Verdi's Don Carlo
Franco Zeffirelli (stage director), Riccardo Muti (conductor) – With Samuel Ramey (Philip II), Luciano Pavarotti (Don Carlo), Daniela Dessì (Elisabeth de Valois)...
Cast
Franco Zeffirelli — Stage director, set designer
Anna Anni — Costumes designer
Gianni Mantovanini — Lighting designer
Anna Galli — Sculptor
Samuel Ramey — Philippe II, King of Spain
Luciano Pavarotti — Don Carlo, Infante of Spain
Paolo Coni — Rodrigo, Marquis of Posa
Program notes
Luciano Pavarotti gives a tour de force performance for the ages in the lead role of Verdi's Don Carlo at La Scala in Milan, staged by the legendary Franco Zeffirelli! The exceptional cast, which also features bass Samuel Ramey and soprano Daniela Dessì, performs alongside the impeccable house orchestra under the energetic baton of maestro Riccardo Muti.
Composed for the Paris Opera, Don Carlo (known as Don Carlos in its original French version) paints its characters' passions against a backdrop of political and religious forces that control their destiny. During a secret meeting, Don Carlo — heir to the Spanish throne — and French princess Elisabeth of Valois discover a mutual affection and aim to establish peace between France and Spain. In the end, Don Carlo's father, King Philip II, marries Elisabeth instead… The libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Socle anchors the love triangle in the political context of the Inquisition, in a dramatic and epic rewriting of history. Accused at the time of its release of being too "Wagnerian," with the orchestra and its leitmotifs taking center stage, and criticized for its unusual harmonic innovations, Don Carlo stands out today as one of Verdi's richest and most powerful works, made timeless by its thematic treatment of power and oppression.
