Antonio Pappano, Orchestre de Paris - Verdi: Don Carlos (1996)
Antonio Pappano, Orchestre de Paris, Roberto Alagna, Karita Mattila, Thomas Hampson - Verdi: Don Carlos (1996)
PAL 4:3 (720x576) | Français (Dolby AC3, 2 ch) | (Dolby AC3, 5 ch) | 7,57 Gb (DVD9) | 211 min
Classical | NVC Arts | Sub: English, Francais, Deutsch, Espanol, Italiano
PAL 4:3 (720x576) | Français (Dolby AC3, 2 ch) | (Dolby AC3, 5 ch) | 7,57 Gb (DVD9) | 211 min
Classical | NVC Arts | Sub: English, Francais, Deutsch, Espanol, Italiano
This is a 1996 all-star-cast version from Paris of the original French version of Verdi's epic five-act opera, Don Carlos. First produced in 1867, only Wagner would write musical drama on a grander scale, and due to the three-and-a-half-hour running time most subsequent productions have made substantial cuts. This is therefore a rare opportunity to witness Verdi's tragedy in its entirety.
Set in the 16th century in the aftermath of war between Spain and France, Don Carlo (Roberto Alagna), the heir to the Spanish throne comes to France to meet with his beloved Elizabeth de Valois (Karita Mattila). Inevitably politics divide the lovers, and while Rodrigue (Thomas Hampson) falls in with Flemish rebels, the Inquisition is determined to be the power behind the peace. This is certainly not Verdi's greatest work, but it contains great music and the stars are allowed to shine with strong characterisations in an elegantly designed production. There are no gimmicks or attempts at spurious contemporary relevance here, simply singers of the calibre of Alagna, Mattila, Hampson, plus the outstanding Eric Halfvarson as the Grand Inquisitor. This is a production that continues in the 19th-century tradition, and in the process delivers the frisson of world-class opera. (Gary S. Dalkin)
Cast:
Don Carlos - Roberto Alagna
Rodrigue - Thomas Hampson
Elisabeth de Valois - Karita Mattila
Philippe II - José Van Dam
Princess Eboli - Waltraud Meier
Grand Inquisitor - Eric Halfvarson
Thibaut - Anat Efraty
Le Comte de Lerme - Scot Weir
An Old Monk - Csaba Airizer
A Voice from Heaven - Donna Brown
Chœur du Théâtre du Châtelet
Orchestre de Paris
Conductor - Antonio Pappano
Antonio Pappano, Orchestre de Paris - Verdi: Don Carlos (1996)
Antonio Pappano, Orchestre de Paris - Verdi: Don Carlos (1996)
Antonio Pappano, Orchestre de Paris - Verdi: Don Carlos (1996)
Antonio Pappano, Orchestre de Paris - Verdi: Don Carlos (1996)
Antonio Pappano, Orchestre de Paris - Verdi: Don Carlos (1996)
