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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Verdi: Don Carlorecorded on 11th October 1960 at the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlinsung in German
Theo Adam (Philipp II), Martin Ritzmann (Don Carlos), Rudolf Jedlicka (Posa), Gerhard Frei (Grand Inquisitor), Ludmila Dvorakova (Elisabeth), Hedwig Müller-Bütow (Eboli), Sylvia Pawlik (Tebaldo), Jutta Vulpius (Voice from Above) Chor der Deutschen Staatsoper Berlin, Staatskapelle Berlin, Franz Konwitschny Superb sound. A legendary cast with the young Ludmilla Dvorakova and Rudolf Jedlicka, a student of Tino Pattiera, Pavel Ludikar and Fernando Carpi, is heard to great advantage. Highly recommended under the magnificent Konwitschy – first release on any format. ”Almost forgotten a generation after his death, Franz Konwitschny, director of both the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig and the Berlin State Opera from 1949 until his death in 1962, was much the finest and by far the most successful East German conductor of his time. Konwitschny didn't seek to match the glamour of Herbert von Karajan, his West German opposite; he was interested in something else entirely. Born in 1901 at the height of German romantic idealism, Konwitschny came of age in the milieu of post-War modernism, and in his maturity the one influence tempered the other so that the classic Konwitschny performances were clean and lucid but enormously concentrated and unbearably intense. For latter-day [listeners] who know best Karajan's more charismatic recordings, Konwitschny…will clear the mind, cleanse the palette and sooth the spirit.” James Leonard, allmusic.com | 
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| |  | Verdi: Don CarloLive Recording from The Deutsche Oper Berlin, 1965Sung in German
Set & Costumes by WILHELM REINKING In 1964 Deutsche Oper Berlin still had no General Music Director. But Artistic Director Gustav Rudolf Sellner made a virtue out a necessity and – in addition to the permanent conductor Heinrich Hollreiser and the regular guest conductor Karl Böhm – brought in further conductors from home and abroad for individual productions. For Don Carlos he invited Wolfgang Sawallisch, who since 1957 had been making a name for himself at the Bayreuth Festival, above all with Tannhäuser and the Flying Dutchman and since 1960 had been acting General Music Director in Hamburg. He had at his disposal an ensemble of outstanding soloists. In addition to Josef Greindl and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, they included James King in the title role, Pilar Lorengar, Martti Talvela, Patricia Johnson and Lisa Otto as the Voice from Heaven. Sound Format: PCM Mono Picture Format: 4:3 DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC Subtitles: DE (Original Language), GB, FR, ES, IT, JP, Korean Running Time: 155 mins FSK: 0 “This black-and-white version in German is a document of a great style, with Fischer-Dieskau in his best operatic role. Fiery conducting from Wolfgang Sawallisch.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2012 **** “[Fischer-Dieskau is] in marginally better voice than on his famous studio recording of the work for Decca, though it's the subtle physicality of his acting that is the real revelation here. He's by no means the only reason for watching: Pilar Lorengar is immensely touching as Elisabeth...and there's grand, intense conducting from Wolfgang Sawallisch.” The Guardian, 13th December 2012 **** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Verdi: Don Carlo
Recorded live on 7th March 1964 “This is one of the more erratic issues from Sony's Met Archive series, but also among the most compelling...both [Corelli and Rysanek] sing with such overwhelming grandeur of passion that you really believe in them as a titanic pair of lovers, destroyed by the petty systems and creeds of those around them...Kurt Adler keeps it all wonderfully together, though I suspect the stars on stage are controlling the speeds.” The Guardian, 8th September 2011 **** “Corelli, one of the period's most viscerally exciting tenors, adds high notes and generally shows off, but in a way that is regularly thrilling. Leonie Rysanek's Elisabetta possesses discretion and insight and is founded on resilient yet pliant vocalism.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2011 **** “[Corelli] is on terrific form and his admirers will not be upset...he's passionate and involved in his confrontation with Elisabetta in the courtyard and ends it on a blazing B flat...[Dalis's] sound is hardly Italianate but she has Eboli well in hand - high, low, seductive, vindictive.” International Record Review, January 2012 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Verdi: Don CarloProduction by John Dexter
(filmed in 1983) | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Verdi: Don Carlo
Luciano Pavarotti (Don Carlo), Samuel Ramey (Filippo II), Paolo Coni (Rodrigo), Daniela Dessi (Elisabetta), Luciana D’intino (Eboli), Alexander Anisimov (Il Grande Inquisitore), Marilena Laurenza (Tebaldo), Nuccia Focile (Una voce dal cielo), Orfeo Zanetti (Il Conte di Lerma), Mario Bolognesi (Un Araldo Reale), Un Araldo Reale (Un Frate) Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan, Riccardo Muti Subtitles: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish “If you want the edition of the work revised in Italian by Verdi, first performed in 1884, this is your only choice to date on DVD – and it proves, as it did on VHS, a satisfying experience.
