My preferred version is a legendary one, conducted by Fritz Busch, with the best Don Giovanni I ever heard, John Brownlee, and also with the best Leporello, Salvatore Baccaloni. It is a recording made in 1936 (?) in the Glyndenbourne Festival.
But there are other very good versions:
- Giulini, with Sutherland, Schwarzkopf and Sciutti (the best female trio I know).
- Rosbaud, with Stich Randal, Gedda and Danco (and the best Comendatore, Rafael AriƩ).
- Fricsay, with Fischer Dieskau and Seefried. (but I never liked much F. Dieskau as Don Giovanni, he seems too artificial. The best of this version is the direction of Fricsay and the best Zerlina I know, Irmgard Seefried).
- Haitink, with Allen (a superb direction of Haitink, perhaps the best since Fritz Busch, a good Don Giovanni by Thomas Allen and a superb Elvira, Maria Ewing; the other soloists are not at the same level).