Don Ottavio son morta

In slightly improved sound. Once more, a masterclass against the backdrop of what we are hearing from the Metropolitan Opera and elsewhere.

Noticing that when this video is played through iPhone speakers the audio is that of birds chirping. Another extreme annoyance from nasty YouTube algorithms. With earbuds, however, the real audio comes through just fine. On a laptop or iPad, the audio is fine through both speakers and earbuds/headphones.

From Scene 3 of Act 1 of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's DON GIOVANNI

Donna Anna - Cheryl Studer
Don Ottavio - Hans-Peter Blochwitz

Theater an der Wien, 1990
Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper, Claudio Abbado

You know, singing and opera singing in particular are not all about "creamy" (for just that, one resorts to what I like to call "wallpaper singers"). As if it needed saying, opera singing is not only about vocal acting but also about physical acting, the whole package, the marriage of words, music, voice, action and body. The story must be communicated through all. Do you agree?

The production, by Luc Bondy, was one of those ghastly modern-dress affairs so run-of-the-mill everywhere today and that are neither here nor there (e.g., try as I might but what was it with the Michael Jackson glove?). Notice however how these two consummate singer-actors are able to commandeer the sparse scenery through intelligent economy and personality. Mozart's genius sure helps, too.