Orchestra and Chorus of the Deutsche Oper Berlin - Don Carlos

This performance, taped for TV in 1967, has many of the most famous singers in the German orbit of the time, mostly in prime form, in roles that suit them, a great conductor in his prime, and is a well thought out production.Don Carlos is given in German, in the four act version with the usual cuts of that era, and some extra cuts (the royal procession in the first scene is gone, the middle of the garden scene is gone, cuts are made in all the ensembles in the auto da fe scene, there is a snip -- not the biggest I've heard -- in the final Carlos/Elisabetta duet -- and finally the very end is rewritten by unknown hands -- the Grand Inquisitor grasps Carlos, Elisabetta faints (so no Friar, identification of the Friar as Charles V, and no final B flat.)However, the 'cabinet' scene, act three scene one, in the four act version, one of the greatest Verdi stretches is more complete than it usually was in those days, even though the orchestral introduction is abridged. The entire Elisabetta/Filippo confrontation is included.Sawallisch leads this scene as though he is on fire; it is thrilling but well controlled and powerfully built. His work in the opera as a whole is taut and intense, though he accompanies sensitively when need be. The orchestra sounds good but the choral scenes are slightly muddy in sound perhaps not so important as the big choruses are heavily cut.James King, Pilar Lorengar, the late Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Martti Talvela as the Inquisitor and two famous Wagnerians, Josef Greindl as the King and the once world famous Gunter Treptow in the very small part of the Count de Lerma are here. Patricia Johnson and Lisa Otto, two much appreciated members of the Berlin ensemble, are respectively Princess Eboli and the 'Celestial Voice'.King and Lorengar sound splendid, though they are slightly bland, and one is aware that "Tu che le vanita' is a big sing for her. However one magnificent phrase follows another from both, and he is very expressive when not singing (like many tenors!)Rodrigo was a role closely associated with Fischer-Dieskau. He sings it beautifully, with a trill (!), excellent spin and good legato. He makes big choices as an actor in a style that is emphatic and doesn't always seem spontaneous -- but in his difficult death arias, marvelously done, Rodrigo's love for Carlos and the cause they share shines in his eyes and I found the result very moving.Greindl was famous in the USA mainly through records, though he was a star in Germany and a regular at Bayreuth. He has a dry, distinctive tone, sometimes wobbles and doesn't always sing in tune. But he gives a mesmerizing performance as the tormented king, violent and vulnerable. It's rare to see a singer use silence as he does -- in the great scene that ends act one, between him and Rodrigo, there is a moment where he stares into Fischer-Dieskau's eyes, then slowly circles him, trying to understand this mysterious man who wants nothing for himself but demands peace and justice for occupied Flanders. In the scene with the Inquisitor he makes the King's ruthless cruelty obvious, but when he crumbles before the vicious and powerful Churchman the result is devastating, and his ferocious attack on his wife, who he suspects of adultery with his son, is really dangerous. It's a remarkable impersonation, which, in a visual medium, transcends some ugly and/or approximate singing.Talvela in his prime is a stunning Inquisitor, chilling and ferocious with a huge sounding, black bass voice and no trouble with the role's tricky range. Johnson, is an excellent Eboli, more at ease than many with the florid 'veil song' and passionate and abandoned in 'O Don Fatale', a killer aria she sings very well.The TV production uses close cameras -- they never pull back from the stage. The result is a bit of claustrophobia, some too close scrutiny of singers, and a diminishing of what appears to be a highly detailed, grand production by the famous Gustav Rudolf Sellner.It's hard to know why these choices were made; the Japanese productions of mostly Italian companies in the '50's are better judged. A number of the singers seem self conscious at the close ups, though a performer like Greindl benefits from the scrutiny. There are some momentary blips in the tape.Sound is close but very good.This is an 'out of the main stream' performance, very much of its time in its cuts, and somewhat oddly judged TV production, less slick and manipulated than we would see today. But it is thrilling, involving and cumulatively powerful and moving.

The product has the recording of a memorable opera performance. DON CARLO.