The work in this form is tauter and more direct than the five-act French original caught on the DVD of the Chatêlet production conducted by Pappano. Those who know Zeffirelli's style won't be surprised by the conventionally lavish production, but it effectively evokes the atmosphere of religious oppression and personal antagonisms Verdi so unerringly depicts.
The dark-hued, threatening setting fits Muti's energetic, rhythmically vital conception. He quickens the emotions in a peculiarly Italianate way, and throughout evinces a feeling for the colouring of the score. His reading is in turn a good background for some thoughtful and idiomatic singing.
Pavarotti delivers Carlo's music in a typically fervent manner, words ideally placed on the voice and his tone consistently firm and pliable.
His girth makes him unconvincing as the small, lean, nervous Carlo of history, but his simple, sincere acting is its own advocate. Daniella Dessì looks the very image of the wronged, sympathetic Elisabetta and sings with feeling and good phrasing. Paolo Coni offers a concerned, upright Rodrigo, sung in warm tones though he sometimes loses focus under pressure.
Zeffirelli's video direction is well fashioned and the sound picture catches the aural ambience of La Scala. As a whole, this is a vivid experience.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Verdi: Don CarloVersion Modena, 1886. Teatro Comunale Luciano Pavarotti Modena, October 2012
Giacomo Prestia (Filippo II), Mario Malagnini (Don Carlo), Simone Piazzola (Rodrigo), Luciano Montanaro (Il Grande Inquisitore), Cellia Costea (Elisabetta di Valois), Alla Pozniak (Eboli), Irene Candelier (Tebaldo/Una Voce dal Cielo), Antonio Feltracco (Il Conte di Lerma/Un Araldo Reale) Orchestral Regionale dell'Emilia-Romagna, Coro Lirico Amadeus, Fabrizio Ventura Staged by Joseph Franconi Lee C Major’s Tutto Verdi project comes to one of Verdi’s most popular operas: Don Carlo. This production from Teatro Comunale Luciano Pavarotti Modena is conducted by Fabrizio Ventura. He has performed at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden as well as the Arena di Verona and the Sydney Opera House. The cast is led Giacomo Presita who has performed wuth some of the world’s greatest conductors including Abbado, Mehta, Muti, Gatti and Barenboim. He is supported by Mario Malagnini and Cellia Costea. PICTURE: 16:9, HD SOUND: DVD: DTS 5.1, PCM STEREO RUNNING TIME: TOTAL: 184 MINUTES (OPERA: 173 MINUTES, BONUS: 11 MINUTES) SUBTITLES: ITALIAN (ORIGINAL LANGUAGE), ENGLISH, GERMAN, FRENCH, SPANISH, CHINESE, KOREAN, JAPANESE BONUS: ENGLISH, ITALIAN AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE |
| | | Scheduled for release on 3 June 2013. Order it now and we will deliver it as soon as it is available. |
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| |  | Verdi: Don CarloVersion Modena, 1886. Teatro Comunale Luciano Pavarotti Modena, October 2012
Giacomo Prestia (Filippo II), Mario Malagnini (Don Carlo), Simone Piazzola (Rodrigo), Luciano Montanaro (Il Grande Inquisitore), Cellia Costea (Elisabetta di Valois), Alla Pozniak (Eboli), Irene Candelier (Tebaldo/Una Voce dal Cielo), Antonio Feltracco (Il Conte di Lerma/Un Araldo Reale) Orchestral Regionale dell'Emilia-Romagna, Coro Lirico Amadeus, Fabrizio Ventura Staged by Joseph Franconi Lee C Major’s Tutto Verdi project comes to one of Verdi’s most popular operas: Don Carlo. This production from Teatro Comunale Luciano Pavarotti Modena is conducted by Fabrizio Ventura. He has performed at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden as well as the Arena di Verona and the Sydney Opera House. The cast is led Giacomo Presita who has performed wuth some of the world’s greatest conductors including Abbado, Mehta, Muti, Gatti and Barenboim. He is supported by Mario Malagnini and Cellia Costea. PICTURE: 16:9, HD BD: DTS-HD MA 5.1, PCM 2.0 RUNNING TIME: TOTAL: 184 MINUTES (OPERA: 173 MINUTES, BONUS: 11 MINUTES) SUBTITLES: ITALIAN (ORIGINAL LANGUAGE), ENGLISH, GERMAN, FRENCH, SPANISH, CHINESE, KOREAN, JAPANESE BONUS: ENGLISH, ITALIAN AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE |
| | | Scheduled for release on 3 June 2013. Order it now and we will deliver it as soon as it is available. |
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| |  | Verdi: Don CarloHISTORIC MONO RECORDING: Rome, November 20th, 1951
Nicola Rossi-Lemeni (Filippo II), Mirto Picchi (Don Carlo), Paolo Silveri (Rodrigo, Marchese di Posa), Giulio Neri (Il Grande Inquisitore), Albino Gaggi (Elisabetta di Valois), Ebe Stignani (La Principessa Eboli), Graziella Sciutti (Tebaldo) & M.P. De Leon (Il Conte di Lerma) Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro di Roma della Rai, Fernando Previtali | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
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| |  | Verdi: Don Carlo15/4/1961 Live Recording
