Watch Verdi: Don Carlos For Free

Gripping story with well-crafted characters

Disturbing yet enthralling

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The first must-see film of the year.

I had always loved Verdi, but since having a Verdi marathon with the likes of Pavarotti, Freni, Scotto, Stratas, Domingo, Milnes, Cappuccilli, Plishka and Ghiaurov I adore him even more than I already did. Not a day goes by since I start listening to a bit of La Traviata, Rigoletto and Otello to name a few.Don Carlo(s) is a wonderful opera with an interesting story(if you do forgive the inconclusive ending, but it is also very poignant here) and one of Verdi's most complex scores. Not just in Carlo and Rodrigo's duet, Rodrigo's death scene and King Phillip's lament but here especially the duet between Rodrigo and Phillip, which is utterly riveting in lyrics, music and staging.This is a terrific production. The sets and costumes while traditional are wonderful, the lighting is done to an impressive degree and the camera work is impressive with thankfully not too many close-ups. The staging is imaginative and does well to stick to the tone of the music's mood, with Rodrigo and Phillip's duet coming off best. The conducting is energetic and the orchestra perform with real panache, not one moment of this production feels restrained or cold orchestration wise.The performances are superb. Roberto Alagna gives vocally one of his better performances, and his stage presence is ideal and dashing. Karita Mattila is one of the best Elizabeths/Elisabettas for me, her voice is perfect for the role with gorgeous sustained pianissimo singing and for Verdi and her acting is even better, very touching. Waltraud Meir is a fine Eboli-apart from a woolly Veil Song- and Eric Halfvarsen is a genuinely frightening Grand Inquisitor. The best of the lot is Jose Vam Dam as a scary(not quite as scary as Ghiaurov and Plishka, the latter of whom gets my vote as having the scariest angry facial expression of any King Phillip, or as poignant as Boris Christoff who gives the most moving rendition of Phillip's lament of any bass) yet intelligent and heavily-burdened Phillip, though his low F in the Grand Inquisitor scene is a disappointment, and Thomas Hampson as a noble Rodrigo(one of my favourites in the role along with Milnes, Bastianini and Renato Bruson). The chorus are also very well balanced.In fact, there is nobody or anything really I would consider as bad really. The only grey area is Hampson's wig, which is terrible but in a hilarious way. Overall, just terrific and a must for any opera enthusiast or newcomer to opera. 10/10 Bethany Cox

I have heard Don Carlos many times, but always in Italian. I have a five acts version with Domingo, Milnes, Caballé etc.This "elder" version is very rare and it was very interesting. A great performance with terrific singers.Alagna is an ideal "lirico spinto" tenor. This role needs a spinto, like Cavaradossi or Riccardo. And he is handsome, too. Not a fat old man like the typical "old time" tenors. We need this type.Karita Mattila is a superb Elisabeth, José van Dam is a very intelligent and well-done Philip. Okay, he's not a "son-of-nature" bass like Ghiaurov or Salminen, but he acts well and knows how to use his voice. In fact he's better a bass-baritone.Thomas Hampson has a beautiful voice and he's a noble, young, idealistic Posa. Only his wig is terrible. :D Waltraud Meier, better known as Sieglinde or Kundry, is one of the best Ebolis I've seen. She's a Hochdramatishe Sopran and not the temperamental, wild Mezzo, but she does a fantastic performance.Eric Halfvarson is simply awesome. This young bass was the most frightening Inquisitor ever, and terrific as the blind, old fanatic. We Hungarians had a great Inquisitor before the War, János Fodor; Halfvarson is a great rival of his memory.I would like to see one day a Don Carlos with Salminen as Philip and Halfvarson as the Grand Inquisitor. That would be a tremendous bass duel! The two best Wagner basses against each other.

A sensation at Covent Garden in 1994. This production of the original five act Don Carlos (in French) achieved the perfect combination of a homogeneous ensemble of international celebrities and eased the passage of Antonia Pappano into his current position as musical director of the Royal Opera House.The video is a faithful transcription (i.e. not too much close-up) of Gilles Aillaud's brilliantly designed production for Luc Bondy originally at the Theatre du Chatelet, Paris. The simple sets are uncluttered and carefully lit and there are surprising sequences of magic-realism including a final sequence played as an unashamed and infallible tear-jerker.But such an opera lives or dies by its cast of singers. All are immersed in their character to the exclusion of self-aggrandisement (Thomas Hampson even agrees to wear a wig which might count as the one flaw in the show). I succumb most readily to Jose van Dam's terribly burdened King Philip and Karita Mattila's impossibly good Elisabetta. Unbeatable in any respect. 8/10