Verdi - Don Carlos (Original French Version) / Pappano, Alagna, Hampson, Theatre du Chatelet

Starring:JosÃ© van Dam, Roberto Alagna, Thomas Hampson, Karita Mattila, Waltraud Meier, Eric Halfvarson, Csaba Airizer, Anat Efrati, Donna Brown (II), Scott Weir, Laurent Austry, Paul Gay (II), Andrew Golder, Paul Medioni, Joel Mitchell, Guillaume Perault, Marie-Louise Bondy, Armelle Berengier, JÃ©rÃ´me Nicolin
Director: Yves-AndrÃ© Hubert
Studio: Kultur Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
This is a 1996 all-star production from Paris of the original French version of Verdi's epic five-act opera, Don Carlos. First produced in 1867, only Wagner would write musical drama on a grander scale, and because of the three-and-a-half-hour running time, most subsequent productions have made substantial cuts. This is therefore a rare opportunity to witness Verdi's tragedy in its entirety.

Amazon.com

This is a 1996 all-star production from Paris of the original French version of Verdi's epic five-act opera, Don Carlos. First produced in 1867, only Wagner would write musical drama on a grander scale, and because of the three-and-a-half-hour running time, most subsequent productions have made substantial cuts. This is therefore a rare opportunity to witness Verdi's tragedy in its entirety.

Description

The original French version in five acts by Ursula Günther, revised after the original version by Ursula Günther and Luciano Petazzoni. Published by Ricordi Milan.

Customer Reviews:

Bravo for including Act I of Don Carlos!.......2006-05-26

This is a great production of Don Carlos, partly because it includes Act I which is so often omitted. Here we have Verdi's original French version of the opera. Without Act I, the opera doesn't come alive for me until the final two acts because it's not until then that all the characters feel like flesh and blood people. In Act I, we get Don Carlos and Elisabeth's touching love duet, followed by the heartbreaking choice on her part to marry Carlos' father. These scenes make the subsequent motivations and sufferings of the characters clear, starting in Act II with Don Carlos' and Rodrigue's Oath Duet (which had never fully made sense to me) and ending with Elisabeth's Act V aria in which she recalls the joyous moment she shared with Don Carlos at Fontainebleau (the setting of Act I).

Karita Mattila, as Elisabeth, is the star of this production. Her voice is rich, strong, and expressive; and, as icing on the cake, it's mysteriously sweet. Her high pianissimo is breathtaking. She's perfection as Elisabeth, a tragic figure trying to do the right thing politically, but in secret mourning for her lost love and her lost country. Her final aria, "Toi qui sus le neant," is stunning.

Roberto Alagna is unpredictable on DVD. His voice is not always beautiful to listen to. It can grate (one reviewer called it "leathery" and another "thin and tinny") and he has a tendency to turn sharp. But, on key or not, his voice is always expressive and he's totally committed to his characters onstage. I think he's terrific here, using both voice and acting ability to portray Don Carlos' weaknesses and tormented soul. As a bonus, he and Mattila have great onstage chemistry.

The rest of the cast is strong too. There's not a weak link. As a result, we're treated to sterling displays of the major voice types: soprano and tenor (already discussed); mezzo-soprano (Waltraud Meier as Eboli); baritone (Thomas Hampson as Rodrigue); and bass (Jose van Dam as Phillip). This is a great production, one of the best operas I've seen on DVD.

yeachhh.......2006-04-22

This is the production that unleashed "The Beast"...singing in the tiny intimate jewl box Theatre du Chatelet, Thomas Hampson began to believe that he could sing Verdi...this production proves again that he CANNOT...after these performances, Hampson began to sing, Macbeth, Ford, Germont and a host of others...all badly and all forgetable...i suppose we will get Hampson as Renato, Amonasro, Miller and Iago before too long...my ears are bleeding already....please stop, Thomas...we can't take it any more

