About

Don Carlos

World Premiere:  Theatre Imperial de l'Opera - Paris, France

January 11, 1867 

WBO Premiere:  Feb 12, 2027

Pictured: Exterior of the Theatre LePeletier (Theatre Imperial) - Paris

In 1865, Verdi received a commission from the Paris Opera to compose Don Carlos. The piece, based on a play by Schiller, is a historical drama pertaining to the peace treaty that ended the Italian War (1551-59) between the Houses of Habsburg and Valois. The peace was further cemented when Elisabeth of Valois, daughter of the King of France, married Philip II, King of Spain.  The original plan was for Carlos, Philip's son, to marry Elisabeth. Though the motivation for the sudden change isn't explored, the husband switch does provide an interesting starting point for dramatic development, including accusations of infidelity and assorted jealousies and mistrust in the Spanish court.

 Other powerful elements complement the story, particularly the role of Philip II in helping the Pope try to combat the unstoppable growth of the Reformation in the Netherlands and Belgium; the presence of the Inquisition in Philip II's palace, at his express invitation; and the paradoxically close friendship of Philip II with Roderigue, Marquis de Posa, whose advocacy for freedom for Flanders eventually gets him killed by a hitman dispatched by the Church for that purpose.

As is often the case with Verdi pieces, this is an intimate drama that takes place against a backdrop of something much bigger. Aida, I Vespri Siciliani, Simon Boccanegra, Otello are examples. Somehow, Verdi manages to convey the larger context while keeping us focused on the personal drama.

This piece is about an empire that controls most of the planet. It has financed voyages of exploration that enabled it to expand its territories quickly, setting up a couple of centuries of systematic plundering of the riches of the new territories, gold, silver, and much more.

It is easy to assume that controlling such riches and natural resources would ensure the empire’s economic success into the indefinite future. Yet just 75 years after the start of this process, the empire was already starting to crumble. The expense of the gigantic war machine necessary in order to maintain control of its far-flung territories proved to be too much. 

Planetary-scale empires have trouble lasting very long. Their vast geography inevitably results in having to deal with a number of challenges simultaneously. Insurrections, invasions from other empires, religious wars, piracy and competition, natural disasters.

Even if the resources are initially there to take on several challenges simultaneously, the rulers themselves have trouble making decisions and sustaining the decision-making process on such a multidimensional chessboard over what’s usually a very extended period of time. And that’s where the large political backdrop intersects with the personal drama: Verdi shows us what happens to human beings when they are put in a position to play God and make decisions that transcend the human scale, often under great pressure.

That’s why this 160-year-old Verdi score about events that took place almost 500 years ago is still current. The technology has changed, but human nature hasn’t. Rulers still have an ambition to control, people still long to be free, and there’s still a steep personal price to be paid for achieving big goals.

José Luis Moscovich - Conductor

Jose María Condemi - Stage Director

Peter Crompton - Set and Projection Designer

Callie Floor - Costume Designer

Danielle Ferguson - Lighting Designer

Giselle Lee - Sound Designer

Pictured: floor plan for a set design by Peter Crompton 

for the 2016 production of Salome at WBO

Philip II -

Elisabeth -

Don Carlos -

Roderigue, Marquis de Posa -

Princesse Eboli-

Grand Inquisitor -

Thibault -

A monk -

Voice from Heaven

Count of Lerma

Royal Herald

Countess of Arenberg

* First appearance with WBO

Orchestra

Tina Anderson, concertmaster

Violin I · Emily Chiet, Virginia Smedberg

Violin II · Lisa Zadek, Frida Pukhachevsky, Julian R. Brown 

Viola ·      , Donny Lobree

Cello · Janet Witharm, Thomas Shoebotham*

Bass · Marie Laskin

Flute 1 ·

Flute 2/Piccolo ·

Oboe 1 ·

Oboe 2/English Horn ·

Bassoon 1·

Bassoon 2 ·

Horn · Cathleen Torres, Diane Ryan

Trumpet ·

Trombone ·

Bass Trombone ·

Timpani · 

Percussion · Norman Peck

Harp · Gennaro Porcaro

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Orchestra Librarian · Virginia Smedberg

Orchestra Manager · Christy Crews

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* First appearance with West Bay Opera