Cast: Fritz Wunderlich (Don Ottavio), Eberhard Wächter (Don Giovanni), Leontyne Price (Donna Anna), Walter Kreppel (Commendatore), Hilde Güden (Donna Elvira), Walter Berry (Leporello), Rolando Panerai (Masetto), Graziella Sciutti (Zerlina), Chor der Wiener Staatsoper, Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper, cond. Herbert von Karajan
Henrik Engelbrecht in Gramophone's "International Opera Collector", Spring 1998: "Thanks to Herbert von Karajan, a strong advocate for singing operas in their original language, we can also hear a live recording from the Vienna State Opera of Wunderlich's Don Ottavio [...] in Italian. And what a difference from the studio recording of his two arias in German [see Don Giovanni (H) page]. Suddenly the music flows easily, and it is as if the Italian language presses a button in Wunderlich, transforming him into another singer, seemingly born in Milan or Rome."
Warning: Both the Verona and Gala sets are ca. one half tone below pitch. The Gala set seems to sound even worse than the Verona.[Thanks to Deon van der Walt and Ralph Lucano for the information.]
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