Verdi’s first opera
for Paris was Jerusalem. By then the pre-eminent Italian opera
composer, Verdi followed the example of Rossini and Donizetti
in re-working a successful piece for his first assault on Paris.
Premiered at the Paris Opéra in November 1847 Jerusalem was
a rewrite of Verdi’s fourth opera, I Lombardi with the necessary
addition of a ballet, de rigueur for the Paris Opéra. Like his
illustrious predecessors Verdi was tempted to Paris by the superior
musical standards, greater money available for productions and
the lack of censorship that plagued his work in Italy then under
foreign occupation. These qualities were sufficient to keep
Verdi interested in The Opéra, whilst Jerusalem was sufficiently
successful to keep the theatre management interested in the
composer. Jerusalem was to have been followed by a completely
new work by Verdi. The dramatic upheavals in France, leading
to the Second Empire in 1848, made that impossible. Verdi did
not return to Paris until 1852 when, during the gestation of
Il Trovatore, he negotiated a new contract that lead to Les
Vêpres Siciliennes, Verdi’s twentieth title.
Although there was a revival in Paris in 1863, for which Verdi
wrote several new arias, his first ‘Grand Opera’ had a chequered
fate and was not destined to enter the charmed circle of Paris
repertory Grand Opera such as Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots or Halevy’s
La Juive. It was not heard in France in its original language
after 1865. Verdi’s only other Paris venture before Don Carlos
was a revision in French of Il Trovatore for which he composed
the necessary ballet, made some minor additions and revised
the rather abrupt ending. The commission for this revision was
something of a placatory gesture by The Opéra following the
failure of Verdi’s litigation against the Théâtre Italien for
what he contended were unauthorised performances. Paris for
Verdi was perhaps, at this time, ‘unfinished business’. He was
very much his own man, living on his estate with his wife and
only accepting commissions if he was highly motivated by a proposal
or circumstances. In 1864 when Verdi spent much time revising
Macbeth he was approached by Emile Perrin, director of the Paris
Opéra, to write once more for the theatre. With the helpful
interventions of a mutual friend, Verdi committed himself to
do soothe following year, the work to be of four or five act,
with ballet. The agreed subject was Don Carlos. Verdi travelled
to Paris in July 1866 and began composing. Schiller’s poem is
a long one and so was the libretto to which Verdi composed the
music. By February of 1867, as rehearsals for the first night
were in full progress, it became obvious that the opera was
too long and Verdi, however reluctantly, excised sections of
it. This performance claims to be that which would have been
presented at the premiere if Verdi had not been forced to make
the excisions he did.
Whatever Verdi’s
vicissitudes in Paris they were minor, it would seem, compared
to that of the Viennese audience on the opening night of Peter
Konwitschny’s production. The Viennese audience could not have
been wholly surprised as the production originated in Hamburg
three years previously. On a number of occasions, such as during
the ballet music (CD.2 trs. 11-16), involving singers miming
a rather farcical domestic scene involving phone calls to a
Pizza Company rather than any dancing, the audience reaction
to the producers concept is voluble and clearly audible. There
is a similar audience reaction during the auto da fe
(CD 3 trs. 1-3). Who said CD was dead in the water with the
arrival of DVD? There are virtues in not seeing what one is
hearing.
Some years ago whilst
researching in the archives of the Paris Opéra, Andrew Porter
rediscovered the music Verdi put aside. Some of those items
were included as an appendix to the first studio recording of
the French version conducted by Claudio Abbado (D.G.). Recorded
over two years with a non Francophone cast in an over resonant
acoustic and spread over four discs its appeal was limited.
The later recording, well conducted by Pappano (EMI CD and Warner
DVD) and recorded live around six years ago at the Théâtre du
Châtelet in Paris and sung in better French, is far preferable
but it of the more limited version. This recording adds the
extended choral introduction to act 1 (CD 1 tr.1), the exchange
of masks at the start of act 3 (CD 2 tr.10) and also sections
of the duet between Elisabeth and Eboli before O don fatal
(CD 3 trs.6-8). The outcome of these and other minor alterations
means an extra 30 minutes or so of Verdi’s finest music compared
with the Giulini (EMI GROC) and Haitink (Philips) recordings
of the standard Italian version.
In my review of
the CD of Ramon Vargas in duets and titled ‘Between Friends’
(LINK) I reported on the tenors move towards heavier roles including
Don Carlos in which he was carded for Houston and Washington.
On the basis of his singing here that move might be premature.
Although the booklet does not say so he was reported to be recovering
from an infection at the first performances. His voice lacks
the honeyed cover to the tone that has been his hallmark on
record to date. Thee are occasions here when his tone thins
and whitens and he cannot raise the requisite heft. As Rodrigue,
Bo Skovhus was tackling his first Verdian role, one he would
not have undertaken in the Italian version with its greater
demand for tonal richness particularly in the duet with the
King (CD 2 trs 8-9) and which is much more dramatically intense
in the Italian version. Skovhus’ singing is at all times musical,
but also with a certain tentativeness that does not go with
the character of Rodrigue. As Philippe II Alastair Miles is
resonant and suitably reflective in his lonely soliloquy Elle
ne m’aime pas (CD 3 tr.4) and plays his part in the following
dramatic confrontation with the vocal gravitas of Simon Yang’s
Le Grande Inquisiteur (CD 3 tr.4). As Elisabeth de Valois the
Georgian soprano Iano Tamar really struggles with the vocal
demands of her role, her phrasing in the big concluding act
aria known in the Italian version as Tu che le vanita (CD 4
tr.5) is choppy and expression severely limited. Nadja Michael
as Eboli on the other hand, has vocal resources to spare as
Eboli. Hers is the most consummate Verdi voice in the cast.
She uses her strengths to convey the many lyrical and dramatic
facets the role demands and is reflected in the particularly
warm applause that rewards her O don fatal et détesté
(CD 3 tr.9).
Given the length
of the opera, the choral contributions are rather limited. Nonetheless
these are given worthy and vibrant performances although the
manner of the presentation of the auto de fe scene causes
some lack of the impact it would otherwise have. On the rostrum
Bertrand de Billy shows a welcome feel for Verdian cantilena.
He is somewhat better in controlling the big dramatic events,
particularly the confrontations, than the more lyrical and intimate
moments where he tends to linger a little. The audience’s shows
of disapproval of the production, odd shouts from the chorus,
not written by Verdi, and stage noise, area a distraction.
The booklet notes,
lacking numbering, claim that this recording is a first for
the Don Carlos that Verdi intended to present at the premiere
and is the composer’s true effort at Grand Opera. It was an
effort that did not bring him popular acclaim in Paris that
the later more cogent revisions of the score, in Italian, in
his own country did. Even then it has only been in the post
Second World War period, and stimulated by the Covent garden
production of 1958 by Visconti, with Giulini conducting, that
the true greatness of Verdi’s rich score has come to be appreciated
for its true worth. It is interesting that an increasing number
of opera companies are returning to the French version with
some adding the music contained here. It might make for a long
evening, but with mature Verdi who cares. On that basis I welcome
this opportunity to hear the opera as Verdi first intended it
to be heard in Paris on March 11th 1867, with the excisions
in their correct places and which give the cohesive and dramatic
whole the composers intended when he poured so much time and
effort into its writing.
Robert J Farr