... Don’t get me wrong, I do read, as the ops on books show, but I generally buy rather than borrow when I’m in Manchester. Anyway, Don Giovanni’s is on Oxford St which ends with the library and town hall complex and is the continuation of Oxford Rd aka Student Street. Getting ... Read review
The ever fastidious and scholarly John Eliot Gardiner leaves no stone unturned as his ... more
project to record all of the mature Mozart operas with his period instrument English Baroque Soloists arrives at the dramma giocoso that is Don Giovanni. Gardiner rightly opts for the so- called "Vienna" version, the last to have been performed during the composer's lifetime, whilst via an appendix he also offers two missing arias plus a variant account of the Don and Commendatore confrontation from the earlier Prague version. No less conclusive is Gardiner's hard-driven and gritty account of the whole, in which he elicits chiaroscuro shading and sonority from an ever-alert EBS. He is also well served by a crack cast. There's a big- voiced Donna Anna from Luba Orgonasova; a crisply enunciated Donna Elvira from Charlotte Margiono, and an athletic and attractive Zerlina from Eirian James. Christoph Prégardien's staunch Don Ottavio and Ildebrando D'Arcangelo's sparring Leporello keep up the good work, leaving the stage clear for the Don himself, sung by the American baritone Rodney Gilfry. Gilfry comes over as forthright and full bodied, with a pleasing but unbooming chest voice; also he interprets the role psychologically, making for an engaging all-round showing. In fact Gardiner's entire reading engages with its questing veracity and taut ensemble from singers and orchestra alike. Finely recorded, lavishly presented, there probably isn't a better period- instrument Giovanni in the catalogue. --Duncan Hadfield
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Recorded live at the 1956 Salzburg Festival, this is one of the great Don Giovannis on ... more
disc. Why? Look at the cast list--the top Mozartians of the 1950s in their prime. Cesare Siepi was THE Don of his generation, a carefree rake with a glorious bass voice. Fernando Corena, for all his stage mugging, was made for Leporello. Elisabeth Grummer's powerful Donna Anna reminds us of her shameful neglect by recording companies. Lisa Della Casa's Elvira is beautifully sung and characterized. Leopold Simoneau was the best lyric tenor of the era; his sweet-voiced Ottavio is unforgettable. But the real hero is Dimitri Mitropoulos, who leads a performance of great intensity, yet never breaks the classic frame. --Dan Davis
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This recording of Mozart's Don Giovanni would be worth acquiring even if it sold at full ... more
price: as a bargain issue it's an almost dream release. From the explosive opening bars through to the final epilogue the reading is dramatically high-voltage--conducted by Michael Halasz at energised tempi that nonetheless have room to breathe in a spacious recording ambience, which means that numbers like "Fin ch'han dal vino" register as something more than a garbled blur. The orchestral playing is crisp and alert, with clear projection of some often bypassed inner detail (like the cello underlay to "Batti, batti"); the ensemble singing is distinguished; and the solos come with real finesse--especially from Adrianne Pieczonka whose Donna Anna is disarmingly bright, fresh and youthful in a way that just for once explains what Giovanni sees in her. Regina Schorg's Elvira is a touch stern with a wide vibrato but no matter: it's a fine voice. And there's a superb Ottavio from Torsten Kerl: a name you won't know but should listen out for. Neither of the two main roles, alas, quite square up vocally to the best available on disc: Renato Girolami's Leporello doesn't shine for the recording, and Bo Skovhus--an accomplished Giovanni, as already heard on the Mackerras version--has a clouded tone that loses focus. But they both deliver theatre, almost to excess. Caveat emptor: (i) this is a Prague edition reading as opposed to the usual mix of Prague and Vienna, which means that two of the most celebrated numbers--"Dalla sua pace" and "Mi tradi"--are consigned to an appendix; (ii) the booklet gives you the libretto in Italian only, no translation. Otherwise, this recording gets a general and enthusiastic thumbs up. --Michael White
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Advantages: The menu options, prices and central location Disadvantages: The hideous green curtains, and the fact the service can be a little slower than in some other places
...when I’m in Manchester. Anyway, Don Giovanni’s is on Oxford St which ends with the library and town hall complex and is the continuation of Oxford Rd aka Student Street. Getting there is easy – busses stop almost outside, and St Peter’s Square Metrolink station is only as few minutes walk. It’s situated next to an easy so see cinema, and has a vivid orange canopy outside. Parking is limited if you want to leave your ... ...within a few minutes of the restaurant.
I rang up to book the day before we went, and spoke to a charming lady who assured me that they did take reservations for two (some local places only oblige if it’s a large party) and that they could fit us in. Despite the traffic and lack of parking spaces, we arrived dot on our agreed time. The waiter with whom I spoke went to check and came back to inform me I hadn’t reserved ... more
If I went to the library more often, I’d probably have found this place ages ago since it’s on the way from where I live in Manchester to there. Don’t get me wrong, I do read, as the ops on books show, but I generally buy rather than borrow when I’m in Manchester. Anyway, Don Giovanni’s is on Oxford St which ends with the library and town hall complex and is the continuation of Oxford Rd aka Student Street. Getting there is easy – busses stop almost outside, and St Peter’s Square Metrolink station is only as few minutes walk. It’s situated next to an easy so see cinema, and has a vivid orange canopy outside. Parking is limited if you want to leave your car for free, but there are several large car parks within a few minutes of the restaurant.
