Verdi - Don Carlo

Verdi's Don Carlo is his greatest, amongst his other peak works. It defines humanism through the arts, exploring the depths of relationships and emotions expressed through the voice and the orchestra. I recommend this dvd highly, together with other outstanding recordings of this work. The principals are excellent. Caballe defines great singing. Her full, beautiful tone carries over the full cast and orchestra, and is easily reduced to an eloquent, silken thread, still full of luminous tone. Aragall is on my short list of tenors in last quarter of the 20th century. His beautiful sound shows how a good technique conserves a voice while reaching full potential. I wish there were a dozen dvd's with this great tenor. We must be grateful for what we have. Bruson demonstrates fully the high regard he earned during his career, but also the stress under which he placed his voice, resulting in shake in the voice later on in his career. His sincerity in this role stands out. The best combo of singing and acting goes to Bumbry, who does more than show her feelings through hand motions and circling. She appears to me as the gossip of the court, not just a romantic rival for Carlo, but a person who always pays attention to what others are doing and knows how to make or break reputations by spreading rumors and innuendos. The weak link belongs to a strong singer. Estes makes a big impression on the live audience- obviously his sound and live appearance do a great deal on the stage- but I cannot see him as the King of Spain. He appears more as an individual, as a bully, a tyrant. When challenged he is hurt personally, not as the monarch of a great nation. Presented in public one wonders why the kings royal robe is open in the front, revealing his quite non royal looking belly, which makes him smaller, more domestic, rather than as a public figure representing his nation. Appearing in public with Elisabetta, I can't help wondering why the same queen who suffers in private, avoiding looking at others directly. smile and takes the king's hand so warmly. There isn't a hint of her inner conflict, yet, of course, great singer that she was, Caballe wasn't Callas on the stage. In contrast to Estes as king, I recall a performance with Hakan Hagegard as Count Almaviva in Mozart's Marriage of Figaro. The Count is trying to examine his options as those beneath his station are manipulating him. It is clear, throughout the scene, this Swede comes from a country which understands the difference between an elected figure who will have to compete to keep his office after a few years, and a figure connected to the monarchy of his country, conveying a sense of Divine right of authority. Seeing an American baritone in a Met production I felt that Almaviva was just a boss with a high salary who felt his perks challenged, rather than royalty feeling a place in the ruling his country. Soviet singers successfully conveyed this after decades of Communism, as the sense of what a monarch is remained there, even if became a relic of history. The conducting is good, but not on a level with someone like Giulini, whose eloquence and urgency in this work was powerful throughout.

Filmed live at the Roman arena in Orange, this Don Carlo benefits from the authentic ping in the the voices as they bounce back from the 7300 spectators and ancient stones. Chose DTS 5.0 The cast is superb and in their prime. Aragall had the most beautiful sound of the four star tenors of his time--Carreras, Domingo, Pavarotti and himself. Scotto has said it in interviews and I heard him live in San Francisco as Werther and Maurizio as well as Don Carlo. His squillo radiates around his fervent tone. He was always nervous and that enhances his portrayal of Carlo, the odd prince. He is beautiful to watch and his duets with Caballe and Bruson are spellbinding dances, filled with what Thomas Mann called "Spanish Etiquette"--grave and to-the-death. Bruson sings with high Verdi style; his gorgeous voice has deep sadness. Caballe outdoes herself on this night, always taking her time with her ascending kong lines, swelling her inimitable dark timbre. She opens up her voice at climaxes and astonishes the listener.. Bumbry dramatizes Eboli's two arias in contrasting ways. She has the wit and technique for the veil song and the self loathing for her tremendous "O don Fatale". Her voice cuts sumptuously and the crowd erupts. Simon Estes did not leave many DVDs but here he sings Fillipo with a glorious upper register, deep commitment, and implacable dignity. He is the most underrated singer in this group. Thomas Fulton conducts a detailed, varied account of this grandest of all Verdi's operas. Too bad the orchestra lets him down. Indeed, too bad he left us all so soon. Although the picture is dark, the spotlight captures individual singers and shows total commitment on their faces. Of all the many Don Carlo CDs and DVDs I own, this performance (along with the Solti/Tebaldi/Bergonzii/Chiaurov/Talvela CD) will draw me back compulsively for a long time.

I liked what I saw. However, it is nothing like what I remember reading in high school. I fell asleep during part of it, so maybe he fought the windmills during that point. It was a nice touch to do the whole thing in Spanish too, added to the authenticity.

