DVD0073. Don Carlos (The 5-Act French Version), Live Performance, 1996, Paris, w.Pappano Cond. Théâtre du Châtelet Ensemble; Roberto Alagna, Karita Mattila, Waldtraud Meier, Thomas Hampson, José van Dam, etc. Kultur D2031. - 032031203198

CRITIC REVIEW:

"This is a 1996 all-star production from Paris of the original French version of Verdi's epic five-act opera, DON CARLOS. First produced in 1867, only Wagner would write musical drama on a grander scale, and because of the three-and-a-half-hour running time, most subsequent productions have made substantial cuts. This is therefore a rare opportunity to witness Verdi's tragedy in its entirety. In the 16th century in the aftermath of war between Spain and France, Don Carlo (Roberto Alagna), the heir to the Spanish throne, comes to France to meet with his beloved Elizabeth de Valois (Karita Mattila). Inevitably, politics divide the lovers, and while Rodrigue (Thomas Hampson) falls in with Flemish rebels, the Inquisition is determined to be the power behind the peace."