I rang up to book the day before we went, and spoke to a charming lady who assured me that they did take reservations for two (some local places only oblige if it’s a large party) and that they could fit us in. Despite the traffic and lack of parking spaces, we arrived dot on our agreed time. The waiter with whom I spoke went to check and came back to inform me I hadn’t reserved but that they could fit us in. Now maybe it’s me, but since they had a table for us, I wouldn’t have though he would have told me they didn’t have our names down – I mean what was gained by him saying that?
There had been a menu outside and we’d peeked before we came in, so we had a good idea of what we were after. As well as the normal menu, they also had a fixed one slotted inside the cover which changed frequently. We ordered the food and drinks, and sat back to relax. The atmosphere was leaning more towards “bustling and lively” than “cozy and romantic”, but that was ok. The restaurant was practically full the whole time we were there, but there did seem to be some largish groups in (whose reservations hadn’t been lost….). The ground floor could probably have seated around 40 to 45 customers, and although there were stairs near the door, I’m not sure whether they lead to more tables, toilets or staff only areas. We were sitting near the bar with a good view of the whole place. One side was windows looking out across the small alleyway and the local Odeon cinema, and the front area had a view of Oxford St and the shops and eateries on it. There was also a large mirrored wall which helped to make the place seem larger and airier. The décor was standard Italian really with interesting half-naked men statues, Chianti bottles and classical paintings.
The starters arrived quickly and we set in. The menu featured some nice sounding appetizers including garlic olives, breads, tiger prawns and vegetarian and meat dishes - whoever wrote their menu has missed his calling. Their main courses include pizzas, fresh and baked pastas (also available as a starter), steak, chicken, fish and much more. Prices were reasonable for a city centre affair, with starters £1.50 to £6, and main courses up to £15, and the food we ordered was certainly worth it. In my companion's eyes, Michelangelo’s (his favourite local Italian)now has a rival in the best steak stakes. The only real comment I have is that the garlic bread came with a tomato topping as standard, and this wasn’t mentioned explicitly on the menu (they said “pizza base” but so do lots of places, and most just mean the shape, not the toppings). Puddings on offer included Italian ice cream, gateux and profiteroles which, alas, we didn’t have room for, as usual.
The service was reasonable all evening – the starters materialized incredibly quickly, but there was then a pretty substantial wait for the main courses. There seemed to be a lot of staff on hand through, and all requests for drinks and bills and the like were met pleasantly and promptly. A 10% service charge is added to your bill but this is shown clearly both on the menu and on the bill itself. They accept almost all credit and debit cards, plus cheques and cash.
All in all it was a nice evening out. The food was delicious, the place interesting at very least, and the service more than acceptable. It’s not even all that expensive compared to some of the other places we’ve been, and I have no qualms whatsoever in recommending it should you be in the area.
Advantages: good food, good wine, nice place Disadvantages: non
We have visited Prague a number of times and we just love the place the restaurant and beer are the best we have experienced and are rally cheap.
We have visited Dom Giovanni 4 times in the last 18 months and every time had a fantastic meal. Set over looking the river and Charles Bridge the views really complement the food and service.
The foundations for the success of this resurant is based on well sourced ingredients seasonal ingredients and skillfully prepared buy a chef who knows not to mess around with ingredients this good. The menu offers risottos, fresh home made raviolis,tortalines, papiadlli, veal, venison fresh fish and shell fish straight out of the tank.The service is typically Italian smartly dressed service staff with laid back attitude creating a nice calm and relaxed feel about the place.
Over all I would ...
mike1812 17.12.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Don Giovanni
Advantages: Neo-classical architecture and wonderful entertainment. Disadvantages: Steps leading to entrance
exceptional acoustic. Extensively refurbished in the 1980s, the red-velvet seats are comfortable and have plenty of legroom. Boxes line the sides of the auditorium and balcony seating circles above the rear stalls. It is richly decorated in a neo-rococo style with gilded stucco. The impressive central crystal chandelier gives the finishing touch to the glory. All in all an incredible sense of opulence and splendor is felt when you first enter the auditorium and this stays with you until you leave.
Refreshments are available during the intervals including coffee and alcohol ? Champagne is just 40 kc (1 pound) a glass. There is no food served within the opera house itself but just next door is the Opera House Restaurent were pre-theatre meals can be had.
Prague Opera House is where Mozart premiered his opera DonGiovanni and was used to ...
MAFARRIMOND 28.11.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of State Opera
won by the architects Eduard van der Nüll and August Sicard von Sicardsburg. The motto was "Fais ce que dois, advient que pourra." Described as a ?sunken box?, the building was not popular with the Viennese at the time of construction and the architects were severely criticised. of a "sunken box", Legend has it that the critism caused van der Nüll to commit suicide and Sicardsburg died of a heart attack two months later. So sadly neither architect survived to see opening of the new house on 25 May 1869 with a performance of Mozart?s DonGiovanni.
The opera house was hit by a bomb on 12 March 1945 during WWll and sustained a great deal of damage. The opera house was reconstructed to the original design and reopened on 5 November 1955 with a performance of Beethoven?s Fidelo.
The Archiecture
Because of the destruction ...