Problems with the concept.......2005-05-09

First let me say that there is much in the way of incredible singing in this production, and I will cover that thouroughly, but, first I must adress the concept of Carlos in french.
I thought that Verdis dramatic opera, with many Wagnerian aspects, its intense outbursts of visceral emotion and extreme melodrama, calls for italianate spinto voices, and not those of the Lyric french nature. First Roberto Alagna has an INCREDIBLE voice and I am a fan of his artistry. But I get very little inspiration out of his Carlos. His voice lacks ping and spinto to carry moments of extreme desperation over the orchestra to the audience. his voice is elegant and matches from top to bottom, with liquid beauty in all registers. So when he sings his top notes they have beauty, yes, but not the desperation of a spinto voice, (of say Domingo, Corelli or Richard tucker or even Carreras who pushed his voice to sound as a spintos.) Now the voices I just mentioned all lack the beauty of Alagnas french Lyric instrument, but they are ideally suited for the dramatic intensity of the Chapel scene, Sire Egli tempo chio vivo... ect. In the love sections, Alagna sounds like Werther or Des Greiux (Massanet) rather than the more desperate ardor of Don Carlos. This is not to say that Alagna cant sing Carlos, but Verdis magic (unlike Massanet) was his dramatic flare, rather than stylistic touch, and the music is missing that, but to his credit, he never forces and leets his voice shape his concept of the charachter (he is a fabulous actor)
Hampson (looking awesome with that flowing hair) is also underweight and lyric in a role created of the talents of screaming intense Baritones like Milnes, Cappucilli, and yellers like Nucci and MacNeil. I am not condeming Hampsons voice, but its sounds Motzartean, and again misses the sort of climaxes Verdi writes.
As if a broken record I have the same complaint of Jose Van Dam. He hasnt got the low notes or volume on the bottom. Listen to the famous phrase, after the Grand Inquisitors scene, he does not even phonate on the low G, he makes no sound at all, merely opening his mouth. This takes away all of King Phillips power. His concept of the charachter, however, is very good.
Interestingly Mattila is ideally cast as Elisibetta, and is great! Fabulous! Her voice is large and her interpretation is solid. She and Alagna are very much in love, and I really appreciate the concept and the voice.
Overall this Don Carlos is slowly paced and underweight. This takes away the punch that the work has when it has Italian dramatic voices.

Excellent modern video of Verdi's grandest opera.......2005-03-30

Verdi's Don Carlos was originally meant to be a French grand opera, replete with a ballet. He revised the opera several times. One version eliminates the first act altogether. The version performed at the Met is the "1886" version, which restores the original first act, but also uses the Italian translation. There is a video of that Don Carlo available. It has an excellent cast and is a rather stiff, old-fashioned production.
This 1996 video from the Paris Chatelet restores the original French language, and is probably closer to the very first Don Carlos performance, although the ballet is cut. The production is also non-traditional, although it's not regie either. It follows the libretto very closely in concept and action, but the sets and costumes are a mix of Renaissance and modern. For instance, in the garden scene, Carlos and Elisabeth sit on bright blue benches but are wearing period clothing. Eboli does not have an eyepatch.

