Verdi: Don Carlo - Vickers, Gobbi, Christoph, Guilini, Covent Garden Orchestra & Chorus - 1958

G. Verdi : Don Carlo

Vickers, Gobbi, Christoph - G. M. Guilini / Covent Garden Orchestra & Chorus


Opera in five Acts - Verzione Italiana : Achille de Lauzieres & Angelo Zanardini.

Boris Christoff : Filippo II

Jon Vickers : Don Carlo

Tito Gobbi : Rodrigo

Michael Langdon : Il Grande Inquisitore

Joseph Rouleau : Un Frate

Gre Brouwenstjn : Elisabetta di Valois

Fedora Barbieri : La principessa Eboli

Jeannette Sinclair : Tebaldo

Ava June : Una Voce dal Cielo

Margaret Lensky : La Contessa D' Aremberg

Edgar Evans : Il Conte di Lerma

Robert Allman : Un Araldo Reale

The Covent Garden Opera Chorus

Douglas Robinson : Chorus Master

The Goven Garden Orchestra

Leader : Charles Taylor

Carlo Maria Giulini : Conductor

Recorded at the Royal Opera House, London, 12 May 1958

Especially for crab9

Reviews :

Gramophone : John Steane - December 2006

For those of us who were there then and are still around, this (or another in the series) was the night of nights. Certainly as far as Italian opera is concerned it marked the summit of my experience, and it still does. Like many in the audience, I had not seen the opera before and it made a huge impact both musically and dramatically. Then there was the sense of occasion: it was chosen to honour the present theatre's centenary. The prestige of conductor Giulini and producer Visconti was of a special type: they were the aristocrats of their kind. And the cast, particularly with Gobbi and Christoff in their already famous roles, was as distinguished as any we had encountered at Covent Garden since the war. This recording from the Opera

House Archive brings it back vividly and is so clear and faithful that it recreates in large measure all that we heard in these great performances. Chorus and orchestra must take a generous share of the praise. The recording also compels some adjustment of the remembered credits. Barbieri's Eboli seemed at that period not quite to rank with the other principals. This was partly because it lay high for her voice and, though she comes through "0 don fatale" to win some of the evening's most enthusiastic applause, it was done only by omitting some top notes, and the recording suggests (as was probably not evident in the theatre) that at the end she had come very near to the limit of her resources. But, as we can hear now, it really was a magnificent performance of the part as a whole, and in dramatic commitment the intensity of the others is fully matched by her own.

Gobbi, so thoroughly identified with the role of Posa, is neither the most elegant of Verdi baritones nor the most lustrous in his production of the high notes, but his tones are so personal, the expression so warm in humanity, that he remains the great Rodrigo of memory. And Christoff is greatness itself. He too is utterly irreplaceable, so individual is the timbre and so authoritative the utterance. He sets a daunting standard for his fellow basses in the cast, but Langdon (Inquisitor) and Rouleau (monk or Charles V) prove worthy colleagues.

But the opera, after all, is called Don Carlo, and Jon Vickers is its hero. Nothing about this recording is more moving than to hear again this extraordinary singer as he was at that time.

Nothing, that is, unless to find Gre Brouwenstijn so wonderfully brought back to life. She too was an aristocrat among the artists of her time. The duets of Elisabetta and Carlo are of the opera's essence, almost unbearable in their poignancy.

The omission of the Insurrection scene following Posa's death is regrettable: Lord Harewood explains in an illuminating interview with Roger Beardsley the thinking behind it, and in those days very few in the audience would have missed it, because they didn't know it existed! But this is not an occasion for regrets. Andrew Porter sums it up in his introductory essay: "It does much to recapture the excitement of being there in 1958 and of demonstrating in a realisation at once scrupulous and impassioned a great opera that had been for too long undervalued"

BBC Music Magazine : Michael Tanner

Performance : *****

Sound ***

The second release of opera performances from the Royal Opera’s archives contains one that is indispensable and two that are interesting and sometimes moving. The indispensable set, no question about it, is Verdi’s Don Carlo, from May 1958. This production was one which had a decisive effect on the work’s reputation, and led directly to its being regarded as one of Verdi’s finest operas, if not the finest of all (which I think it is). Covent Garden assembled a cast which is more impressive than any to be found on a commercial recording. The young Jon Vickers, who never recorded the opera in the studio, sings with a fanatical, visionary ardour which is exactly right for the title role; and his voice is in pristine condition. Carlo’s father, the implacable but tormented Philip II, is taken by Boris Christoff, a classic assumption which balances public sternness with private agony. Carlo’s beloved, who becomes Philip’s wife for diplomatic reasons, is the wonderful Dutch singer Gre Brouwenstijn, a major and underrecorded artist. The noblest character of all, Carlo’s friend Rodrigo, is Tito Gobbi at the peak of his career. And the Princess Eboli, one of Verdi’s most powerful contralto creations, is the great veteran Fedora Babieri. All the smaller roles are strongly cast, and Giulini’s conducting, both grand and lyrical, is ideal. This version, produced before Andrew Porter discovered an extra hour of the opera in Paris, is short by today’s standards, but coherent and relatively compact. The sound is not distinguished, but doesn’t impede one’s delight in what is truly a legendary performance.

Classics Today : Dan Davis - 9/4/2007.

London's Royal Opera House's new record label mines the gold in its archives, among which there can be few treasures that for musical excellence and thrills rival this live, all-star-cast performance of Verdi's Don Carlo from May 12, 1958. A glance at the date will tell you that this Don Carlo is cut and that it's recorded in monophonic sound. Neither should matter much since we do get about half of the Fontainebleau act, and the BBC engineers caught the proceedings in sound that's clear and detailed, the orchestral violins especially realistic. But even if the cuts were deeper and the sonics more primitive, this set would be an essential purchase.

Giulini's conducting is a model of stylish Verdi, more dynamic and fiery than it later became; but what sets this performance apart is the singing, especially the male leads. The young Jon Vickers is a dominating presence in the title role. That can't be said for many Don Carlos, who tend to take a back seat to Filippo II and Rodrigo. But Vickers makes the character a heroic figure, ardent in the Fontainebleau love duet, full of revolutionary fire in his challenges to his father, and a fine match for Tito Gobbi's Rodrigo in their stirring Act 2 duet, aided by Giulini's idiomatic phrasing. Gobbi was the Rodrigo of choice in the 1950s, and we can understand why when we hear his tonal shadings in Act 4's "Per me giunto" and "O Carlo, ascolta"--and in the scintillating Act 2 scene with Christoff's Filippo.

Once heard Christoff's King cannot be forgotten; his weighty, black bass can raise the hair on your neck. When he banishes his Queen's lady-in-waiting to France it sounds like an immediate death sentence; his scene with Rodrigo crackles with tension, his final words "beware of the Grand Inquisitor" intoned with such dire import it's hard not to tremble. As for his great Act 4 soliloquy and the following duet with the Inquisitor, Christoff is peerless, as definitive a performance as we could hope to hear. The Inquisitor, by the way, is taken in this performance by English bass Michael Langdon, who proves a worthy adversary himself.

Gre Brouwenstijn's Queen Elizabeth is well sung and textually aware, though you miss the Italianate timbre and bloom that define the ideal Elizabeth. But the big hole in the cast is the Eboli of Fedora Barbieri who sounds like she wandered in from a provincial performance of a verismo opera; she's rough in the Veil Song, overparted in the Garden scene, and labored in her big aria, "O don fatale". But the set's virtues make it a Don Carlo to have.

Tracklist :

