Verdi - Don Carlos
by Peter Konwitschny
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Alastair Miles, Bo Skovhus, Iano Tamar, Nadja Michael, Ramon VargasDirector: Peter Konwitschny
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: German (Subtitled); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Italian (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Original Language)
Format: Digital Sound, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 247 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-10-30
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: TDK
Movie Reviews of Verdi - Don Carlos
Movie Review: A Complete Don
Summary: 4 Stars
A history of a French Don Carlos mirrors the failure of France to provide singers whose career is based on that language. The DVD under consideration reflects that deterioration in that not one singer can claim it as their first language. The Don is Mexican, Posa a Dane, Elizabeth a Georgian, Philip an Englishman,Eboli, a German. As a result we really don't anything resembling French production although Vargas, Miles and Skovhus are better at it than Tamar and Michael. Tamar, howeve, has a beautiful lyrico spinto voice and Michael are somewhat careless. Even with these criticisms I am thrilled that it is a complete text and unlikely to be challenged in the next few years.
What can be challenged and should be is the Konswitschy staging. It is not as grotesque as his Lohengrin but it is not worthy of this opera. I have no objection to minimalism or updating as such in many recent Regie productions, but to reduce this opera to essentially three walls,against which the action is played makes no sense. The ballet and the Auto-da-fe are silly in concept; the ballet can be omitted but not the latter which contains essential dramatic elements. But to stage it as he has is truly unfortunate treating it as a telecast coming from the opera house!
Fortunately there is enough good singing that compensates for much of the non-production. Vargas is clearly at the limits of his talent with this role. (Apparently Villazon in a current ROH production has unwisely chosen the role as his return to the stage;the reviews have not been good)Vargas' French is as good as Domingos' and although he is not the actor that Alagna is he is clearly involved and committed which go for a lot in my book. Iano Tamar apparently restricts her career to Europe; a pity since she is a genuine spinto--at least in the smaller houses of Europe. The voice is beautiful and she uses it musically. This is probably the only French role she sings and it shows in her cavalier treatment of the text. Skovhus, a lyric baritone, has wisely restricted his career (for the most part)to Europe. Although he sang Kurvenal it was at Glyndebourn, a 1000 seat house. Perhaps in time he may be a Verdi baritone, but I doubt it. Miles sings Philip beautifully, but he does not have the charisma of a Christoff or Ghiaurov. I think that the production is partly to blame, that and his "Englishness". Michael's Eboli is better than Meier's but it still isn't the right kind of voice. She is now singing Salome at ROH, but it is difficult to hear that role in her voice.
There exists a CD version of the opera, but I have reached a stage in my life when I am now opting for a DVD--even in cases when no DVD can mesure up what is available on CD (I refer principally to the great recording from Bayreuth emanating in the fifties). A ticket to the opera is very expensive--at least for a decent seat and for a much smaller investment I am able to see operas that can be made available in my living room. They repay watching in a way a CD can't.
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