7. La ci darem la mano - Thomas Allen & Joan Rodgers (Don Giovanni ROH'88)

[90lysander]

Gordon Sandison is the Masetto in this production? Holy crap! I really like his operetta work and will have to check out the excerpts featuring him.

[calivaan45]

Excellent singing and adroit acting skills. One of the best singers I heard on youtube for la ci darem la mano. I actually performed this at carnegie hall. However, in my opinion I don't think he should slur his notes. Mozart wrote the play to be symbolic in the singing, the words, and the acting. Slurring represents ambivalence which contrasts Don Giovanni's character. Don Giovanni knows exactly what he wants and ardently pursues it. He should make a clear and powerful separation of each note.

[drtmuir]

@calivaan45 How does slurring represent ambivalence? What is your source for that?

[90lysander]

@drtmuir Yeah, it could also be an attempt at a sort of sexy purring thing. I think the slurring is perfectly allowable, and think there are lots of different ways to approach a piece.

[drtmuir]

@90lysander It's just that--- not only is Allen NOT a singer who does things for no reason, he can readily explain and verbalize why he does things, and he has done so. (if you can follow that sentence). If he does something onstage with his voice, it's probably something he intended to do, and it's probably based on solid foundations.

[90lysander]

@drtmuir I follow perfectly. In short, he's an intelligent singer, and everything he does on stage, whether it's an inflection or a gesture, has a dramatic motivation. His masterclass that's up here on YouTube is one of the most fascinating I've seen, and helps even non-singers (and non-actors, and non-musicians) like me better understand the art.

[tomfroekjaer]

One of the most beautiful arias ever composed by the genious Mozart - and brilliantly performed. Thank you.

[tenordramaticitm2]

Bravo to Grande Maestro Mozart and the singers!

[LordHettrick]

Just curious, how did you get this if it is not on video?

[psalmtone2008]

Great recording with Allen and Haitink on EMI

[drtmuir]

I love when he bites her hand . . .

[zegermans750]

Ramey has that title hands down

[antmusique]

This one has not been released on DVD, but two other DGs with Allen have (the one from La Scala under Muti and the one from Cologne).

[drtmuir]

@antmusique The Ko:ln one is musically fantastic (Yay James Conlon! Yay Carol Vaness!), but visually eh. I think they were thinking a little Dracula for Don G, and personally, I find it distracting. The Scala one is, on the other hand, pretty stiff (with a lot of camera on Ricardo Muti!!) :P

[90lysander]

@drtmuir Yeah, I tried to watch the Scala DG and could barely get through it. Both of the ROH performances with Allen that antmusique has uploaded strike me as better than their commercial alternatives.

[CharlotteinWeimar]

Have you heard a great performance by this singer live, without a mic? If so please post an objective description to add to the wonderful YouTube archive before the memory is lost for ever. Recordings don't tell everything. Quality, size of voice, character, integrity, movement & the effect on an audience need describing too.

How I wish I could have been there to hear Farinelli entrance an audience with the power of a single note, but we do at least have Charles Burney's marvellous account.

[sierra4645]

I travelled to London from the US in 1987 to hear Thomas Allen sing Count Almaviva at Covent Garden in a lively production with an excellent cast. I went twice during my stay. I also saw Allen twice in concert. For many years, he was my favorite singer. I love his voice, which is (was?) not huge, but very beautiful: smooth, resonant and controlled. On stage, Allen was an excellent actor/singer with a lot of stage presence. I'm happy that You Tube has a few of his videos.

[raquelnog06]

bravissimo a tutti

[LilliVanessi]

Thanks for uploading. Thomas Allen is my favorite Giovanni.

[antmusique]

Why does YouTube keep eating my comments? Let's try again.

Anyway, you're welcome. He's a great Don Giovanni indeed. I'm just getting around to uploading the rest of the production (check out my profile for the playlist).