Vocally, the performance is excellent, if smaller-scaled than many audiences are accustomed in Verdi. Roberto Alagna is the infante Don Carlos, and he succeeds in making this role the center of the drama. Many Carlos are upstaged by Philips and Ebolis and Posas. Not here. Alagna's vocalism is occasionally ragged (he hits a particularly shaky period during the auto-de-fe scene), and he has a tendency to sing sharp. But he's an excellent actor -- always impassioned. He is pint-sized (the rest of the cast fairly towers over him), and this is put to good use in the production. Alagna's Carlos seems weak, overwhelmed and dominated.
This production makes the Posa/Carlos relationship more overtly "gay" than the Met production. Thomas Hampson as Posa is saddled with an unattractive shaggy wig and a five-o-clock shadow that seems like drawn-on charcoal. But his vocalizing is smooth and beautiful, and what a joy it is to hear a Posa that actually sings the trills in the score. His duets with Carlos are my favorite moments of the opera.
Karita Mattila is Elisabeth, Carlos's unhappy stepmother. Her voice is not as warm as Mirella Freni (Met prod), but as always with this soprano Mattila convinces through sheer will, it seems. The same can be said of Waltraud Meier's Eboli. She is visually beautiful to look at. Her voice is on the small and lean side for Eboli. The role probably also lies too high for her -- her O don fatale doesnt have the thrust and power that high mezzos and sopranos (thinking Dolora Zajick, Grace Bumbry, and Frida Leider) can bring to the aria. But again, Meier seems so immersed in her character that we the audience also believe. The only disappointment was Jose van Dam's Philip. He seems to be having a bad day. His long aria is strangely choppy and bumpy, and he has issues traversing the role's long, unbroken vocal lines. Nor is his acting compelling. His Philip does not seem particularly anguished or angry. Despite Philip's cold underhanded ways I think if the bass does his job the role should be extremely touching. I wasnt touched by van Dam, although I've enjoyed this great bass in many other roles. So as I said, I assume he's just having a bad day.

One of the Best Opera DVDs Period.......2005-02-05

Pappano led an achingly beautiful performance with excellent work from the
orchestra and chorus. I find this to be one of Verdi's most unusual
scores - at times the music is so far different than nearly anything else he
wrote; simultaneously sounding traditional yet remarkably modern. Pappano
brought out all of these elements and his pacing was beautiful, never once
feeling either dragged out or rushed.

I've had ups and downs in my listening experiences with Roberto Alagna, but
here, vocally and dramatically he perfectly captured every nuance, every
strength and every heartbreaking weakness of this character reminding me
throughout of Hamlet. He was in astonishingly beautiful voice, his tone
ringing and with a remarkable sheen. His ability to shade the voice in a
variety colors and dynamics made this an uniquely individual portrayal.

The production is quite simple and effective, placing the emphasis on the
story telling and the music (in my opinion, that's as it should be).

I'm not certain how much rehearsal went into this production by Luc Bondy,
but there was not a false moment throughout this opera's considerable
length. Every detail, every movement flows with a rare and natural ease.
In Gilles Aillaud's sets, Moidele Bickel's costumes and Vincio Cheli's
beautiful lighting, every frame looks like a Murillo or El Greco masterpiece
come to life. Two particularly arresting images stand out in the St. Just
scene; the first, just before the the entrance of Philip and Elisabeth -
Carlos accepts Posa's request to return with him to Flanders, as Carlos
kneels, Posa rests his head Carlos's shoulder. The second such moment
follows the King and Queen's procession; Carlos extends his right arm out
towards the now offstage couple as Posa grabs his other arm preventing his
friend from following; creating a canvas of tortured angles: all arms,
necks, heads, legs, backs, walls and shadows - all transformed into a tragic
study of pain and rejected comfort.

The Fontainebleau scene is remarkable. In this barren forest of white trees
Carlos and Elisabeth in their deep crimson costumes become as a single heart
beating in a forest of death. Karita Mattila brings a certain dramatic
quality that I've not encountered before in this role - at first coltish,
almost tom-boyish, when Carlos lights the fire in the woods. Then, as he
mentions that she will marry the son of Philip, she becomes girlish,
nervous. In just these few moments she's already established a bewitching
character. In the manner of a true princess, this Elisabeth appears to be
slightly vague about herself, but it is clear she is smitten and flirts with
Carlos. Her outward strength, however, is just that - a facade - for too
soon it becomes obvious that this is a girl raised at court who knows full
well that she is but a pawn and will play the part she's given. At the
horrible news that she is to marry Philip instead of Carlos , they are both
crushed as the chorus, in ghostly white, enters singing her praises. As
they lift her into the air and place her on a white horse to be led away,
she knows she is not only leaving behind home but any dream of happiness.
All turn their backs to Carlos who alone falls onto a rock, destroyed
"Destiny has shattered my dreams." Having seen this scene so beautifully
staged, I simply can't imagine its being left out of any production again.

