Don Carlos (opera)

Don Carlos (original title in French, Don Carlos; in Italian, Don Carlo) is a grand opéra in five acts with music by Giuseppe Verdi and libretto in French by François Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on the drama Dom Karlos, Infant von Spanien by Schiller. It had its first performance at the Imperial Opera House on March 11, 1867.

Historical facts surround and direct much of the drama. For Verdi, this opera represented the fight for freedom against political and religious oppression, represented in the characters of Felipe II and the Grand Inquisitor. The story is based on conflicts in the life of Prince Charles (1545–1568) after his fiancée, Elizabeth of Valois, married instead of him, her father King Philip II in compliance with one of the agreements adopted in the peace treaty that ended the Italian war of 1551-1559 between the Houses of Habsburg and Valois; the Counter-Reformation, the Inquisition and the rebellion of the Calvinists in Flanders, Brabant and Holland appear.

Over the course of twenty years, cuts and additions were made to the opera, resulting in a variety of versions being available to conductors. No other Verdi opera has so many versions. With its entire length (including the ballet and cuts made before the first performance), it contains around four hours of music, making it Verdi's longest opera.

Revisions and translations

Cuts before the premiere and first published edition

	Le ballet de la reine (o La pilgrim) del Acto III, Scene 2 Interpreted in 2000 by U.S. Marine Band
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Don Carlos was commissioned by the Paris Opera as part of the events surrounding the Universal Exposition of 1867. Verdi made a series of modifications in 1866, after finishing the opera, but before composing the ballet, given the broad expanse of the opera. These included:

• a duo of Isabel and Eboli in Act IV, Scene 1.
• a duo of Charles and the king after the death of Posa in Act IV, Scene 2.
• an exchange between Isabel and Éboli during the insurrection at the same scene.

After the ballet was composed, and during the rehearsal period of 1867, it was noted that, without further cuts, the opera would not finish before midnight (the time audiences would need to leave to catch the last trains to the suburbs from Paris). Verdi then authorized further cuts, as follows:

• The introduction to Act I, with a choir of woodworkers and their wives, and including Isabel's first appearance.
• A brief entry for Posa ("J'étais en Flandres") and a duetto between it and Carlos ("Mon compagnon, mon ami, mon frère") in Act II, Scene 1.
• A duetto between the king and Posa ("Enfant! à mon coeur éperdu") at the end of Act II, Scene 2.

The opera, as published at the time of its premiere, was made up of Verdi's original conception, minus all of the previously noted cuts, but including the ballet.

It was finally premiered in Paris on March 11, 1867. The French version is divided into five acts and the style of the work conforms to the French Grand Opéra. At the premiere, both popular opinion and the most specialized critics were merciless with Verdi and with the apparent irreverence of the work as long as it did not respect a priori the canons that all works with aspirations to be premiered in Paris it had to comply, namely: to present an inalienable structure in five parts; not contain any prosaic dialogue, or that is the same, be fully sung and, of course, contain a ballet in the third act; in that and only in that. The fact of not strictly complying with these requirements, together with the fact that the Empress consort of France, Eugenia de Montijo, Spanish by birth, was present as an exceptional guest, made the day after the premiere a true ordeal for the author who, without a doubt, he did not know how to measure the implications of premiering a work in which the Spanish Court of Felipe II, including the monarch himself, who is veiledly accused in the work of being the culprit of the death of the Infante Don Carlos, logically does not come out well off.

Later cuts in Paris, authorized and unauthorized

After the premiere and before leaving Paris, Verdi authorized the Opera authorities to end Act IV, Scene 2, with the death of Posa (thus omitting the insurrection scene) if they thought it appropriate. After his departure, additional and unauthorized cuts were apparently made during the rest of the performances.

