Opera Chic is a big fan of scary movies, especially the oeuvre of Italian Master Of Schlock Dario Argento, the creepy genius behind so many hemoglobin-dripping crappy bloody bleedy scawy films. Imagine her glee in reading, earlier today, in Corriere della Sera, an interview with Fiorenza Cedolins and Giuseppe Filianoti, Elisabetta and Carlo in the upcoming Don Carlo that will open la Scala's new season this Sunday, Dec 7th., and la Cedolins states that
"...the plot is twisted, more similar to a Dario Argento thriller than to your usual melodramma. It's the third time I sing in a Don Carlo production, I try not to be influenced by the crescendo of stress, I do my best only when I am relaxed. Elisabetta is a difficult part because she's very difficult to define, she survives her inner death that took place when her dream of love came crashing down. Sorrow can kill you, or leave you permanently numb. If I were really in her shoes, there'd be no doubt in my mind, I'd choose Filippo. There's not even a contest in my mind, Filippo is a fascinating character. Unfortunately, that's what Eboli thinks, too".
Giuseppe Filianoti described his take on Carlo this way:
"Carlo is no hero, he's a weak, insecure, desperate kid. His father neither loves him nor respects him, and steals the object of his affection. I think that his extreme need of affection makes him a sort of Werther, on the verge of an emotional breakdown, with a very feminine sensibility. He faints easily -- the real Carlo was an epileptic -- and his relationship with Marchese di Posa, his best friend, the man Filippo would have wanted as his son, has evident homosexual characteristics. Elisabetta is more of a man than Carlo. She is in charge more than he is, she eggs him on: if you love me, kill your father".