Verdi - Don Carlo (remastered)

We have Von Schiller and Verdi to thank for this dramatized historical period, turning a father-son conflict into a great tragic, unrequited love affair and father-son conflict. Of all the three Don Carlo DVDs I have, the Met's 1983 production is almost perfect, a stunning production in terms of production, cast, set, costume, and lighting designs, music, stage, audio and photographic directing, if it were not for the miscasts of Princess Eboli and Marchese di Posa. Grace Bumbry has the loud voice. That's about all. She has no acting skill and no understanding of the role, let alone portraying the role. Louis Quilico simply doesn't belong in the formidable cast. As usual, Domingo and Freni don't disappoint, voice-wise and acting-wise. The rendition of the roles they portrayed by their singing and acting are simply perfect, noble and touching, by far better than any other Don Carlo and Elizabeth. The Salzburg's 1991 production is also a very solid production with a formidable cast and the German strictness down to every single detail in terms of music, set, costume, audio and photographic directions. Furlanatto came up with the most layered, subtle portrayal of Filippo II, a formidable but lonely king trapped in his own absolute power and a loveless marriage. The La Scala's1992 is nowhere near the previous two productions. It has declined to second-tier opera house. You can see the sloppiness in every one of the aforementioned areas. Pavarotti is lazy, uninvolved, perhaps thinking of how to get his huge set moved more easily to the next location.

This is an outstanding performance on DVD of one of the grandest of Operas ever composed by Verdi. I would rate it 5 stars but with some strong reservations.This is the most complete performance of the opera available and that in a way must be a tribute to the conductor James Levine.Placido Domingo as Don Carlos gives one of his best performances ever, recorded on any medium. He sings beautifully, with great passion and fulfils the vocal demands of the role with great ease and authority. His acting and visual impression of the role are excellent. He plays the part of the unfortunate rebel-prince very convincingly. I can hardly think of anyone who could have been better as Don Carlos in any production ever.Mirella Freni provides us with an excellent vocal and visual interpretation of the young Queen of Spain. She is alas, a touch past her prime, at least visually (unfortunately none of us remains young for ever) but none the less, she provides us with a very moving performance, beautifully sung. If one listens to her outstanding performance of the same role on CD under Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra recorded in 1978, five years earlier, then my point will become clearer.Grace Bumbry is a veteran in the role of Eboli. Vocally she is very good. Visually, she portrays the princes with great conviction, but especially in her case she is someone far too old for the role she is portraying. I feel that Baltsa on the Sony DVD with Karajan s better.Louis Quilico makes a good realisation of the role of Rodrigo. He is visually and vocally adequate, without being in any sense outstanding. Cappuccilli on Sony is far better and Gobbi's performance for E.M.I. on the 1954 CD is at a totally different level.Ghiaurov is also a veteran at the role of the King of Spain. He provides us with an strong portrayal of the King, but not really exceptional. He is vocally ample for the role and plays the part convincingly. One has only to listen to Christoff on the 1954 CD from E.M.I. to realise what an ideal exponent of the role can be. Visually, Christoff at Covent Garden in the late fifties and early sixties, under the direction of Visconti also provided us with a visual interpretation of the part, unlikely to be equalled in the near future. Ramey in the E.M.I. DVD from La Scala provides us with a much better performance, both vocally and visually.Furlanetto is simply bad and inadequate for the role of the Inquisitor, both vocally and visually. He is even worse as Phillip on the Sony DVD under Karajan.James Levine in my opinion is a mediocre conductor for Verdi. He cannot make the music flow or portray the passion that either Karajan for Sony or Muti for E.M.I. are far more capable of. A pity because, as I said to begin with, it is to his great credit that he provides us with such a complete performance of this important work.The production by John Dexter is good, with nice sets and costumes but rather dark lighting, especially in the first act. The Metropolitan combines acts 1 & 2 and acts 4 & 5 and names it a 3 act opera, which is not. This is only a minor point. If you really want to see a lavish Don Carlo on DVD go to the E.M.I. from La Scala staged by Zeffirelli. Not as good as either of the Visconti productions for London or Rome, but none the less spectacular.The image and the sound on this Deutsche Grammophon two DVD edition are good for 1983, although I have seen better from the same period. It is preferable to the the One-disc version of the same performance on Pioneer Classics.It is definitely worth buying.

Singing and acting are superb. Chorus excellent. Sets impressive and atmospheric. What more could one want for this grand opera?

I like this DVD and do not disagree with anything that has been said about it. My comment has to do with the fact that the DVD I received is in three acts not five. The cover looks exactly the same, but apparently I received an abbreviated version of the opera. I also have the 2013 Salzberg Festival conducted by Antonio Pappano version of this opera which IS five acts, so I know what I am missing.Maybe the "remastered" designation is significant. Oh well - live and learn.

This is one of the great operas from Verdi. The story is good, the picture and sound are excellent, the music, orchestra and conducting are wonderful. Everything is in the right historical period. I don't think you could get a better cast of singers, and they all seem to be in their prime. I don't know how much more you could want from an opera, except maybe in Blu-ray.

It's not easy to steal the show from Placido. He is as always excellent. But Grace Bumbry steals the show. I have watched this twice so far and what I cannot get out of my head is Grace Bumbry. Wow! ~ Celeste Downey

The cast performed very well and the sets with the time period. Saw this before years ago but not able to see it all. Hope to see some of the "classics" made into DVD's more often to enjoy. A must for anyone's collection1

One of the top performances & vocal triumphs of cast imagineable for this opera. A MUST SEE if you like the Don Carol opera, or if you've never seen it. HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION POSSIBLE!

Si tratta di una bella edizione di Don Carlo, rappresentata e registrata dal vivo al MET il 26 marzo 1983, con la direzione di James Levine.Innanzitutto viene ripristinata l’edizione modenese in 5 atti (ridotti a tre per esigenze teatrali), più corretta filologicamente e che finalmente consente - grazie alle pagine introduttive - di comprendere appieno lo sviluppo successivo della vicenda.Ciò che è facilitato anche dalla regia di John Dexter (e dall’apporto della regia televisiva del geniale Brian Large), certamente tradizionale (come lo sono scene e costumi) e decisamente convincente, senza incorrere nelle dissacrazioni sempre più frequenti, volte ad esaltare l’ego del regista, purtroppo a scapito delle intenzioni del compositore e del librettista.Poi abbiamo Levine che si conferma uno dei più grandi direttori verdiani in assoluto. Dotato di innato istinto teatrale, procede con ritmo vibrante e serrato per sottolineare il dramma, esalta i momenti melodici ed appassionati, dedica costante attenzione agli accompagnamenti, mostra la capacità di trarre il meglio da un’orchestra più debole di altre compagini europee (qualche disagio emerge da parte degli ottoni nelle tonalità più gravi).Infine il cast ove - come noto - bisogna disporre di sei formidabili interpreti per ottenere un eccellente Don Carlo, e qui emerge qualche ombra.Partiamo dal personaggio principale, Don Carlo, interpretato da Placido Domingo, allora nel pieno delle capacità. Qui siamo alle solite: bella presenza scenica, grandissime doti di attore capace di muoversi e di esprimersi con grande disinvoltura (doti messe in risalto anche dai primi piani di Large), perfetta intonazione, timbro caldo ed appassionato, voce che si esalta nella tessitura centrale e poi....acuti forzati e difficoltà nei passaggi di registro (subito minimizzati da una grande padronanza tecnica).Parzialmente analogo il discorso per Nicolai Ghiaurov (che peraltro aveva allora sulle spalle dieci anni in più di carriera rispetto a Domingo): il Filippo II da lui rappresentato delinea una delle figure più riuscite nella storia dell’interpretazione, grandioso nei momenti di introspezione psicologica; sotto il profilo squisitamente vocale, la prestazione è accettabile, ma non si sentono più quelle note e quegli accenti così gravi, cui il grande basso rumeno ci aveva abituato negli anni migliori.Affatto insufficiente Louis Quilico (baritono di casa al MET, ma a mio parere da sempre sopravvalutato), in questa occasione fortemente a disagio vocalmente soprattutto nei duetti con Domingo, oltre che dotato di dizione imperfetta e piuttosto noioso nel delineare il personaggio di Rodrigo.Al contrario risultano positive le prestazioni di Ferruccio Furlanetto, nei panni del Grande Inquisitore, solido vocalmente e interpretativamente, e di Grace Bumbry, nelle vesti della Principessa Eboli dal fascino sinistro (circostanza accentuata dall’occhio bendato, come era stata ritratta in vita da Sanchez Coello, pittore di corte), a tratti eccessiva, ma ancora in grande forma e visibilmente apprezzata del pubblico in sala.Infine Mirella Freni in forma strepitosa: forse un po’ statica (se confrontata con quei consumati attori che sono Domingo e Ghiaurov), mostra in ogni caso una grande presenza regale e soprattutto sfoggia eccezionali doti vocali (pronuncia, accentazione, fiati, acuti, passaggi di registro: si senta, una per tutte, la grande scena ed aria finale “Tu che le vanità”) che la confermano essere la più grande Elisabetta di tutti i tempi.In conclusione siamo di fronte ad un’edizione del Don Carlo che, nonostante qualche pecca, è di altissimo livello, meritevole di essere posseduta sia dai neofiti che dagli appassionati di lirica.

It will sadly be unlikely that the majority of us will ever get to see & hear the great stars perform publicly; and to hope that if that event were to occur; it would be at the peak of their career. DVDs like this enable us to see and hear the Great and not so well known operas performed in the comfort of our home.have heard all of these singers perform better - but collectively this was a worthwhile performance - Don Carlos is not a happy opera; representing as it does the terrors of the Inquisition which even the King feared. I enjoyed it; know a little more about Verdi now.

