening up like a Verdi baritone. (Bruscantini in fact essayed Rigoletto and Germont around the time of this recording.) Mario Petri, the Don Giovanni, is by contrast no better than good. Respected by European houses for this role, he has the right kind of booming bass voice, but has trouble putting over the character’s seductive charm. His awkward Champagne Aria draws only a smattering of applause. He does better in dramatic moments: his refusal to repent in the opera’s climactic scene makes him admirable as an antihero. But Zerlina, sung by Mexican soprano Cristina Ortega, often outshines him: her “Batti, batti,” coming immediately after the Champagne Aria, gets loud cheers from the local audience, as does her second-act aria. At first I found her affected “little girl” intonation irritating, but her notes are on the mark, and she comes across sexy and devious, the audience clearly on her side. Ortega’s later career was largely devoted to zarzuela and Latina popular music, but in 1965 she had sung Violetta at the Palacio de Bellas Artes and also performed Lucia and Manon. This document of her work suggests that she should be better known to opera fanciers.The sound quality can become boomy at loud moments (notably in the final scene) but otherwise gives a fine record of the voices and of Mozart’s orchestral lines that play with them during the arias. Conductor Nicola Rescigno conducts briskly in a way that favors the singers but also keeps the numbers moving, often at a breakneck pace. The opening sinfonia is well played. Overall, an excellent record of an enjoyable performance.

Performance was good, I've heard better. Sound was uneven at times. Nevertheless, there was much to enjoy about this performance.

Excelent!!!!!!!

One of the most exciting Don Giovanni recordings in good sound. The singing is first class. I add it to my list of favorite recordings of Don Giovanni!

It's always good to recover early Sills recordings (from 1959 to 1971) when her voice was still in its relatively brief prime. Of course there were great nights after that as well, but Sills wore the enamel off her pearly tone within a few years due to her insistence on performing roles that didn't suit her vocally (the Donizetti Queens!) She was a great Mozartian and it's a pity she didn't record more of his music in the studio. Her Donna Anna is fiery, uncompromising, and loving. The "Non mi dir" is dazzling in its virtuosity. The other women are also accomplished. Amara sings Elvira's music with clear, lovely tone. Happily, "Mi tradi" was included for her. Ortega makes a beautiful Zerlina; both arias are sung well and with purpose. Petri is a sexy Don and Bruscantini a very able, articulate Leporello. Alva, as usual, is a good Ottavio (his runs in "Il mio tesoro" are a little labored). Banuelos is a credible Masetto though he gets noticeably ahead of the orchestra in the scene following "Batti, batti". Davia is formidable Commendatore.The performance is done with Ottavio's and Elvira's arias intact, but ends after Giovanni's descent into hell. The sound is good and pitched correctly, if a little muddy sometimes. Andy gives us Manon's big moments with Sills from a Teatro Colon broadcast made several years later. You'll want the entire performance when you hear it!