After reading two reviews of this DVD I feel somewhat like a philistine in that my reactions are less than enthusiastic--I refer to Innaurato's review in Amazon and David Shengold's review in Opera News. Although probably not the case currently, certainly even in the sixties the vernacular would have prevailed and the idea that a German play by one of the giants of Germman literature sung in any other language would be unthinkable. But my negative reaction to the performance is not based on the language, but on the savagely cut edition that was used. My introduction to Don Carlo was a four act version on EMI with Gobbi--I never heard an earlier edition released on Cetra. Fortunately Solti and Giulini's recordings let us know that there was much more to DC than we had been granted. The first five act DC was released on DGG but its life in the catalogue was short lived. In the nineties a "French" version, absolutely complete, was released by DGG, conducted by Abbado. All of the artists involved were Italian with the exception of Domingo and only the last named really made an attempt to sing in that language. EMI finally came to the rescue with a French version recorded at the Chatelet. While not utilizing a French cast the artists chosen had more than a nodding acquaintance with the language; it made a huge difference. Verdi may have resented having to go to Paris to write and supervize its production there; he doubtless resented having to make cuts and write a ballet but this is what has come down to us. Surely the composer deserves nothing less than the attemmpt to stage it as close to his conception as possible.Of course the version under consideration is truly a "historical" document and deserves its release regardless of my reaction to it. There is considerable documentation of Fischer-Dieskau the lieder singer but none (until this release) of his work on the stage . There are snippets of Arabella and Frosch and other works, but no complete operas until this DC--and I hesitate to call it complete. His performance is one of distinction and for that reason alone I will return to Posa's great arias. I saw King towards the end of his career--a Fidelio and an Ariadne, both in Vienna. We have become used to lyric tenors assuming the role--surely a dreadful mistake for Villazon--so that King's more heroic performance restores the balance. Greindl's Philipp is better than I would have thought. It is hardly a beautiful voice but he was a serious artists and it is clear that he has given considerable thought to his interpretation. Martti Talvela's Grand Inquisitor surely must be the youngest on record--it certainly is the best sung. Pilar Lorengar's Elizabeth is well sung but to my ears the voice lacks "face". Simply a personal reaction as I am aware there are many who adore the voice and lament the paucity of documentation. Patricia Johnson is the Eboli and she copes with the difficulties better than more recent Eboli's--damming with faint praise but it is a difficult role and few have succeeded.I can't imagine that I would ever purchase another four action version of what is my favorite Verdi opera. Why Muti, von Karajan and others have chosen it strikes me as perverse. Why did the Met and ROH choose to omit the opening chorus in the most recent investiture? Don Carlo joins that list of operas that demand that editorial choices be made; Verdi did not leave an autograph score although I gather that the four act version did have his approval. He had nothing to do with the Italian translation. DC joins Boris, Tales of Hoffman and other operas that exist in editions that were made by others--not the composer. Even so I don't regret having purchased this Arthaus release; it deserves release for all the reasons cited above.

Great quality and wonderful performances! A must-have for Don Carlos aficionados. James King is a sensitive Carlo and Dietrich as Rodrigo has one of the most exquisite vocally nuanced renditions that I've ever seen.

Brilliant staging of Verdi's finest opera. The five act French version is the one to have compared to the 4 act version. Excellent cast and conductor.

MAgnífica oportunidad de disfrutar de la versión original íntegra (en francés) del Don Carlos de Verdi con un buen conjunto de cantantes dirigidos por Bertrand De Billy. La producción, de Peter Konwitschny, muy polémica en su momento pero en realidad con un gran sentido de la dramaturgia y con muy buenas ideas, proviene de la Staatsoper de Viena en coproducción con el Gran Teatre del Liceu.

les voix sont superbes et chantent avec style musicalité,et si la mise enscène est un peu sommaire,pour moi,cela compte peu vu le talent des chanteurs.Le chef fait partie de ceux que j'admire

E' un'edizione che non deve perdere chi vuole avere un'idea del livello qualitativo delle migliori rappresentazioni musicali del passato. DVD che speravo da tempo venisse messo in commercio. Il livello artistico degli interpreti è eccezionale. La messa in scena è in uno splendido bianco e nero. L'edizione è in tedesco, lingua del luogo del teatro come si usava all'epoca nei teatri delle varie nazioni, ma non intacca affatto la bellezza della rappresentazione. Del resto il DVD è fornito di ampie possibilità di sottotitoli nelle varie lingue.

So war Oper in den sechziger Jahren! Bei allen technischen Einschränkungen eine optimale Erfassung und Darstellung dessen, was damals, nicht nur in Berlin, an den Opernhäusern an grundsolider, seriöser Arbeit geleistet wurde - musikalisch wie szenisch. Da hat der Regisseur in umfassender Kenntnis des Stoffes noch das Werk auf die Bühne gestellt und nicht, wie heute mehrheitlich in unseren Breiten zu erleben, seine eigenen Obsessionen, bei denen die meisten Regisseure die Bühne mit der Therapeutencouch verwechseln. Musikalisch auch bei dieser Tonqualität erste Sahne. Greindl und Fischer-Dieskau führen perfekten Operngesang vor, Pilar Lorengar und der junge King sind ihnen ebenbürtig und weisen schon auf ihre späteren großen Karrieren hin.Ein "Muss" für jeden echten Opernliebhaber - und obendrein eine unbezahlbare Entschädigung für manchen "Mist" der heute so leichtfertig produziert wird!Uneingeschränkt empfehlenswert !