Don Giovanni’s special amalgam of dark drama and sparkling comedy is captured with startling immediacy by Carlo Maria Giulini. The Viennese baritone Eberhard Wächter faces a particularly formidable pair of noble ladies: Donna Anna in the form of Joan Sutherland (in one of her rare recordings for a label other than Decca) and the Donna Elvira of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf.

This is a film recorded by the Radiotelevisione Italiana in 1956. The first thing that must be remarked is the first-class quality of both the sound and the picture for the standards of the time. Secondly, how young and how good were the singers. Rossana Carteri, who makes Susana , was only 26, while Marcella Pobbe and Luigi Alva, in the roles of the Comtess and Don Basilio, were 29 and Nicola Rossi Lemeni as Figaro 36. Having a Susana and a Comtess who are both both young and gorgeous makes quite credible the final scene in the garden where they exchange roles. Their duetto "Canzonetta Sull' Aria" is particularly enjoyable as well as the Comtess' "Dove Sono I Bei Momento", and Susana's "Deh, Vieni Non Tardar". Nicola Rossi Lemeni was one of the best Italian bassos in those times and he shows his abilities in the role of Figaro. The same can be said about the German basso-baritone Heinz Reifuss who makes a sensual Comte.

Le astuzie femminili (Feminine wiles) is an dramma giocoso in four acts by Domenico Cimarosa with an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Palomba (it). The opera buffa premiered at the Teatro dei Fiorentini in Naples, Italy, on 26 August 1794. The opera was subsequently performed in Barcelona in 1795, Lisbon in 1797, Vienna in 1799, Paris in 1802, and London in 1804, remaining popular during the first quarter of the nineteenth century. Although not performed often today, the opera is still occasionally revived and a number of recordings have been made.

Haydn conducted the first performance in 1768. This 5 star plus production was staged at the Congress Palace, Lugano in 1982. The fine Libretto in Italian is by Carlo Goldoni. The acting is superb, the body language great. In fact one of the best is an extra apprentice who has no lines at all. The singing is excellent throughout and Griletta (Antonella Manotti) has a very fine voice and technique. The staging is one of the finest I have ever seen.

Claudio Abbado’s youthful Beatle­cut marks the age of this film‚ still one of the better screen Barbieres if not absolutely the best. Jean­Pierre Ponnelle based it on his Scala stagings‚ but filmed it‚ as he always preferred‚ in studio and in lip­sync – more successfully than most. As a result‚ it looks and sounds very much fresher on DVD than contemp­orary videotapes.

Alessandro Scarlatti was both the most celebrated vocal composer of his day, and one of the most prolific to ever live. In his lifetime (1660-1725) he composed nearly 700 cantatas and 66 operas. He was also far more famous then than his son Domenico, whose harpsichord sonatas today have all but completely eclipsed his father's works.

Joan Sutherland first sang the role of Alcina in 1957 and continued to sing it until 1983. The role allows her to display her technical agility, the breath control on long phrases and her stunning trill. It must be admitted that her diction is not clean – but what glorious singing. Teresa Berganza as Ruggiero is Sutherland's equal throughout the entire opera. Her approach is less overtly spectacular but her "Verdi prati" is an object lesson in classic vocalism. With a glorious contralto voice, Monica Sinclair attacks the role of Bradamante with gusto. The three octave scale which concludes her Act 1 aria is not stylistic, but it is exciting. In the shorter roles Mirella Freni and Graziella Sciutti are excellent. Freni was at the beginning of long and glorious career. The male roles are of less importance in this opera but they are very well sung by Luigi Alva and Ezio Flagello.