Verdi - Don Carlos [1983] (NTSC) [DVD] [2005]

This production of "Don Carlo" (1867) by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)is superb. I think that James Levine is a great conductor.Plácido Domingo as Don Carlo is great. He represents the lack of hopeness by a charming way in his aria "O ben perduto" in the first act. His duet with Elisabetta di Valois (Mirella Freni) in the third act and when they say "Addio, per sempre addio" is the most dramatic part of this great opera.Mirella Freni as the Princess Elisabetta di Valois has a wonderful voice, but perhaps Katia Ricciarelli had done a better role in this case. However the dramatisme of Freni is difficult to overcome.Nikolai Ghiaurov as the King Filippo II di Spagna is superb. His arias "Restati" and "Ella giammai mi amó" are superb, worthy of a King`s character.Ferruccio Furlanetto as the Gran Inquisitore develops a great character like a blind monk. Giuseppe Verdi wanted that this character were blind: perhaps to represent the blind position of the Catholic Church against the freedom in that time? It`s possible.I recommend to acquire this production, but to buy the french version, too with Domingo, Ricciarelli, Nucci, Ghiaurov and others, being the conductor Claudio Abbado, wich has the anothers parts composed in 1886.A great production, powerful to your eyes and ears!

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.

I had read a bad review about Lois Quilico's performance and nearly didn't buy it for that reason. Now I'm glad I did, its an absolute must-buy for any collection. Quilico is okay, the trouble is he is being judged by some exremely high benchmarks.Domingo IS Don Carlos. With Mirella Freni, Bumbry and Ghiaurov, he gives an unforgettable performance of this work of rare and poignant beauty.Last but not least, congratulations to the costume designers who have done a marvellous job.I would add that the chorus at the beginning of the opera has, quite correctly, been included. I can't understand why it is omitted in another (otherwise marvellous) recording that I have (a CD with Domingo,Caballe, Milnes, Raimondi and Verrett.)

A traditional production, thank goodness. Since this is quite an old production (1983 I think) it was before the time of these, mostly, dreadful modern interpretations which I certainly wouldn't pay to see in an opera house. You know the sort of thing - Verdi would always have wanted his opera to be performed in modern dress and the location to be in Las Vegas. Having got that out of the way, I thorougly enjoyed this performance: Domingo at his very best (as he was in those days), as were Freni and Bumbry, and Levine as reliable a conductor as ever.

Good

ah the good old days

Took me back to ROH wonderful performance in 1960s

When a great opera is sung by competent singers and conducted by a conductor who clearly believes in it, then you have to at least "like" it. If that phrasing suggests a reservation or two, it's mainly because one can't help but just wish that many of the principals here were 15 to 20 years younger. Ghiaurov, Freni, and Bumbry were great voices in their time, and they are still effective here -- good enough musicians to put over the quite heavy vocal and expressive demands of their roles. Louis Quilico was never quite in that league, and he sounds a bit spread and woofy in places here, but he works hard and effectively to bring Rodrigo to life. Placido Domingo recorded his first Don Carlo, for EMI with Giulini, about 15 years before this production, but he looks and sounds fine here -- in the early 1980's he was doing very good Otellos and Lohengrins too, and Furlanetto, still in his 30's, brings a rich, young voice to an old part and succeeds in making the Grand Inquisitor vocally as well as expressively formidable. Levine brings both weight and energy to the score, and that reading fits well with the overall "traditional" design and production -- the Met's wardrobe budget must have been severely taxed, but everybody looks splendid. Freni, almost 50 at the time of this production, looks very good. She sings a bit carefully, her degree of movement determined by her prime focus in getting the notes and phrasing as she wants them -- contrast the greater physical freedom of Mattila's performance in the 1996 Paris account -- but Freni is a resourceful singing actress and knows how to make the role work for her. I'm one of those who think this was a role she never should have taken, but that's partly a sentimental response; no serious actress is going to want to be singing Mimis and Susannas for ever. Mattila has a voice for Janacek and Beethoven's Leonore, and Elizabeth of Valois is much more in her comfort zone that it is in Freni's. Domingo too by this time knew how to combine singing and acting, and he's a good-looking and good-sounding Carlo. Bumbry, who recorded Eboli for Solti in 1965, still has it in her -- vocally more comfortable in the Veil Song than Waltraud Meier in Pappano's 1996 account, although Meier creates a "needier," less stable and dignified character than Bumbry. Ghiaurov sounds a bit rusty, but Philip II is an old guy, and Ghiaurov brings pathos, authority, and a voice that still has some of its distinctive beauty to the role, one that he sang many times. So there you have it . . . old pros who know what they're doing, bringing the music to life, in a production that captures the heavy, dark, oppressive atmosphere of Philip's court. You can understand why Elizabeth would rather be back in France, as she makes clear in the scene -- beautifully done -- where she sings her goodbye to the old friend her husband has sent back home for failing to keep his wife, as we would now say, under surveillance. Good work from the Met chorus too -- the opening contains music, much of it choral, that I hadn't heard before, and they are very strong throughout.I've referenced the Pappano 1996 Paris production in a couple of places above. You should get it too. It's the French version and it's just a different beast. I'm tempted to say that it's a French opera (and not just because of the language) -- stylistically it's lighter and more fluid. It's good to have both that one and this one.