Spotlight Verdi: “Don Carlo”

Karajan told Richard Osborne about the repertoire at his first engagement in Ulm: “I was always grateful to Verdi. With twenty-four players and only four first violins, Verdi is still possible. Puccini is a nightmare but Verdi is possible.” Obviously, Karajan was talking about operas from Verdi’s middle period like “Il Trovatore”, “Rigoletto” and “La Traviata” that he conducted in Ulm. Of these, it was only “Il Trovatore” that remained a constantly successful part of his repertoire, but more demanding works by Verdi were added – like “Don Carlo”, the opulent historical opera after Schiller’s eponymous drama. Karajan conducted it for the first time when he was already 50. It was not only a premiere for him but also for the Salzburg Festival where it had never been produced before. There are not many operas of which one could say that they fit perfectly for the Felsenreitschule. “Don Carlo” does and the success was as great as it was unexpected for many visitors and critics. In conjunction with Gustaf Gründgens, one of the most famous German theatre directors, Karajan created “the non plus ultra concerning ‘Don Carlo’” (klassik.com) supported by a superb cast. Sena Jurinac (Elisabetta) Giulietta Simionato (Eboli), Cesare Siepi (Philipp II) and Eugenio Fernandi (Don Carlo) were praised as ideal interpreters. Erik Werba wrote:

“With the realisation of this Verdi opera on 26 July 1958, Karajan has reached his full stature as a conductor. The achievement was so extraordinary in its incomparable capacity that a normal audience is hardly able to realise it.”

 

To be continued…

—  P.R. Jenkins