By Janelle Gelfand
Enquirer staff writer

In Cincinnati Opera's Don Giovanni, which opened Thursday night in Music Hall, the infamous womanizer gets his due sliding down a plank into hell with a puff of green smoke, while demons spew from trap doors in the floor.

That was the dramatic climax of the company's revival of Mozart's masterpiece. Designed by artistic director Nicholas Muni and last mounted here in 1999, it is a reworking of a 1988 production for Minnesota Opera.

Though the production, staged by Jose Maria Condemi, seemed a bit tired the second time around, musically, it was a superb evening. New Zealand baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes was fully in control in his North American debut of the title role. He was joined by an excellent cast of singers, most of them making their company debuts, and in the pit was conductor Xian Zhang, presiding over Mozart's glorious music with utter confidence.

As murderous rakes go, Rhodes wielded considerable charm - his mean streak surfaced particularly while he was ravishing his women. He manhandled Elvira, before throwing wine in her face and ripping off her pearls.

Rhodes' voice combined suaveness with power, and was seamless with his acting. Whether dressed in all white or in black leather, his agile presence - all 6 foot 5 inches - dominated the stage.

He made an ideal seducer, singing tenderly in the duet "La ci darem la mano" with peasant bride Zerlina (Sarah Fox), and phrasing with charm in his Act II Serenade to Elvira's maid (Anna Star Gilmore).

Dana Beth Miller shone as Elvira (one of his jilted lovers). Her bittersweet aria, "Mi tradi" (All my love I lavished on him) was beautifully felt and she brought richness of expression to every moment.

It was not surprising that the biggest hand from the crowd of 2,478 went to tenor Shawn Mathey, as Ottavio. He tackled the difficult, florid aria, "Il mio tesoro" with stunning focus and ringing tone, and was convincing all evening.

As his fiance, Donna Anna, Alexandra Deshorties cut to the heart as she called for vengeance in Act I, but her singing became labored in Act II.

Adding levity, bass Michele Bianchini returned in the lively role of Leporello, the Don's servant, whose"Catalog" aria counted out the amorous conquests with great humor. Thomas Goerz (Masetto) and Fox (Zerlina) projected light voices and made a sweet couple, particularly in their love duet.

Gustav Andreassen made an effective impression as the otherworldly Commendatore.

Too often, though, the singers were given too little to do. The darkly lit, minimalist production - a barren, museum-like space with shiny sliding walls, trap doors and larger-than-life Goya paintings (upside down when the Don and Leporello switched costumes) - was clever. But its spareness presented challenges in the staging, especially in Act I, where the singers were often standing rather than communicating with each other.

Much of the action seemed aimed at the raked floor - Leporello pulled out his bulging catalog and "trophies" of the Don's conquests, people appeared and disappeared through trap doors, and the ball and final dinner scenes were set on the floor.

Yet the music was magical. Zhang, in her last area appearance before joining the New York Philharmonic, galvanized the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, which was lithe, clean and full of life. Too bad the opera's extension over the pit muffled the punch of the overture, and singers seemed to have trouble hearing the orchestra at times.

The final ensemble - wonderfully sung - tells of the lesson they've learned and future plans. But in this production, Giovanni, toasting them behind a screen, appears to be still looming over them.

E-mail jgelfand@enquirer.com