To my shame, I must reckon I didn't quite like "Don Carlo" the first time I heard it. But it has been steadily growing in my heart throughout the years, and now it as a very special place. It is a rare flower of sadness and beauty. And this is the best performance of this opera I've ever heard, and I've heard quite a few. The orchestra could be better, the overwhelming Roman stage simply devours the production, and the open-air recording is not perfect...but who cares? This is a dream cast of five huge, wonderful, powerful, moving voices at their very best. Each and every one of them alone would account for an unforgettable performance...and the five of them together, in a state of grace, is nothing short of a miracle that reaches musical heaven. Bruson, arguably the best verdian baritone of the latest decades; Bumbry and the powerful velvet of her mezzo voice; Aragall, a sadly underrated tenor whose bad nigths are almost as legendary as his good ones (and this is not just one of his good ones, this is a jaw-dropping performance to blush Pavarotti himself); Estes sings one of the saddest, most beautiful arias of the history of opera with a sweetness that makes other darker performaneces pale; and last, but not least, Caballé, whose miraculous, impossible pianissimi have never, and will never, be equalled by a long shot. The audience raves from beginning to end, and has all the reasons to. This is truly a historic performance, not just of "Don Carlo" or any Verdi opera, but one of the most breathtakingly beautiful, most powerful vocal performances of the history of opera. The only sad thing is that such a cast would simply be impossible today, when marketing-stars have replaced true voices.

I just received this DVD from Amazon and was very excited to watch it. Let me be clear...I am a die-hard fan of Montserrat Caballe (LA SUPERBA). I had the great pleasure of seeing her live every time she appeared at the Met in New York City...many, many thrilling performances. She does not fail us here in "Don Carlo". She has a great cast with her..Grace Bumbry (as the great mezzo she was before she made that transition to soprano in the 1970's), Giacomo Aragall, Renato Bruson, Simon Estes and Luigi Roni. The production is from the Theatre Antigue d'Orange in 1984. The Director is Jean-Claude Auvray and the Conductor is Thomas Fulton...both have done an excellent job. The video and audio qualities are good. The Amazon description page does not state it but the available sound to select includes both DD 5.1 AND DTS 5.1. Now keep in mind the the Theatre Antique is an ancient Roman structure...it has a huge stage. Do not expect the great video-recording we would get from the Met, San Francisco or Covent Garden...it is somewhat primitive but adequately serves its purpose. The audio is far more advanced. The bottom line is this...CABALLE!!! There are only 3 DVD performances of Caballe available: this one, her "NORMA" from this same theatre in 1974 with Vickers, and the 1976 "ADRIANA LECOUVREUR" from Tokyo with Carreras and Cossotto. At least we have these three performances to historically document her brilliant career. You will not be disappointed with this "DON CARLO"!

I listened to this dvd again and had to change my original review....musically it is great....Caballe sings with great feeling and artistry and it works despite her inability to move with ease. Unfortunately, the first act is left out....the rest of the cast is fine though the tenor seems afraid to get too close to Caballe.

Here you have the wonderful Montserrat Caballe with a tenor with seldom see; Giacomo Aragal has a lot of talent it's truly a shame we don't see more of him.

An absolute must for all the admirers of Jaume Aragall. The performance is from Orange on a very windy night, a strong mistral. All the cast were excellent and the duets between Caballe. Bruson and Jaume sublime.

Una delle edizioni giustamente più celebri di uno dei capolavori di Verdi.

