Don Giovanni

Pros: singing, sets, costumes

Cons: less than audiophile sound

The Bottom Line: 4.5 stars for a very satisfying version of a great opera

Review: The opera "Don Giovanni," premiered in Prague in 1787, is one of the canonical works of western culture. Among those who genuflected to it as the greatest opera were Goethe, Shaw, and Wagner. Gustave Flaubert said that "the three finest things in ...

Pros: Mozart's sublime music; vocally-superlative cast; beautiful settings; effective camera work; some nice directorial touches

Cons: Mediocre acting; poor audio quality; some ineffective directorial touches

The Bottom Line: This is Joseph Loser's ambitious rendition of Mozart's timeless operatic masterpiece.

Review: When Mozart decided to write an opera based on Don Juan, one of the most infamous scoundrels in all of literature, he joined a long succession of authors and composers seduced by the lure of the greatest of rascals, just like his female conquests had ...