First Italian translation

An Italian translation of Don Carlos was in preparation by Achille de Lauzières as early as the fall of 1866, and Verdi insisted that the opera, still referred to as Don Carlos , was given in the same version in five acts plus a ballet as at the Paris Opera. This Italian translation - with some cuts and alterations - was first presented at the Royal Italian Opera House, Covent Garden in London (today the Royal Opera House) on June 4, 1867 (conductor: Michael Costa), and received its Italian premiere - uncut - at the Bologna Communal Theater on October 27 of that year, directed by Angelo Mariani or in the premiere in Spain, in 1870 (January 27) at the Gran Teatro del Liceo in Barcelona. This version -although it was cut after the first performance given its enormous length- or a very similar one will be the one that will premiere at the Teatro del Circo in Madrid on June 15, 1872.

Later revisions of music and text

After an unsuccessful performance in Naples in 1871, Verdi was persuaded to visit the city for further performances in 1872-3, and he then made two further alterations to the score:

• added to the scene of Posa and the king in Act II, Scene 2 (turned in Italian by Antonio Ghislanzoni) to replace part of the material previously cut. This is the only portion of the entire opera that was composed by Verdi for a text in Italian rather than a French text.
• cuts in the duo between Carlos and Isabel in Act V.

The idea of reducing the dimensions and scale of Don Carlos occurred to Verdi in 1875, partly as a result of hearing accounts of productions, such as Costa's, that had eliminated the Act I and the ballet and introduced cuts in other parts of the opera. By April 1882, he was in Paris when he was ready to make changes. I was already familiar with the work of Charles-Louis-Etienne Nuitter, who had worked on French translations of Macbeth, La forza del destino and Aida. with du Locle, and the three proceeded to spend nine months in major revisions to the French text and music to reduce the play to four acts. It omitted Act I and the ballet, and was finished by March 1883.

Revised Italian translation

An Italian translation of this revised French text, which re-used much of Achille de Lauzieres' original 1866 translation, was made by Angelo Zanardini. The premiere of the review took place at La Scala in Milan on January 10, 1884; perhaps the best known and most performed version, and it bears the name of Don Carlo.

Although Verdi had accepted the need to remove the first act, he seems to have changed his mind and allowed a performance on December 29, 1886 in Modena that featured the first act of "Fontainebleau" along with the revised four-act version. This version was published by Ricordi as "a new edition in five acts without ballet".

In Spain it premiered on January 27, 1870, at the Liceo de Barcelona, sung in Italian.

Later performances

The opera Don Carlos/Don Carlo was rarely performed during the first half of the 20th century, but during the post-war period it has become part of the standard opera repertoire, particularly the "Milanese" After the outstanding 1958 performance of the 1886 Italian five-act version at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (conductor Luchino Visconti), this version has been increasingly performed elsewhere and has been It has been recorded, among others, by Georg Solti and Carlo Maria Giulini. Charles Mackerras conducted the five-act version (complete with Verdi's original prelude, lumberjack scene, and original ending) in an English translation for the English National Opera at the London Coliseum in 1975.

Finally, performances and recordings of the original five-act French version have become more frequent, with performances at the La Scala Theater in 1984 featuring Plácido Domingo with Katia Ricciarelli, at the Châtelet Theater in 1996, featuring Roberto Alagna as Don Carlos (which has been released on CD and DVD), and at the San Francisco Opera in 1986 and 2003. A five-act version including parts not performed in the first Parisian premiere (but omitting the ballet "La Pérégrina") was staged and conducted by Sarah Caldwell with the Boston Opera Company in 1973. The complete uncut French version premiered at the Hamburg opera in 2001 and was later revived at the Staatsoper in Vienna (2006) and at the Teatro del Liceo in Barcelona on January 27, 2007; its director was Bertrand de Billy.

It remains one of the most popular operas; in the Operabase statistics it appears no.

Characters

Plot

This summary is based on the original version of five acts composed for Paris and finished in 1866. The changes highlighted for later versions are noted separately. The first lines of arias, etc., are given in French and Italian.

Act I

This Act is omitted in the 1883 review.

The forest of Fontainebleau, France in winter

A prelude and chorus of lumberjacks with their wives is heard. They complain about their hard life, made worse by the war with Spain. Elizabeth, daughter of the King of France, arrives with her ladies. She assures the town that her upcoming marriage to Don Carlos, son of the King of Spain, will bring an end to the war, and she leaves.