Empfehlenswerte Aufnahme

Ce DVD enregistré en direct aux Chorégies d’Orange en 1984 n’est pas d’une grande qualité technique, mais c’est un bijou qui intéressera nombre de fervents d’opéra : - En premier lieu ceux qui, comme moi, ont eu la chance de vivre ce moment exceptionnel, en communion avec les milliers de spectateurs présents ce soir-là dans les arènes, il constitue un formidable souvenir. Tout y était, la ferveur, une certaine convivialité, le spectacle, les costumes somptueux d’Elisabeth, du roi, la douce chaleur d’un bel été et même un peu de mistral. - Puis tous ceux qui ont apprécié les merveilleux interprètes réunis sur le plateau ce soit là, ils étaient tous au summum de leur art, ils ont aujourd’hui autour de 75 ans. Seul le jeune et brillant chef d’orchestre, dont on apprécie ici la qualité et le dynamisme, Thomas Fulton, disparu trop tôt nous manque. Ils regretteront peut-être l’absence du premier acte. Dans l’ordre d’entrée en scène, l’infant Giacomo Aragall nous fait rappeler le magnifique ténor qu’il fut dès son premier air, une voix claire, lyrique, modulée, sachant monter en puissance, l’égal de son compatriote catalan José Carreras dans le jeu scénique. Il est rejoint par Posa incarné par le plus grand baryton verdien de l’époque, Renato Bruson, dans la pure tradition belcantiste, voix chaude, chaleureuse, qui convient parfaitement au rôle tout dévoué qu’il est à Don Carlo. Leur grand duo du serment est grandiose. Puis celle qui pour moi est à jamais la princesse Eboli va de suite nous éblouir avec la chanson sarrasine, entourée des dames de la cour superbement parées. Elle nous livrera plus tard un « Oh don fatale », sous le vent qui gonfle sa robe l’obligeant à protéger son oreille, impressionnant, comme seule elle sait le donner, avec cette voix à l’étendue rare, pleine de chaleur, aux aigus puissants et à la présence scénique saisissante. Et voici Elisabeth, Montserrat-Caballé au sommet de sa gloire, superbement vêtue, elle rejoint Don Carlo et nous délivre rapidement des sons d’une pureté qui n’appartiennent qu’à elle, une maîtrise du souffle, avec des nuances qui donnent à son chant une expression dramatique comme peu de soprano peuvent le faire. On lui pardonnera d’être un peu statique quand arrivera le moment d’extase que va être l’inoubliable « tu che le vanita » que personne n’a jamais aussi bien chanté. Elle chante la vanité du monde et en fait un trésor. Le public n’en finissait pas d’applaudir, des fleurs arrivaient à ses pieds, alors, après peut-être une minute d’ovation, elle a d’abord légèrement levé les yeux en esquissant un léger sourire, puis comme cela ne suffisait pas au public, elle a franchement mais délicatement remercié en levant les yeux. Un instant unique, inoubliable, qui à lui seul mérite l’acquisition de ce DVD. Enfin, petit-fils d’esclave devenu ici le roi Philippe II, Simon Estes grande basse américaine, imposant par sa taille, est doté d’une voix puissante et grave qui s’exprime avec toutes les nuances voulues dans le célèbre air d’entrée du 4° acte. Son dialogue avec Posa est également un moment fort par la confrontation vocale de ces énormes chanteurs ; une autre confrontation avec le Grand Inquisiteur est également une scène remarquable où S. Estes joue avec grandeur puis humilité. Alors, ce DVD ne me fait pas oublier celui qui demeure la référence absolue, avec des interprètes du même niveau, je parle de celui du Met avec notamment le couple Ghiaurov/Freni+ toujours Grace Bumbry dirigé par J. Levine, le premier acte y est présent, et la qualité technique est très supérieure ; mais j’aurai souvent plaisir à revoir le spectacle d’Orange, et pas seulement sentimentalement, mais parce que c’est un document de l’histoire de cet opéra et de l’opéra tout court.

Réunir 5 super-stars dans un lieu magique, ce n'est pas toujours possible. Ici, dans le cadre enchanteur des arènes d'Orange c'est devenu faisable en cette nuit de 1984. Pour La Caballé ce n'était pas une nouveauté puisqu'elle y avait triomphé, dix ans plus tôt, dans une "Norma" mémorable qui n'a jamais été égalée depuis. Mais les autres.... Simon Estes est impressionnant dans le rôle de Phiulippe II, de par sa prestance mais aussi sa voix puissante au timbre cuivré qui monte sans efforts jusqu'aux plus hauts gradins. Son grand duo avec Rodrigo est un moment inoubliable. Il faut dire que Renato Bruson était, à cette époque, le plus grand baryton vderdien avec Cappuccilli. Son legato, sa ligne de chant, sa virilité étaient remarquables. Grace Bumbry est égale à elle-même, féline, féminine, fébrile, et ses deux airs sont très applaudis. Le couple Aragall-Caballé ne s'unit vraiment vocalement qu'au dernier acte, avec ces timbres cristallins qui en font un duo unique. Une soirée historique, donc, même si l'image et le son ne convient plus à ce que nous sommes en droit d'exiger aujourd'hui.

Témoignage d’une autre époque où l’importance des voix primait. Et tant pis si pour certains ce spectacle vient un peu tard dans leur carrière (surtout Montserrat la sublime qui n’a aucun mal à arracher mes larmes avec « non pianger mia compania »)Bumbry percutante, Bruson et Estes au sommet et Aragall qui prouve que lui aussi était un immense ténor.