Wednesday, 16 July 2014

Listening to and watching .... Verdi's "Don Carlo" - Kaufmann at Salzburg 2013

OK. I admit it. The Christmas gift of the Met's "Ring Cycle" boxed DVD set won me over to investigate Jonas Kaufmann a wee bit more. Or rather... The Old Man do seem to be doing such a thing with a purchase of a  CD of Kaufmann singing Schubert's "Winterreise"  (not sure, but it seems to gather strength) and ... most recently.... a DVD of Verdi's "Don Carlo" recorded at the Salzburg Festival in 2013 with Kaufmann as Don Carlo, Thomas Hampson as Rodrigo and  Anja Harteros as Elisabetta di Valois. It's a Peter Stein production and is conducted by Antonio Pappano (with much perspiration, warmth and passion).

And I do enjoy it. The production makes the story very clear ... as The Old Man (still facially-and-name-challenged) do definitely think too. I like the rather austere set design which seems to echo the severity of the plot .... ('tis all very tragic) .... and Pappano does a jolly good job as does just about everybody involved.  Yeah ... relished and enjoyed.

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