This was cut before the premiere in Paris and was replaced by a brief scene where Isabel crosses the stage and gives money to the woodworkers.

Carlos, coming out of hiding, has seen Isabel and has fallen in love with her (Aria: "Je l'ai vue" / "Io la vidi"). When she reappears, he initially pretends to be a member of the Count of Lerma's legation, but later reveals his identity and his feelings, to which she reciprocates (Duet: "De quels transports poignants et doux" / & #34;Say what love, say how much ardor"). A cannon shot means that peace has been declared between Spain and France, and Thibault informs Isabel that her hand is going to be claimed not by Don Carlos, but by her father, King Felipe II. Lerma and his followers confirm this, and Isabel feels compelled to accept, in order to consolidate peace. She leaves for Spain, leaving Carlos devastated.

Act II

This Act is the I in the 1883 review.

Scene 1: The Monastery of Saint-Just (San Jerónimo de Yuste) in Spain

Monks pray for the soul of Emperor Charles V ("Carlo Quinto"). His grandson Don Carlos enters, distraught because the woman he loves is married to his father.

In the 1883 review, he sang a revised version of the aria "Je l'ai vue" / "Io la vidi", which was saved from the omitted Act I but with some different music and another text to reflect his current situation of knowing since he cannot marry Isabel while in the original it is still supposed that the boyfriend will be him when he sings the aria.

A monk who resembles the previous emperor offers him consolation of peace through God. Carlos's friend Rodrigo, Marquis de Posa, has just arrived from the oppressed lands of Flanders (Aria: "J'étais en Flandres").

This was cut during pre-release trials.

He asks for the Infante's help to help the suffering people of Flanders. Carlos reveals her love for her stepmother. Posa encourages him to leave Spain and go to Flanders. The two men swear an eternal friendship (Duet: "Dieu, tu semas dans nos âmes" / "Dio, che nell'alma infondere"). King Felipe and his new wife, with his assistants, enter to honor the tomb of Carlos V, while Carlos laments his lost love.

Scene 2: A garden near Saint-Just

The princess of Eboli sings the "song of the veil" (& # 34; Au palais des fées & # 34; / & # 34; Nel giardin del bello & # 34;) about a Moroccan king and a veiled beauty who turns out to be his wife to whom he ignores. Elizabeth enters. Posa delivers a letter from France (and secretly a note from Don Carlos). At his request (Aria: "L'Infant Carlos, notre espérance" / "Carlo ch'è sol il nostro amore"), Isabel agrees to see the infant alone Éboli deduces that she is the person that Don Carlos loves.

When they are alone, Don Carlos tells Isabel that he is unhappy, and asks her to beg Felipe to send him to Flanders. She quickly agrees, causing Carlos to renew her declaration of love, which she piously rejects. Don Carlos storms out, yelling that he must be cursed. The king enters and is angry because the queen is alone, without people to attend to her. He orders her lady-in-waiting, the Countess of Aremberg, to return to France, prompting Isabel to sing a sad farewell song to her. (Aria: "Oh ma chère compagne" / "Non pianger, mia compagna"). The king approaches Posa, whose character and activism have made a favorable impression on him. Posa begs the king to stop oppressing the people of Flanders. The king calls Posa's idealistic request "unrealistic," warning him that the Grand Inquisitor is watching him.

This duo was reviewed three times by Verdi.

Act III

This Act is Act II in the 1883 review.

Scene 1: Afternoon in the queen's garden in Madrid

Isabel is tired, and wants to concentrate on the king's coronation in the days ahead. To avoid the divertissement planned for the evening, she exchanges masks with Éboli, assuming that her absence will therefore not be noticed, and she leaves.

This scene was omitted from the 1883 review.

The ballet, (choreographed by Lucien Petipa - the older brother of the also choreographer Marius Petipa - and entitled "The Pérégrina") took place at this point at the premiere.

