Verdi: Don Carlos at Music Hills.com

Music CD 1

Act I: Su, Cacciator! - Chor Del Teatro Alla Scala
Act I: Fontainebleau! Foresta Immensa E Solitaria! - Placido Domingo
Act I: Io La Vidi E Al Suo Sorriso - Placido Domingo
Act I: Oh! Vision Gentile Ver me S'avanza! - Placido Domingo
Act I: Di Qual Amor, Di Quant' Ardor - Placido Domingo
Act I: Al Fedel Ch'ora Viene, O Signora - Placido Domingo
Act I: L'ora Fatale E Suonata! - Placido Domingo
Act I: Inni Di Festa Lieti Echeggiate - Coro Del Teatro Alla Scala
Act I: Il Gloriose Re Di Francia, Il Grande Enrico - Placido Domingo
Act 2, Scene 1: Carlo Il Sommo Imperatore - Giovanni Foiani
Act 2, Scene 1: Al Chiostro Di San Giusto Ove Fini La Vita - Placido Domingo
Act 2, Scene 1: E Lui! Desso! L'Infante! - Renato Bruson
Act 2, Scene 1: Dio, Che Nell'alma Infondere - Renato Bruson
Act 2, Scene 2: Sotto Ai Folti, Immensi Abeti - Maria Fausta Gallamini
Act 2, Scene 2: Nei Giardin Del Bello - Maria Fausta Gallamini
Act 2, Scene 2: La Regina! - Renato Bruson
Act 2, Scene 2: Io Vengo A Domandar Grazia Alla Mia Regina - Placido Domingo

Music CD 2

Act 2, Scene 2: Il Re! - Coro Del Teatro Alla Scala
Act 2, Scene 2: Non Piangar, Mia Compagna - Renato Bruson
Act 2, Scene 2: Restate! - Renato Bruson
Act 2, Scene 2: Signor, Di Fiandra Arrivo - Renato Bruson
Act 2, Scene 2: Oso Lo Sguardo Tuo Penetrar Il Mio Soglio - Renato Bruson
Act 3: Quanti Fior E Quante Stelle - Margaret Price
Act 3, Scene 1: A Mezzanotte, Ai Giardin Della Regina - Renato Bruson
Act 3, Scene 1: Al Mio Furor Sfuggite Invano - Renato Bruson
Act 3, Scene 2: Spuntato Ecco Il Di D'esultanza - Renato Bruson
Act 3, Scene 2: Sire, No L'ora Estrema - Renato Bruson
Act 3, Scene 2: Sire! Egli E Tempo Ch'io Viva! - Renato Bruson
Act 4, Scene 1: Ella Giammai M'amo! - Jevgeny Nesterenko
Act 4, Scene 1: Il Grande Inquisitor! - Luigi Roni
Act 4, Scene 1: Nell'ispano Suol Mai L'eresia Domino - Luigi Roni

Music CD 3

Act 4, Scene 1: Giustizia! - Renato Bruson
Act 4, Scene 1: Ah! Sii Maledetto, Sospetto Fatale - Renato Bruson
Act 4, Scene 1: Pieta! Perdon! Per La Rea Che Si Pente - Margaret Price
Act 4, Scene 1: O Don Fatale - Jelena Obraztsowa
Act 4, Scene 2: Son Io, Mio Carlo - Renato Bruson
Act 4, Scene 2: Per Me Giunto E Il Di Supremo - Renato Bruson
Act 4, Scene 2: O Carlo, Ascolta - Renato Bruson
Act 4, Scene 2: Carlo, Il Brando Ormai Riprendi - Placido Domingo
Act 5: Tu Che La Vanita - Margaret Price
Act 5: Francia, Nobile Suol, Si Caro Ai Miei Verd'anni! - Margaret Price
Act 5: E Dessa! - Placido Domingo
Act 5: Ma Lassu Ci Vedremo In Un Mondo Migliore - Placido Domingo
Act 5: Si, Per Sempre! - Placido Domingo

Music reviews of Verdi: Don Carlos

Music Review: Well, why not?
Rating: 4 Stars

And so, the cast.
Don Carlo - Placido Domingo.
On this recording he sounds better than on his studio version with Abbado made several years later. The reason is of course the text. Even if the Spanish tenor is fluent in French, Italian is still more comfortable for him. The voice is powerfull and his unique ability to sing as a lyric tenor at one moment as a dramatic one in the next works very well in the role of Carlo. But, of course he is nasal and sometimes does not show enough commitment in the dramatic moments.

Elisabetta - Margaret Price
A fine Mozartian soprano, singing fine, but not making a very big impression.

Philipp II - Yevgeniy Nesterenko
As said above, the role of the king suits him better than the part of the Inquisitor. He has a powerfull bass-baritone, with good high notes and audible low ones. His half-declamatory style is not loved by some listeners, but it works very well in the great monologue and in the following confrontation with the Inquisitor. He has sung Philipp in the Bolshoi for some years, but never recorded it commercially.

Di Posa - Renato Bruson
What more can you ask for? The best baritone-brilliante since Taddei, a sencetive artist with high notes and a big "meaty" voice. Perfect.

Eboli - Yelena Obraztsova
If anything is more perfect than Bruson - it's the great Soviet mezzo. She was often partnered with Nesterenko in many operas (including this one) in the Bolshoi and their combination was uniqe. Especially in such works as "Aida" or "Khovanschina". Her Eboli is sung tenderly and with many nice nuances, but "Don fatale" is sung in an almost baritonal way - unbelievable.

It is a crime, that the Bolshoi recorded Carlo only once (in the 1960ies) since if the did it around the time of this recording with these two singers they could have made the best Carlo ever, especially, knowing that there were such singers as Vladimir Atlantov, Yuriy Mazurok, Tamara Milashkina and Alexander Vedernikov for the other roles.