Throughout this production the electricity between all of the characters is
stunning, and the physicality of the scene between Carlos and Elisabeth
outside of the convent takes on a desperate violent quality that is, to say
the least, startling.

As Rodrigue, Thomas Hampson gives what has to be one of his best
performances. Combining humility, loyalty, compassion, pride and a sense of
justice, his Posa is remarkably complex, and by far one of the most
interesting good guys in all of Verdi. The voice is never big, but rich,
well controlled and his sense of phrasing and attention to detail nothing
short of remarkable. He also has a wicked good trill. At times, especially
in his big scene with Philip, Hampson's voice seems to take on a tenorial
quality - a remarkably lyrical Rodrigue, but with a sure sense of strength
of purpose.

And, ah that Philip. Mr. Van Dam is a marvel; firm of tone, every word
distinct and filled with meaning. The role, while at times a little low
lying for him, fits like a glove. I have always want to hate Philip, but in
this production he seems more pathetic, more a pawn of the Inquisitor, than
I've experienced before. Van Dam pulls off this vulnerability without once
sacrificing the strength of his character. Very interesting
characterization.

Waltraut Meier couldn't have been anybody's idea of an ideal Eboli, yet, she
inhabits the character so fully turns in a magnificent performance, and
looks damned stunning in doing so. Her vocalism in the Veil Song was kind
of bizarre - it had a "warble" like quality that made it difficult to tell
just what pitch she was actually on, yet she was beguiling and pulled it
off. Once that was out of the way, everything else came from strength. I
do wish that this mezzo would cultivate some chest voice. Her low notes
seem to be her weakest and they sound exactly (except nearly inaudible) as
her middle voice.

Mattila is just a wonder. The voice is capable of so many colors while
retaining a unifying, very individual sound. It is a tough voice to place
into any specific category: it's capable of riding the orchestra and cutting
through it with laser like clarity, yet it retains a sweetness most unusual
to the typically "steely" type of voice that I often associate with
accomplishing that type of singing. Her sustained high piano singing is
nothing short of miraculous, she takes a thin thread of sound that is
perfectly placed and as clean as I could ever imagine (e.g., her farewell to
her exiled lady in waiting), other times she produces an effect that sounds
just as silk gauze feels (reminding Carlos she is now his mother) - it's all
piano, but she sings these moments entirely different from each other.
Remarkable. Every movement, every gesture came directly from her Elisabeth
and went straight into my heart.

With the least amount of stage time, Eric Halfvarson's twisted, crippled
Grand Inquisitor truly becomes a dominant central figure and the very
physical embodiment of evil as he sets a tale of corruption, politics and
religion already near chaos and spins it completely out of control.

I have so much positive to say about this production that I feel I could
write a book on it (don't worry). Nearly every moment in this long work is
filled with heartbreaking magic and beauty, Posa's death scene perhaps
taking place of honour. The Chatelet audience responded with a thunderous
and extended ovation. I wish I'd been there.

Kultur Verdi Collection II / Ernani, Falstaff, I Lombardi, Simon Boccanegra, Nabucco, Don Carlos

Average customer rating:

Kultur Verdi Collection II / Ernani, Falstaff, I Lombardi, Simon Boccanegra, Nabucco, Don Carlos
Starring: Various Artists
Manufacturer: Kultur Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The La Scala Opera Collection / Adriana Lecouvreur, Lucia di Lammermoor, Cosi fan Tutte, Don Giovanni, Lo Frate 'Nnamorato, La Fanciulla del West, La Donna del Lago, William Tell, Attila, I Due Foscari, I Vespri Siciliani
Verdi - Il Trovatore / Domingo, Kabaivanksa, Cossotto, Cappuccilli, van Dam, Zednik, von Karajan, Vienna Opera
Donizetti - L'Elisir d'Amore / Pavarotti, Battle, Pons, Dara, Upshaw, Levine, Metropolitan Opera