Déjà presque 30 ans nous séparent de cette représentation historique de l'un des plus beaux opéras de Verdi. Il s'agit de la version dite de Modène, donc en italien, et comprenant le premier acte à Fontainebleau qui nous semble essentiel, non seulement parce qu'il introduit l'oeuvre, mais aussi parce qu'il fait entrer directement dans la splendeur des interprétations de M. FRENI et de P. DOMINGO.Cet opéra s'insère dans une période importante de l'histoire de l'Europe occidentale, celle de l'Inquisition, la lutte de pouvoir entre chrétienté et politique amorcée sous Isabelle la Catholique, poursuivie par Charles Quint et finalement par Philippe II. La scène de l'autodafé où, dans la liesse générale, on exécutait en public les condamnés était effectivement une fête car on y célébrait l'accès à la paix céleste des martyrs. Cette scène est superbement rendue ici.Il y a aussi l'expression du besoin de liberté des peuples à un moment où l'Italie était en train de vouloir s'unifier dans un début de Démocratie, le duo entre Posa et l'Infant est d'ailleurs devenu un symbole pour ce pays. Et puis avec ces thèmes du pouvoir, de la politique et de la liberté, il y a bien sûr l'Amour, amour très pur de Don Carlos et d'Elisabeth, l'amour déçu du roi, mais aussi l'amour divin.Les décors et les costumes sont magnifiques, ils reflètent parfaitement l'époque dans une mise en scène sobre qui ne requiert pas de grands mouvements d'acteurs et de foules comme dans d'autres opéras. Celui-ci est un opéra de dialogues et de réflexions illustrées par nombre de grands airs plus célèbres les uns que les autres, et dans une orchestration parfaitement maîtrisée par J. LEVINE.Pour cette représentation, le MET avait pu réunir ce qui se faisait de mieux à l'époque, des interprètes mythiques aujourd'hui:Celui qui m'impressionne le plus est N. GHIAUROV, hélas disparu depuis quelques années, et qui me semble irremplaçable dans ce rôle par sa voix d'abord chaleureuse , forte, suave, mais aussi par sa présence, l'émotion toute en nuance qu'il fait passer, tiraillé qu'il est entre sa fonction politique de roi, les exigences de l'église et son amour déçu pour Elisabeth. La fin du premier acte est sur ce point stupéfiante, et personne n'a jamais chanté le grand monologue du début du troisième acte à ce niveau de qualité sonore et d'émotion. Il a été la grande basse de cette fin de 20 ° siècle.Ensuite, son épouse, à la ville comme ici, la Reine, Mireilla FRENI, au summum de son art, un aigu à la pureté incroyable, une sensibilité de tous les instants, un chant absolument pur sans effet particulier comme le faisait la grande Montserrat Caballé qui nous donna aussi de belles interprétations d'Elisabeth, notamment à Orange, mais en modifiant un peu la ligne de chant. La façon dont elle nous donne le "tu che le vanita" au dernier acte est simplement merveilleuse de clarté et d'émotion, le public ne s'y trompe pas qui lui fait un triomphe rare.Puis Grace BUMBRY, la princesse EBOLI, borgne mais tellement belle, une présence scénique stupéfiante et une voix de mezzo exceptionnelle, réécoutez ses 2 grands airs et notamment le dernier 'O don fatale" où elle sait exprimer tous les sentiments qui la traversent jusqu'au dernier, la rage de vaincre et de sauver Carlos "un dia mi resta !" Là aussi le public sait lui rendre un vibrant hommage.Et Placido DOMINGO, dans le rôle-titre, qui me semble ici dans le meilleur de sa forme vocale, puissante modulée, sure, et montrer qu'il n'est pas loin de valoir Pavarotti mais avec une présence scénique autrement plus avenante.Ces 4 chanteurs touchent à l'exceptionnel mais il y a aussi Louis QUILICO qui interprète un très bon POSA et F. FURLANETTO en grand Inquisiteur qui nous montre ici les prémices de sa grande carrière future. Le duo avec Philippe II du début du dernier acte entre ces 2 formidables basses est aussi un des grands moments de cet opéra interprété à ce niveau de qualité.Pourra-t-on produire dans le futur aussi bien, je ne le crois pas. Même si d'autres très belles représentations ont pu être produites, aucune n'atteint ce niveau d'excellence. Je ne veux pas la comparer à la très bonne représentation de la version française du Châtelet qui comporte aussi le premier acte de Fontainebleau, car Verdi se donne en italien, se chante italien, et ici chante la liberté chère à Garibaldi à travers cet opéra.Alors, si vous aimez ce grand opéra, achetez et conserver pieusement ce DVD, vous le repasserez souvent et je pense, comme moi, à chaque fois avec le même plaisir et même un peu plus d'émotion en le connaissant mieux.

Il disco è andato oltre le mie aspettative. Grande Opera, grande interpretazione sia musicale che teatrale. E' un'opera verdiana che non conoscevo e ne sono rimasto affascinato.

ottimo