Incredible cast, in splendid sound with lots of spontaneous applause - rightly so – a must for every opera lover. Corelli is in stupendous form. [Possibly the first time this has been available?] Mary Curtis-Verna was born in Salem, Massachusetts on May 9, 1921, she studied at Hollis College in Virginia, and in Italy with Ettore Verna, whom she latter married. She made her debut in Milan as Desdemona, in 1949. She sang throughout Italy and made guest appearances in Vienna, Munich and other important venues, all in Italian. Her Metropolitan Opera debut was as Leonora in 'Il trovatore', in 1957. At the Met the presence of such divas as Tebaldi, Milanov and Leontyne Price relegated Mary Curtis-Verna to the rank of cover and her husband’s failing health did not afford her the luxury of spending entire seasons away from home, so stability won over super-stardom. Her CV at the Met comprises Mimi, Violetta, Amelia (both the Ballo and Boccanegra), Alice Ford, Santuzza, Adriana Lecouvreur, Gutrune, Aida, Turandot, Elisabeth di Valois, Tosca, Manon Lescaut, Leonora (both of them), Maddalena di Coigni, and both Donna Anna & Donna Elvira (sung to Leontyne Price’s Anna). She was also a staple of the annual tour across the country. Curtis-Verna sang at the Met for 10 seasons, 96 performances and the 19 roles listed above. Her career with the company ended the day they said farewell to the old theatre. After her retirement in 1969, she chaired the voice department in the University of Washington for 20 years. Her recorded output is shamelessly small and hard to find. | | | Usually despatched in 3 - 4 working days. |
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| |  | Verdi: Don CarloLive from the Royal Opera House
National Theatre director Nicholas Hytner’s new staging of Verdi’s grandest – and arguably greatest – opera, Don Carlo, was the highlight of the 2007/2008 Royal Opera House season. This new production marked Rolando Villazón’s much anticipated, triumphant return to the house. Don Carlo is Verdi’s musical retelling of Schiller’s poem Don Carlos. Set amidst the political, religious and sexual intrigue of the 16th century Spanish court, this epic work is the tragic story of the virtuous young prince, Don Carlo when he is pitted against the powers of a dominant, corrupt society. The Italian version premiered at Teatro alla Scala in Milan on 10th January, 1884, following the French premiere (Don Carlos) in 1867, at the Paris Opera. It was first staged at The Royal Opera House in 1886. This new production is the first new version of the 5-Act complete opera to be staged at Covent Garden in 50 years. With sets and costumes by Bob Crowley, direction by Nicholas Hytner and an enviable cast, this production of Don Carlo is worthy of the greatness of Verdi’s original, masterful work. “Supported by designer Bob Crowley's dazzling coups de thêatre, and by Antonio Pappano's band in scintillating form, he directs with such vivid forcefulness – and such psychological acuity – that Verdi's great rumination on theocracy, and on the battle between patriarchy and the brotherhood of man, emerges in its full beauty and menace…Ferruccio Furlanetto's King Philip, a commanding presence conveying as much by his stillness as by his gloriously resonant voice…This full five-act version is a long evening, but time flies thanks to transcendent performances by Poplavskaya and Villazón, and to the beauty emanating from the pit”. The Independent Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian “as fine an example of singing by a tenor in Verdi as we have heard in many a year: elegant in detail, movingly expressive and endowed with that special beauty of tone which was Villazon's distinctive gift...he sustained the demanding role without any sign of tiring, forcing or losing quality towards the end” Gramophone Magazine, December 2010 “the love-torn relationship of the titular prince and the fiancée stolen from him by his father the king is sensitively staged and played: Rolando Villazon (in less uncertain voice than reportedly on opening night) and Marina Poplavskaya, a regal beauty much-loved by the camera, make it all movingly fresh...Pappano's urgently impassioned conducting...lends everyone unfailing support.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2011 *** “Villazon's Carlo remains fully committed dramatically...Poplavskaya skilfully develops Elisabetta from coltish girl to anguished queen...[Keenlyside] blazes with conviction...[Furlanetto] shapes his Philip in tone consistently rounded, colourful and expertly controlled...This orchestra knows the piece intimately, and it shows. Pappano is a master of dramatic atmosphere throughout.” International Record Review, December 2010 | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
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Gramophone Awards 2011