Don Carlo

Also known as Don Carlos - with an "s", this is the pinnacle Verdi's high mountain of masterpieces. Verdi worked and reworked this opera over the course of 20 years resulting in multiple versions. Actually, the first reworking was not actually by him because it was translated into Italian almost before the French premiere even occured. It's enough to know that it was originally written in French for the Paris Opera, but there is an item below that will provide the details regarding the version evolution.

Performance Note

Don Carlo runs 3 hours and 8 minutes and requires a talk before it starts to set needed context. Accordingly, we will present it over the course of two evenings. Physically, it is two-disc set. We will present the first disc on October 9th, and then the second disc on October 16th.

Our Presentation

2008 production by the the Royal Opera conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano.

Synopsis

English study guide from the Metropolitan Opera. Contains signficifanct background information and the synopsis.

Libretto (français)

Original 1867 French libretto

Libretto (English)

English libretto for the 1867 version. This version is a little longer than the 1886 Modena version. This is Verdi's original version translated into English from the French.

Schiller source play

English translation of the Schiller play upon which the libretto is based.

Historical Context

Brief exposition of the political and religious context of the action of the opera.

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Starts in Fontainbleu forest
Canon fire signals peace between England and France Need to study: