MOZART: “DON GIOVANNI.” Julia Varady, Arleen Auger,...

MOZART: “DON GIOVANNI.” Julia Varady, Arleen Auger, Edith Mathis, Alan Titus, Rolando Panerai, Thomas Moser, Jan-Hendrik Rootering; Chorus and Orchestra of the Bavarian Radio conducted by Rafael Kubelik. Eurodisc 302 435-445 (three records) (digital). A “Don Giovanni” without style, suavity or sex appeal, like this one, is a “Don Giovanni” doomed to oblivion. Kubelik stresses the “dramma” rather than the “giocoso” of Mozart’s own description of the score. He indulges in expansive tempos to the point where singers struggle for pitch and often draw two breaths where one should normally suffice. That might explain why customarily savvy Mozarteans like Panerai (Leporello), Auger (Donna Elvira) and Mathis (Zerlina) make such a fatally neutral effect. Only Varady’s surprisingly warm, even compassionate Donna Anna transcends the prevailing glumness to lend a touch of humanity to the recording. Titus’ Giovanni comes on like a high-school quarterback, charging his way through the serenade and Champagne Aria. Moser’s muscular Ottavio scarcely fills the bill, either.