Fourteen years after its last performances, Verdi's Don Carlo returns to the Teatro Real stage, opening the 2019-2020 season. This return comes with the staging by David McVicar, from the Frankfurt Opera, and with three casts, most of them among the best options to perform this opera nowadays. As almost every year, the opening season performance was attended by the King and the Queen of Spain. And also always whenever they come, the orchestra played the Spanish National Anthem with the audience standing.
To stage this opera is a task for every theatre: its wagnerian length, a big effort in costumes and settings and a big demand for singers, orchestra and chorus. The version performed last night was the Modena Italian version in five acts, not very known in Spain. The main reason for this choice was to give more visibility to the love story between Carlos and Elisabetta, only implied and assumed to exist in the four acts version. Verdi reached one of his musical heights with this work, one of the most dense and dramatical, with many inspired and very theatrical moments.
The result was, however, between correct and dissappointing. Unlike his beautiful Gloriana last year, McVicar's Don Carlo is not at the same level. The action takes place in a permanent grey white brick set, with a scenic platform with different levels, stair-like, with some of those platforms sometimes being elevated when the drama requires. One wonders if McVicar wants to represent the cold, rigid, opressive ambient of the Philip II's court. But the result is boring, because despite the effort to concentrate, intensify the action, the characters sometimes could seem lost in the vast emptiness of the stage, which resembles more to a sauna. The aim is not to ask for a Zeffirellian staging like its predecessor, the 2005 production by Hugo de Ana (which I saw), not to be outraged when a brick platform is pretended to be taken by the Charles V grave, but to try not to left the spectator indifferent. And in many scenes, specially the most intimate like the duets and the trio by Carlo, Rodrigo and Eboli there was an inevitable sense of boredom, even I found myself missing the De Ana attractive and colourful version. On the other hand, the coldness of the stage is strongly contrasted with the faith, rich and at the same time sober customes by Brigitte Reifenstuel, remarking the costumes worn by the ladies in court, the King and the Queen in the Auto-da-fe with splendid golden and black cape or the Great Inquisitor, dressing more luxurious than the King himself (maybe a symbol of the power of the Church over the Crown?). The Auto-da-fe was spectacular, despite the people is not seen but the aristocracy, something incoherent if we consider those were shows largely attended by the people. A procession is seen with the tortured prisoners, sentenced to be burned. The scene ends with a big cross burning in the bottom.
In act 4, there are intense dramatic moments like the King slapping the Queen, in a domestic violence scene, after the rumour of infidelity, or Don Carlo crying bitterly as Rodrigo dies. The prison scene is show with enormous bars in the middle of the scene. In the final and brief rebellion the soldiers and some rebels from the people are seen, but the chorus sings offstage ¿again showing the people's irrelevant role during the Absolute Monarchy? At the end, Carlo is killed by the King's guard and dies above the grave of his grandfather.
Nicola Luisotti conducted the Teatro Real Orchestra, in a slow conducting sometimes good, sometimes dull. As usual, the wind section was the best, but the strings got a good sound very early, specially the cello solo in the Philip II aria. The orchestra had interesing moments like in the duets, but the tutti in the Auto-da-fe wasn't too much refined. In the end of the Act 4 it reached a good level at the end. The the introduction of "Tu che le vanità" was sublime too.
The chorus reached little by little their splendid level. They ended wonderfully the Auto-da-fe scene, but their best moment was at the end of Act 4, singing offstage, in the gallery (4th Floor), the phrase "Signor, di noi pietà" sung with exquisiteness and startingly.
Marcelo Puente replaced at the last minute the announced Francesco Meli in the role of Don Carlo. His voice is considerably big, there is some material but on the other hand sounds quite nasal, specially if he goes to high zone. That was a little trouble in the aria Io la vidi. Later, in the duets with Elisabetta and Rodrigo he reached a good sound.
Maria Agresta was a correct Elisabetta. Her voice is good, having some remarkable pianissimo notes, specially in Tu che le vanità, despite some high notes are in some trouble. However, it was a moving rendition.
Dimitry Belosselskiy was Philip II. This bass was a big sensation in 2016 singing in Luisa Miller, but the King of Spain is another story. He has a powerful, big voice, but this role needs some nobilty to convey, and until the middle of his Act 4 aria he didn't reach the desired level in this aspect. From the Dormirò sol it was a beautiful rendition, but he couldn't help to be booed at the end.
Luca Salsi is one of the best options for Verdi baritone roles today. The voice is not ugly, he has some good style at singing (a big merit regarding the current outlook in Verdi). His Rodrigo was well sung, with exquisite diction in Carlo ch'e sol il nostro amore. The death scene was sung with such beauty and moving interpretation that it was by far the best moment in the night.
Ekaterina Semenchuk was the biggest singer of the cast. Her seductive, appealing contralto-like sound makes this mezzo an appropriate option for Eboli. In the Veil Song she sang with exquisite pronunciation, she commanded the coloratura and her low notes are remarkable. In the O don Fatale, in addition she reached a good acting, as well as an outstanding high note in "ti maledico, o mia beltà"
Mika Kares was the Grand Inquisitor. His voice has a good low register, but not always the desired volume, with Belosselskiy's voice being bigger than his. His singing rendered an interesting version of his aria "Nel Ispano suol", and conveyed the false fragility hiding the evil beyond his role. Sadly, he was booed at the end.
On the other hand, the supporting roles were superbly performed: Natalia Labourdette has a delightful coloratura voice for Tebaldo and Moisés Marín has a beautiful belcanto tenor voice for the Count of Lerma. Leonor Bonilla took the part of the voice from Heaven, singing it beautifully. The six Flemis deputies were well sung by six accomplished basses.
A Spanish King, Felipe VI, goes to the opera to see another Spanish King, Philip II, singing. As I mentioned before, it's difficult to perform this demanding opera. Maybe this is the reason this final result with ups and downs. There are still thirteen performances left, with three casts, with different accomplished singers, to do justice to this monumental opera after many years absent from the Teatro Real stage.
My reviews are not professional and express only my opinions. As a non English native speaker I apologise for any mistake.
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