Don Carlos
also Don Carlo, Don Karlos
grand opéra · grand opéra en cinq actes
Composer Giuseppe Verdi
Librettist Joseph Méry, Camille du Locle
Synopsis
Don Carlos, heir to the Spanish throne, is betrothed to Elisabeth of Valois, who is married instead to his father, Philip II. His friend Rodrigo urges him to take up the cause of oppressed Flanders, while Princess Eboli, rejected by Carlos, nurses a jealousy that threatens to expose them all.
Versions
Key facts
- Premiere
- 11 March 1867, Salle Le Peletier, Paris
- Acts
- 5
- Language
- French (fr)
- Setting
- Fontainebleau and Spain, about 1560.
What's different
Cut substantially during rehearsals (around a quarter of an hour, including the opening woodcutters' chorus and the Philippe–Carlos duet later reworked as the Lacrymosa of the Requiem) so that suburban audiences could catch the last trains. The uncut rehearsal text survives from 1866 and is sometimes performed today, though it was never itself staged at the time.
Dramatis personae
| Role | Voice | Created by |
|---|---|---|
| Élisabeth de Valois Daughter of Henri II of France, married to Philippe II. | soprano (spinto) | Marie Sass |
| Don Carlos Infante of Spain, son of Philippe II. | tenor (spinto) | Jean Morère |
| Rodrigue, marquis de Posa Carlos's friend, advocate for Flanders. | baritone (Verdi baritone) | Jean-Baptiste Faure |
| Philippe II King of Spain. | bass | Louis-Henri Obin |
| La princesse Éboli Lady-in-waiting, the king's mistress, in love with Carlos. | mezzo-soprano (dramatic) | Pauline Guéymard-Lauters |
| Le Grand Inquisiteur Blind, ninety years old, and the king's master. | bass (profondo) | Joseph David |
| Un moine A monk at Saint-Just. | bass | Armand Castelmary |
| Thibault Elisabeth's page. | soprano | Léonia Levielly |
| Comtesse d'Aremberg Lady-in-waiting to Élisabeth. | silent role | Caroline Dominique |
| Le comte de Lerme A Spanish courtier. | tenor | Gaspard |
| Un héraut royal A royal herald. | tenor | Mermant |
| Une voix d'en haut A voice from heaven. | soprano | — |
Key facts
- Premiere
- 2 December 1872, Teatro di San Carlo, Naples
- Acts
- 5
- Language
- Italian (it)
- Setting
- Fontainebleau and Spain, about 1560.
What's different
Sources give the Naples run variously as November or December 1872; 2 December is the most commonly cited first night. Verdi rewrote the Philip–Posa duet and shortened the final Carlos–Elisabeth duet.
Translator Achille de Lauzières, Antonio Ghislanzoni
Dramatis personae
| Role | Voice | Created by |
|---|---|---|
| Elisabetta di Valois Daughter of Henri II of France, married to Philippe II. | soprano (spinto) | Teresa Stolz |
| Don Carlo Infante of Spain, son of Philippe II. | tenor (spinto) | Filippo Patierno |
| Rodrigo, marchese di Posa Carlos's friend, advocate for Flanders. | baritone (Verdi baritone) | Virgilio Collini |
| Filippo II King of Spain. | bass | Ladislao Müller |
| La principessa Eboli Lady-in-waiting, the king's mistress, in love with Carlos. | mezzo-soprano (dramatic) | Maria Waldmann |
| Il Grande Inquisitore Blind, ninety years old, and the king's master. | bass (profondo) | Gaetano Monti |
| Un frate A monk at Saint-Just. | bass | Raffaele D'Ottavi |
| Tebaldo Elisabeth's page. | soprano | Bice Da Ponte |
| Contessa d'Aremberg Lady-in-waiting to Élisabeth. | silent role | — |
| Il conte di Lerma A Spanish courtier. | tenor | Enrico Guarnieri |
| Un araldo reale A royal herald. | tenor | Salvatore Mele |
| Una voce dal cielo A voice from heaven. | soprano | — |
Key facts
- Premiere
- 10 January 1884, Teatro alla Scala, Milan
- Acts
- 4
- Language
- Italian (it)
- Setting
- Spain, about 1560.
What's different
The Fontainebleau act and the ballet removed, and much of the rest rewritten, the most thorough of the revisions. Composed to a revised French text, but first performed in Italian and effectively never staged in French.
Reviser Camille du Locle, Charles Nuitter
Translator Angelo Zanardini
Dramatis personae
| Role | Voice | Created by |
|---|---|---|
| Elisabetta di Valois Daughter of Henri II of France, married to Philippe II. | soprano (spinto) | Abigaille Bruschi-Chiatti |
| Don Carlo Infante of Spain, son of Philippe II. | tenor (spinto) | Francesco Tamagno |
| Rodrigo, marchese di Posa Carlos's friend, advocate for Flanders. | baritone (Verdi baritone) | Paul Lhérie |
| Filippo II King of Spain. | bass | Alessandro Silvestri |
| La principessa Eboli Lady-in-waiting, the king's mistress, in love with Carlos. | mezzo-soprano (dramatic) | Giuseppina Pasqua |
| Il Grande Inquisitore Blind, ninety years old, and the king's master. | bass (profondo) | Francesco Navarrini |
| Un frate A monk at Saint-Just. | bass | Leopoldo Cromberg |
| Tebaldo Elisabeth's page. | soprano | Amelia Garten |
| Contessa d'Aremberg Lady-in-waiting to Élisabeth. | silent role | Angela Pirola |
| Il conte di Lerma A Spanish courtier. | tenor | Angelo Fiorentini |
| Un araldo reale A royal herald. | tenor | Angelo Fiorentini |
| Una voce dal cielo A voice from heaven. | soprano | — |
Key facts
- Premiere
- 29 December 1886, Teatro comunale di Modena, Modena
- Acts
- 5
- Language
- Italian (it)
- Setting
- Fontainebleau and Spain, about 1560.
What's different
The 1884 four acts with the Fontainebleau act restored and no ballet; published by Ricordi as a new five-act edition, sanctioned by Verdi though he composed nothing new for it. Chosen as primary because it is what most houses now stage and what a visitor is most likely to have seen, notwithstanding that the four-act Milan version has the stronger claim to be Verdi's considered final thought.
Dramatis personae
| Role | Voice | Created by |
|---|---|---|
| Elisabetta di Valois Daughter of Henri II of France, married to Philippe II. | soprano (spinto) | Maria Peri |
| Don Carlo Infante of Spain, son of Philippe II. | tenor (spinto) | Francesco Signorini |
| Rodrigo, marchese di Posa Carlos's friend, advocate for Flanders. | baritone (Verdi baritone) | Agostino Gnaccarini |
| Filippo II King of Spain. | bass | Alfonso Mariani |
| La principessa Eboli Lady-in-waiting, the king's mistress, in love with Carlos. | mezzo-soprano (dramatic) | Eugenia Mantelli |
| Il Grande Inquisitore Blind, ninety years old, and the king's master. | bass (profondo) | Eugenio Barberat |
| Un frate A monk at Saint-Just. | bass | Vittorio Navarrini |
| Tebaldo Elisabeth's page. | soprano | Amalia Raschi |
| Contessa d'Aremberg Lady-in-waiting to Élisabeth. | silent role | — |
| Il conte di Lerma A Spanish courtier. | tenor | Gusmano Barbieri |
| Un araldo reale A royal herald. | tenor | Gusmano Barbieri |
| Una voce dal cielo A voice from heaven. | soprano | — |
Source
Written from
- Parker, R. (1992) 'Don Carlos', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 1, pp. 1198-1202.