Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich, 4 May 2025
Giuseppe Verdi: Don Carlo
Jürgen Rose’s production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Don Carlo at the Bavarian State Opera is 25 years old, and when you see it, you realise that there is really no reason to replace it with a new one. It is “regietheater”, but it largely follows the libretto without offering any great surprises.
Verdi’s opera, based on Friedrich Schiller’s drama Don Carlos, exists in four different versions: The original five-act French version (with ballet) premiered at the Paris Opera in 1867, the first five-act Italian version (also with ballet) from Naples in 1872, a later reworked four-act version (in Italian) for La Scala in 1884 – which has probably been the most performed version of the opera in recent years – but also an Italian five-act version without ballet from 1886, the so called Modena version, which is the one used here.
The set, designed by Rose himself, is minimalistic and consists of a black room with a massive statue of The Crucified Christ. During the auto-da-fé scene, the stage is opened up and a visual spectacle takes place, with all that this implies. Rose treats the characters with directorial care, and although there are no major stage changes except for the auto-da-fé scene, the production holds together surprisingly well. After all, Don Carlo takes place in a number of different locations, from the forest of Fontainebleau in France to the Monastery of Yuste in Spain, but despite this, Rose manages to capture the darkness and brutality of the opera and bring it together into a compact whole.
Baritone George Petean and mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Semenchuk give brilliant performances as Rodrigo Posa and Princess Eboli respectively. Petean’s warm, stable voice gives Rodrigo a very sympathetic and passionate character, while Semenchuk has both weight and tessitura for the scheming and remorseful Eboli, not least in the temperamental and demanding aria O don fatale. She was simply vocally superior on this evening.
Bass-baritone Erwin Schrott has enough weight and volume in his voice for Filippo II, but he does not give the role much of a personal touch. Dmitry Belosselskiy lacks some strength and darkness for the Grand Inquisitor. Rachel Willis-Sørensen has an ideal soprano for the role of Elisabetta, full of warmth and nuance, but her interpretation is rather weak.
Tenor Stephen Costello does not have the resources for the title role: his voice is suitable for the Duke in Rigoletto or Alfredo in La traviata, but Don Carlo is simply too big for him. Although he sings with a fair amount of control, his voice lacks the drama, passion and courage that the role demands. Hitting a high B while holding the sword in the face of the king at the end of Act III has a completely different dramatic significance than most of the high notes that tenors can shine with.
The great hero of the evening is undoubtedly conductor Ivan Repušić. He keeps the chorus and orchestra very close and delivers a fervent and passionate interpretation of the music. He also maintains a clear balance between singers and orchestra throughout the evening. Special praise must also be given to the solo cellist, who accompanies Filippo’s monologue at the beginning of the fourth act with great passion.