ASIN: B0006213J4
Release Date: 2004-09-28

Description

This outstanding production of Verdi's tragic opera Ernani stars four of the world's great Verdi singers; Placido Domingo, Renato Bruson, Nicolai Ghiaurov and Mirella Freni as the gentle heroine desired by these three rivals. They have been described as "possibly the best quartet of singers any opera house has managed to assemble this year" - The Times. The cast give an impassioned performance under the baton of Riccardo Muti, an acclaimed interpreter of Verdi. Based on Victor Hugo's play, this violent and sombre story of frustrated passion, and ambition thwarted and rewarded, is set by the composer to a succession of irresistible tunes, unsurpassed even in his mature works. The opera's dramatic impetus is simply unstoppable. Sung in Italian, subtitles available in English, French, German, Spanish, and Japanese. Full Screen 4:3, Linear-PCM Stereo.

Verdi was commissioned to write I Lombardi as a direct result of the success of Nabucco the year before. When the opera was first produced at La Scala, Milan in 1843, Verdi's operas were becoming increasingly popular not only in Italy but also abroad. The cast of international opera stars is headed by Jose Carreras as Oronte, Ghena Dimitrova as Giselda, Carlo Bii as Arvino and Silvano Carroli as Pagano. Gabriele Lavia, one of Italy's most popular producers and the designer, Giovanni Agostinucci, have designed sets of awesome Spartan Grandeur which match Verdi's atmospheric score with unprecedented intensity. Sung in Italian, with subtitles available in English, German, and Spanish. Full Screen 4:3, Linear-PCM Stereo.

Falstaff was Verdi's last opera and the climax of his career. Completed in 1893, when the composer was almost eighty, it is also the culmination of Italian comic opera. Librettist Arrigo Boito took the subtance of the piece from Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor, but the central character, who embroils himself in numerous plots and dupes of love and marriage until eventually the Merry Wives get their revenge on him, is much closer to the Falstaff of Henry IV. The jokes are at the expense not of a buffoon, but of a whole man, boisterous and roguish but with an underlying streak of melancholy. In this Theatre Royal del la Monnaie de Bruxelles production, recorded during the 1987 Aix-en-Provence Festival, the titla role is sung by bass-baritone Jose' Van Dam, a genuine actor as well as a consummate singer, as the role demands. Sung in Italian, with subtitles available in English, French, German, Spanish and Japanese. Full Screen 4:3, Dolby Digital Stereo.

14th-Century Genoa is the setting for Simon Boccanegra, one of Verdi's grandest works, and Peter Hall's elegant production, with its palpable sense of atmosphere evoked by John Gunter's sets and costimes, captures perfectly the shadowy world of scheming power politics, set against a shimmering backdrop of the omnipresent sea. Two of Verdi's recurring themes - the beauty of family love and the impossibility of even the best-intentioned political power - are uinted in Simon Boccanegra, an opera whose tenderness and insight can only leave the listener uplifted. Boccanegra's great cry for peace and reconcilliation echoes round the world today as powerfully as it did in the divided Italy of his own lifetime. Starring Elena Prokina and Giancarlo Pasquetto. Performed at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, with Mark Elder conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Sung in Italian with subtitles available in English, German, and Spanish. Full Screen 4:3, Dolby Digital Sound.

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The production of Don Carlos from the Théâtre du Chatelet in Paris "offers insights into Verdi's grand opera drama which no other...has begun to match" (Sunday Times). The original French version in 5 acts, starring Roberto Alagna, Thomas Hampson, Karita Mattila, José Van Dam, Waltraud Meier. Antonio Pappano conducts the Orchestre de Paris. Sung in French. Subtitle selection: English, French, Spanish, Japanese. Anamorphic Widescreen. Dolby Digital Stereo/5.1 Dolby Surround.

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