Don Carlos enters. He has received a note suggesting a rendezvous in the gardens, which he believes comes from Isabel, but is actually from Éboli, to whom he, confused, declares his love for her. The disguised Éboli realizes that he thinks she is the queen, and Carlos is horrified that she now knows her secret. When Posa enters, she threatens to tell the king that Isabel and Carlos are lovers. Carlos stops Posa from stabbing her, and she storms out in a vengeful rage. Posa asks Carlos to trust him with any politically compromising documents she may have, and when Carlos agrees, they reaffirm their friendship.

Scene 2: In front of the cathedral of Valladolid

Preparations are made for an auto-da-fe, public parade, and burning of convicted heretics. While the town celebrates, the monks drag the condemned to the woodpile. The royal procession follows, and the king addresses the town, but Don Carlos brings six Flemish deputies to the fore, who petition the king for the freedom of their country. The people and the court show their sympathy, but the king, supported by the monks, orders the arrest of the deputies. Carlos draws his sword against the king. The king calls for help, but the guards do not attack Carlos. Posa gets in the way and persuades Carlos to give up his sword. The king then appoints Posa duke, the woodpile is set on fire, and as the flames begin to burn, a heavenly voice can be heard promising peace to damned souls.

Act IV

This Act is the third in the 1883 review.

Scene 1: Aurora in King Felipe's study in Madrid

Alone, the engrossed king laments that Isabel has never loved him, that his position means he has to be eternally vigilant, and that he will only sleep properly when he is in his tomb in El Escorial (Aria: &# 34;Elle ne m'aime pas" / "Ella giammai m'amò"). They announce the Grand Inquisitor, blind, ninety years old. The king asks if the Church will object to killing his own son, and the Inquisitor replies that the king will be in good company: God sacrificed His his his own son. In turn, the Arbiter demands that the king kill Posa. The king refuses to kill his friend, whom he admires and cherishes, but the Inquisitor reminds the king that the Inquisition can bring down any king; he has destroyed other kings before. The king admits that he lacks the power to save his friend and begs the Grand Inquisitor to forget all the discussion. The Grand Inquisitor replies "We will see" and he leaves. Isabel enters, alarmed at the apparent removal of her jewel casket, but the king introduces him, pointing to the portrait of Don Carlos it contains, and accuses her of adultery. She protests that she is innocent, and, when the king threatens her, she faints. He asks for help. Éboli and Posa appear, and they sing a quartet ("Maudit soit le soupçon infâme" / "Ah, sii maledetto, sospetto fatale"). The king realizes that he has misjudged his wife. Posa resolves to save Carlos, even if it means his own death. Éboli feels remorse for betraying Isabel; the latter, recovering, expresses her despair.

This quartet was revised by Verdi in 1883.

The two women are left alone. One duet, "J'ai tout compris", was cut before the premiere. Éboli confesses not only that she stole her chest because she loves Carlos and he has rejected her, but, even worse, she has been the king's lover. Isabel tells her that she must go into exile or enter a convent, and she snaps out of it. Éboli, alone, curses the fatal pride that her beauty has caused her, chooses the convent over exile, and decides to try to save Carlos from the Inquisition (Aria: "O don fatal" / "O don fatale").

Scene 2: A prison

Don Carlos has been imprisoned. Posa arrives to tell him that he will be saved, but that he himself will have to die, framed by the politically sensitive documents that Carlos has entrusted to him (Aria, part 1: "C'est mon jour suprème" / & #34;Per me giunto è il di supreme"). A shadowy figure shoots Posa in the chest. Dying, Posa tells Carlos that Isabel will meet him in Saint-Just the next day, telling him that he is happy to die if his friend can save Flanders and rule over a happier Spain (Aria, part 2: "Ah, je meurs, l'âme joyeuse" / "Io morrò, ma lieto in core"). After his death, Felipe enters, offering freedom to his son. Carlos rejects him for having killed Posa. The king sees that Posa has been killed, and yells out his grief.

A duo included in this point for Charles and the king, cut before the premiere, was later used by Verdi for the Lacrimosa in his Réquiem.

