The Metropolitan Opera: Don Carlo

Opera in three acts.

Don Carlo is one of the grandest of all grand operas, a tour-de-force that challenges the resources of even the greatest theaters. Five major roles must be cast, along with a handful of smaller yet singularly crucial ones. Seven separate sets must be designed and constructed and populated with an army of authentically costumed singers - some 200 on stage at once in the spectacular auto-da-fe scene. Verdi's writing for the large orchestra is imaginative and demanding.


The Met has accepted and responded to these challenges in magnificent fashion. The production "...is rich in spectacle and intimacy." "... the sounds from the pit and stage were crisply defined and as richly colored as the settings."


An extraordinary cast is gathered for this performance: Placido Domingo ("great dramatic intensity and vocal beauty"); Mirella Freni ("a glowing performance"); Grace Bumbry ("all fire, brimstone, spunk and sparkle"); Louis Quilico ("sang and acted with robust assurance") and Nicolai Ghiaurov ("superb"). Maestro James Levine "...outdid himself. The orchestra played exquisitely..."


Don Carlo is a complex, multi-layered work. Private passions are played out against a backdrop of intense political strivings. After the 1867 premiere, Verdi honed and refined the opera on several occasions: The Met version, sung in Italian, is uncut including not only the often-omitted Fontainebleau scene, but also the prelude and introduction cut from the Paris premiere for reasons of time. According to critic and Verdi scholar Andrew Porter, "This is a consistent, expansive version of Don Carlo, and I believe it is the best possible one for a large company with large resources."


This presentation of Don Carlo includes optional English subtitles and was taped during the March 26, 1983 performance at the Metropolitan Opera. No material was taken from rehearsals, other performances, or remake recording sessions.