Don Carlos in Barcelona

As a proud Opera Populist, Opera Chic has a soft spot for Verdi's trilogia popolare (but to impress Milan snobs she rattles off a small lecture, memorized over the years, about Verdi's obscure masterpiece, Jerusalem, that she actually, really likes a LOT). She nevertheless has a soft spot for Verdi's forays into Grand Opera: and she wishes she could fly to Barcelona because on Saturday, exactly 106 years after Maestro Verdi's death (at the Grand Hotel Et De Milan), the 1867 French language version of Don Carlos will be staged at the Liceu de Barcelona (Farina/Alvarez/Benini). And, as you see in the photos, it's a Don Carlos with ninjas.

Opera Chic is also the proud owner of the Alagna/Hampson/Pappano version (nobody booed then). But don't tell anyone.

Comments

[a.]

the set looks really cool. all bleak and minimalist. awesome. i wish i could be in barcelona as well. nothing interesting is happening over here. just a few minor productions. eh.

[Donna Anna]

Nothing to be ashamed of--that's a cast for the ages. Van Daam is a powerfully menacing Filipo and Hampson is a great Posa. And Alagna is f***g amazing. Beautifully sung and acted with heartbreaking vulnerability. Which makes all the shenanigans of the past six weeks so painful. Bien dommage...et triste.

[Micaela]

This must be the Konwitschny staging. I saw it in Vienna, and this is clearly the same set and costumes at least. I thought it was brilliant, but there was some booing going on after the dream sequence, and after the auo-da-fe procession went through the lobby of the house during intermission (no Alagna, though).

(The dream sequence is set to the ballet music and is from Eboli's point of view. It's a combination of wishful thinking and dream logic, which does eventually end up with Posa as a pizza delivery man, which is probably the most (in)famous thing about this production. There was a lot more weird stuff, but I've gone on enough. I think there's a video on the Staatsoper website if anyone wants to dig.)

I also love the Pappano recording, and must throw in some praise for Karita Mattila's wonderful Elisabeth.

I saw the Met production in December, and it's just not the same in Italian.