The bells ring, and Isabel, Éboli and the Grand Inquisitor arrive, while the people demand the release of Carlos and threaten the king. In the confusion, Éboli runs away with Carlos. The people are brave enough to threaten the king, but are terrified of the Grand Inquisitor, instantly obeying his angry command to calm down and bow to the king.

After the premiere, some productions finished this Act with the death of Posa; however, in 1883 Verdi provided a short version of the insurrection, because he felt that otherwise it would not be clear how Éboli had fulfilled his promise to rescue Carlos.

Act V

This Act is the IV in the 1883 version.

The Moonlit Monastery of Saint-Just

Isabel kneels at the tomb of Charles V. She vows to help Charles on his way to fulfill his destiny in Flanders, but she herself wishes only for death (Aria: "Toi qui sus le néant" /"Tu che la vanità"). Carlos appears and they have a final farewell, promising to meet again in Heaven (Duet: "Au revoir dans un monde où la vie est meilleure" / "Ma lassù ci vedremo in un mondo migliore").

This duo was checked twice by Verdi.

Felipe and the Grand Inquisitor enter: the king declares that there will be a double sacrifice, and the Inquisitor confirms that he will do his duty. A brief summary judgment follows.

The trial was omitted in 1883.

Calling out to God, Carlos draws his sword to defend himself against the Inquisitor's guards, when suddenly, the Monk emerges from the tomb of Carlos V. He grabs Carlos by the shoulder, and loudly proclaims that the turbulence of the world it will persist even in the Church; we cannot rest except in Heaven. Felipe and the Inquisitor recognize the Monk's voice as that of the king's father, the former Emperor Charles V ("Carlo Quinto"). Everyone screams in horror, and the Monk/former Emperor drags Carlos forcefully into the tomb and seals the exit. The curtain falls.

Partitura del aria Your che le vanità.

Reduction for voice and user..

Instrumentation

• Pills: violins, violas, cellos, bass
• Wind: piccolo (folding on the flute), 2 flutes, 2 oboes (the second bending over the English corn), 2 clarinets, 4 fagotes (the third bending over the contraphagot).
• Metals: 4 tubes, 3 cornet à pistons2 trumpets, 3 trumpets, Ophicleide
• Percussion: timpani, bombo, cymbals, triangle, bells in sustained Fa and My bemol
• Other: harp
• On stage: clarinet in re, 2 clarinets in La, 4 tromps, 2 flisconos, 2 trumpets, bass flisconos, 3 trombones, tuba, contra bass, armon, arpa

Discography

There are numerous recordings of this opera, both in Italian and French, the original version and also the revised version. Among them, the most frequently cited are:

• Gabriele Santini / Flaviano Labó (Don Carlo) Antonietta Stella (Elisabetta), Boris Christoff (Philipp II) Ettore Bastianini (Rodrigo), Fiorenza Cossotto (Eboli Princess), Ivo Vinco (The Great Inquisitor). Teatro de La Scala de Milan (1962). Deutsche Grammophon. Italian version in five acts with cuts.
• Georg Solti / Carlo Bergonzi, Renata Tebaldi, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Grace Bumbry, Martti Talvela. Orchestra and choir of the Covent Garden (1965). Decca Cat. No. 421114. Italian version in five acts.
• Carlo Maria Giulini / Placido Domingo, Montserrat Caballé, Ruggero Raimondi, Sherrill Milnes, Shirley Verrett, Giovanni Foiani. Orchestra of the Covent Garden and Ambrosian Opera Chorus (1970). EMI Cat. No. 67397. Italian version in five acts.
• Herbert von Karajan / José Carreras, Mirella Freni, N. Ghiaurov, Piero Cappuccilli, Agnes Baltsa, R. Raimondi. Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Coro de la Deutsche Oper de Berlin (1978). EMI Classics Cat. No. 6930. Italian version in four acts.
• Claudio Abbado / Plácido Domingo, Katia Ricciarelli, R. Raimondi, Leo Nucci, Lucia Valentini Terrani, N. Ghiaurov. Orchestra and choir of the Teatro La Scala in Milan (1984). Deutsche Grammophon Cat. No. 415316. French version in five acts.