衛武營國家藝術文化中心 National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying)

By CHIAO Yuan-Pu

"If I had to choose only one of VERDI's operas to be preserved, it would be Don Carlo."

The person who said the above quote was no great figure—it was just me. But if you consider all the recorded versions of Don Carlo, you will find that it is indeed a favorite among great conductors of VERDI's operas. Italian conductors GIULINI, SANTINI, ABBADO, MUTI and PAPPANO, and non-Italian conductors KARAJAN, SOLTI, HAITINK, and LEVINE have put on world-famous performances of the opera. Plenty other excellent audio and video recordings of the opera can be readily found too. The magnificence in the singing and of these conductors bring out the best in each other. If we gathered all the vocalists and conductors from these recordings together, it would be a veritable hall of fame, and you would be unable to tear yourself away from their beautiful music-making.

Don Carlo: VERDI’s Grandest and Longest Opera 

There is irony in my analysis. The profound meaning and mise-en-scène in Don Carlo require precise strategy and skill. The different voices and technical difficulty of the piece mean that it must be performed by only the best vocalists. Looking at all of VERDI's operas, Don Carlo is fully worthy of being deemed the greatest in terms of meaning, mise-en-scène, difficulty of vocals, richness, presentation, and creativity. Its high degree of difficulty (not to mention that it is VERDI's longest piece) naturally means it is infrequently performed. But when it is performed, it is almost always unforgettable and not to be missed.
 

Seven Versions of Don Carlo(s)

However, Don Carlo is not just one opera. A cursory look reveals at least two versions: a five-act French version (Don Carlos) and a four-act Italian one (Don Carlo), and the difference is not only in the language. But if you look further, you will find there are actually seven versions that today's conductors and directors can choose from. Weiwuying's performance is the four-act Italian one, which happens to be VERDI's definitive version. But why did he create so many versions? We must start from the beginning, the birth of the opera at the Opéra de Paris.
 

Naturally Grand: Opéra de Paris and the International Expo

The Opéra de Paris was the most magnificent performance stage of the 19th century, boasting the acme of vocalists, choirs, orchestras, stage design, and ballet, and it had the best funding in all of Europe. Having had enough of Italy's censorship, VERDI yearned for Paris' venue. For the sake of the coming International Expo in 1867, Paris did all possible to get VERDI, a world-class composer, to create something new. After several discussions, they decided to adapt Friedrich SCHILLER's play by the same name about a historical incident in the Spanish court. Of course, an opera is not a documentary, and VERDI knew the piece could not be true to history. Still, some aspects of VERDI's opera are "Shakespearian" in the facts, and the characters are sure to make a deep impression on you. VERDI emphasized, "To copy the truth can be a good thing, but to invent the truth is better, much better."
 

And how is the "truth" created? VERDI went all out to do what he said he would. Through music, he created a splendid royal palace, a dark prison of death, a crazy public, and a horrifying execution yard. It is not hard to imagine that if you wanted to factually reproduce the history, you would need an ornate stage design and costumes. This is why Weiwuying has collaborated with an opera house in Belgium to obtain the necessary scenery materials and props. And just how great is the singing and how unique is the plot in Weiwuying’s production? We will deal with that in the next bimonthly guide. 
 

Learn More:

G. VERDI - Don Carlo