Don Carlo

Magnificent drama from the Franco era 

Don Carlo and Elisabeth love each other, but she is forced to marry his father, King Philip, to secure peace in the country. In this version of Verdi's masterpiece, the story of love, friendship, idealism and duty unfolds under the oppressive yoke of the Franco dictatorship. 

The Norwegian National Opera’s Marita Sølberg and Yngve Søberg, who  received rave reviews the last time they interpreted Verdi in Othello, return to sing the roles of Princess Elisabeth and Rodrigo. They are joined by  Matteo Lippi as Don Carlos and Anthony Ciaramitaro and Brindley Sherratt as King Philip II.  

A cornucopia of impressions

Kulturtid 

Baroque aesthetics meets video design 

Director Davide Livermore and the design duo Giò Forma have moved the story from the Spanish Inquisition to the political persecution under the Franco dictatorship.  

Past and present merge in a lavish, video-projected set design revolving around Baroque artists Goya and Velázquez.  

Verdi's Don Carlo has it all

Berlingske 

Grand opera  

Don Carlo was commissioned by the Paris Opera, famous in the mid-1800s for its ‘grand operas’ – spectacular historical dramas featuring large-scale choruses and orchestras. The opera is one of Verdi's later works, written after he had abandoned the bel canto style of singing in favour of a more dramatic vocal expression. After the 1867 premiere, he revised the work numerous times and it is the Italian version in four acts from 1886 that is now being performed at the Oslo Opera House. With an orchestra, expanded opera chorus and fabulous soloists on stage, this promises to be a magnificent musical experience.