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5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Highlights Recording Of The Complete French Version, March 22, 2005
A Kid's Review
ABOUT THE OPERA: Verdi's Don Carlo is mostly performed today in its Italian version but Verdi, seeking, like most composers of his time, to enter his operas into the repertoire of the greatest opera house in Europe at the time- the Paris Opera- composed the text/libretto in high-brow, poetic, Shakespearean-style and even dramatic French. Ultimately, the French version is superior, because it is closest to Verdi's original vision while the Italian is simply a modification to bring the work to his native land for it become a mainstream Italian opera. But its roots are in French Grand Opera. This entails lavish spectacle, a cast of thousands, big crowd scenes, choruses, a ballet, and only the best singers at their peak in each of the major roles- tenor, soprano, baritone, mezzo soprano, bass. A historical political and romantic thriller, it deals with Don Carlos, the Spanish Prince and son of King Phillip, and his life-changing experience. He becomes the object of the affections of the scheming and jealous Princess Eboli. As he is a bit of a rebel and does'nt conform to the rigid and austere Catholic church during the dark days of the Inquisition, he stands out as a sort of noble and idealistic hero. There is a great Inquisition/auto de fe scene, in which a victim is burned, incurring God's wrath. The plot is further thickened when we discover that Prince Carlos is madly in love with his father's new bride (and therefore his stepmother) Queen Elisabeth De Valois. The love triangle of Eboli-Carlos-Elisabeth resonates in Verdi's other great masterpiece Aida. But this dramatic and intriguing tale is far more philosophical and complex than even Aida, which can simply be black-and-white and chamber-style despite its obvious grandeur. This, too, has intimate and quiet moments, such as the opening aria sung by Carlos "O Fountainebleau" as he broods in the garden. Other moments of pensive monologues seem inspired by Shakespeare. So, not only do we get a vast panorama of characters who are products of their environment and time period, but each who are well-developed. Elisabeth is a dignified but mournful Queen (kind of like Dona Ana from Mozart's Don Giovanni in this way, as she too, struggles between her allegiance to the the king and her own love for Don Carlos her stepson, Eboli is a jealous, proud, scheming, seductive she-devil in the style of Carmen or closer to Amneris in Aida, the Inquisitor is a hypocritical man of the Church with a black heart and a penchant for torture and pain, and Phillip is like a God-like and passive but powerful figure. Throughout the opera, in one climatic scene after the other, we discover that despite their differences and counterarguments on politics, religion and philosophies, the share a common longing for death to end what they feel is a hell on earth full of struggle and futility. This is Verdi's own way of looking at the world. He was Catholic, but not a traditional one, and it's clear through this opera that he was not satisfied with the way the traditional Catholic Church of his day was operating. Some of Don Carlo is Verdi the idealist and revolutionary speaking. It was highly dangerous to make point blank remarks during the Risorgimento (Austrian rule of Italy) but Verdi found himself to be a discreet an subtle revolutionary whose symbolic operas served as patriotic calls for freedom and revolution.
The Cast: Who could have dreamed up such a perfect cast ? Claudio Abbado conducting (?) is a knock-out performance, bringing out not only the beauty and variety of orchestral colors, but the finest moments of all the singers. Placido Domingo, the one man Golden Age of opera, shows off his versatility by singing in perfect and gorgeous French. I have always felt he sang at his best in French (his Italian, though great dramatic-wise, was never textually as razor-sharp as the great tenors before him- Del Monaco, Di Stefano, Corelli or his contemporary/peer Pavoratti. In French opera, Domingo found the perfect vehicle for his rich, lyric voice, capable of grace but also dramatic prowess. He is Don Carlo period, even summoning up the roots in his own Spanish history in the performance. Katia Ricciarelli is a radiant Queen Elisabeth, the best, though I'm also fond of Mirella Freni as the Queen. Ricciarelli's French voice is pure gold, and her acting is superb. She is every bit the Queen, polished, poised, with a high tessitura, lyric splendor and dramatic middle voice in the chest. The rest of the cast never seems to be at paar with the likes of Ruggero Raimondi or Kurt Moll as the Inquisitor, and in the case of Eboli, the best to my knowledge have been Grace Bumbry and Shirley Verrett. Eboli must never be reduced to a nasty, witch-like, vulgar villain. She has her dignity, and her royal blood and her poised and controlled anger must be evident in the voice and the acting. She is best sung and performed in a "cold, proud Ice-Princess sort of way. Both Verrett and Bumbry have managed to do this. All in all, this is a terrific recording, thanks mostly to the talents of Domingo and Ricciarelli. I first took an interest in this tenor/soprano duo in their incredibly powerful and unforgettable performance as Otello and Desdemona.
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