CD: 1-3

01. Act I : Su, Cacciator! (Coro) [0:01:20.20]

02. Fontainebeau! (Coro) [0:01:44.76]

03. Io La Vidi E Al Suo Sorriso (Coro) [0:02:09.20]

04. Non Trovo Piu La Via Per Ritornar (Tebardo, Elisabetta, Coro) [0:01:28.72]

05. Di Qual Amor, Di Quant'ardor (Elisabetta, Coro) [0:04:32.42]

06. Al Fedel Ch'ora Viene [0:05:14.73]

07. Act II : Part 1 : Carlo, Il Sommo Imperatore (Coro, Un Frate) [0:06:24.66]

08. Al Chiostro Di San Giusto (Carlo) [0:00:42.28]

09. Il Duolo Della Terra (Il Frate, Carlo) [0:01:00.37]

10. E Lui! Desso...L'infante! (Rodrigo, Carlo) [0:02:50.13]

11. Questo Arcano Dal Re Non Fu Sorpreso Ancora? (Rodrigo, Carlo) [0:01:14.18]

12. Dio, Che Nell'alma Infondere (Carlo, Rodrigo, Coro, Il Frate) [0:04:44.86]

13. Part 2 : Sotto Ai Folti, Immensi Abeti (Coro) [0:01:32.78]

14. Tra Queste Mura Pie (Eboli, Coro) [0:00:53.04]

15. Nel Girandin Del Bello Saracin Ostello (Eboli, Tebaldo, Coro) [0:04:56.50]

16. La Regina! (Coro, Eboli, Elisabetta, Tebaldo, Rodrigo) [0:02:04.54]

17. Che Mai Si Fa Nel Suol Francese (Eboli, Rodrigo, Elisabetta) [0:05:02.16]

18. Io Vengo A Domandar Grazia Alla Mia Regina (Carlo, Elisabetta) [0:03:42.74]

19. Perduto Ben, Mio Sol Tesor ( Carlo, Elisabetta) [0:04:52.34]

20. Il Re! - Perchι Sola E La Regina? (Tebaldo, Filippo, Coro) [0:01:16.58]

21. Non Gianger, Mia Compagna (Elisabetta, Rodrigo, Coro, Filippo) [0:02:47.36]

22. Restate! (Filippo, Rodrigo) [0:02:13.82]

23. O Signor, Di Fiandra Arrivo (Rodrigo, Filippo) [0:03:11.00]

24. Quest' E La Pace Che Voi Date Al Mondo? (Rodrigo, Filippo)) [0:03:17.46]

25. Oso Lo Sguardo Tuo Penetrar Il Mio Soglio (Filippo, Rodrigo) [0:03:53.02]

CD: 2-3

01. Act III : Part 3 : Preludio [0:03:19.14]

02. A Mezzanotte Ai Giardin Della Regina ( Carlo, Eboli) [0:01:56.30]

03. V'e Ignoto Forse, Ignoto Ancora ( Eboli, Rodrigo, Carlo) [0:02:41.22]

04. Al Mio Furor Sfuggite Invano (Eboli, Rodrigo, Carlo) [0:01:59.80]

05. Ed Io, Che Tremava Al Suo Aspetto! ( Eboli, Rodrigo, Carlo) [0:01:09.98]

06. Trema Per Te, Falso Figliuolo ( EBoli, Rodrigo, Carlo) [0:01:00.24]

07. Carlo, Se Ma Su Te Forgli Important Serbi ( Rodrigo, Carlo) [0:02:05.16]

08. Part 2 : Spuntato Ecco Il Di D'esultanza ( Coro) [0:04:16.09]

09. March [0:02:28.42]

10. Or Si Schiuda La Porta Del Tempio! (Un Araldo Reale, Coro) [0:01:50.74]

11. Nel Posae Sul Mio Capo La Corona (Filippo, Coro, Elisabetta, Rodrigo, Carlo) [0:01:31.57]

12. No, I" Ora Estrema Ancora Non Suono (Coro, Filippo, Elisabetta, Rodrigo, Carlo, Tebaldo) [0:04:07.84]

13. Sire! Egli E Tempo Ch'io Viva (Carlo, Filippo, Elisabette, Rodrigo, Tebaldo, Coro) [0:02:07.42]

14. Oh Ciel! Tu, Rodrigo! (Carlo, Coro, Elisabetta, Filippo, Una Voce Dal Cielo) [0:03:12.68]

15. Act IV : Part 1 : Ella Giammai M' Amo! (Filipppo) [0:05:54.64]

16. Dormiro Sol Nel Manto Mio Regal ( Filippo) [0:05:26.82]

17. Il Grande Inquisitor! (Conte Di Lerma, L'Inquisitore, Filippo) [0:09:27.01]

18. Giustizia, Giustizia Sire! ( Elisabetta, Filippo) [0:02:44.90]

19. Soccorso Alla Regina! (Filippo, Eboli, Rodrigo) [0:00:46.12]

20. Ah! Sii Maledetto, Sospeto Fatale ( Filippo, Eboli, Rodrigo, Elisabetta) [0:03:57.90]

21. Pieta! Perdoni! ( Eboli, Elisabetta) [0:03:12.04]

22. Ah! Piu Non Vedro (Eboli) [0:01:40.56]

23. O Mia Regina, Io T' Immolai ( Eboli) [0:03:22.20]

CD: 3-3

01. Act IV : Part 4 : Son Io, Mio Carlo (Rodrigo, Carlo) [0:03:26.96]

02. Per Me Giunto E Il Di Supremo (Rodrigo) [0:02:53.77]

03. Che Parli Tu Di Morte? ( Carlo, Rodrigo) [0:01:47.45]

04. O Carlo, Ascolta La Madre T' Aspetta ( Rodrigo) [0:04:18.38]

05. Act V : Tu Che Le Vanita Conosceti Del Mondo ( Elisabetta) [0:11:19.62]

06. E Dessa! Un Detto, Un Sol, ( Carlo, Elisabetta) [0:04:32.86]

07. Ma Lassu Ci Vefremo ( Elisabetta, Carlo) [0:04:22.38]

08. Si, Per Sempre! ( Filippo, I' Inquisitore, Carlo, Il Frate) [0:02:07.29]

09. Lord Harewood In Conversation With Roger Beardsley [0:23:27.08]

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