Verdi - Don Carlo / Domingo ˇ Caballé ˇ Raimondi ˇ Milnes ˇ Verrett ˇ Estes ˇ Giulini

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Politics, love, and family conflict make a heady brew in Verdi's masterpiece, originally set to a French text for Paris in 1867. In 1882, the composer made an Italian version with big cuts, lopping off the entire first act, which here is restored by Giulini. His pointed, nuanced conducting makes this recording the best available. An ideal Don Carlo requires the unattainable: five great singers and an expert Verdi conductor. This 1970 set has glorious voices that don't dig deep enough for this multilayered drama. The young Domingo sounds fresh, but lacks the free top that the part needs. Milnes has the voice for Rodrigo but, like Domingo and Caballé, is too generalized. Raimondi is too light-voiced for Philip, and the confrontation scene consequently lacks the chilling tension that Tito Gobbi and Boris Christoff bring to it on an earlier EMI cut led by Gabriele Santini. Rival recordings have bigger flaws and few of the virtues that are displayed here, such as Caballé's extraordinarily beautiful if detached singing. True Verdians also will want Pappano's French version, also on EMI, which features Alagna as the hapless prince. --Dan Davis

Verdi - Don Carlo / Domingo ˇ Caballé ˇ Raimondi ˇ Milnes ˇ Verrett ˇ Estes ˇ Giulini, Music, Giuseppe Verdi, Carlo Maria Giulini, Plácido Domingo, Montserrat Caballé, Ruggero Raimondi, Sherrill Milnes, Shirley Verrett, Giovanni Foiani, Simon Estes, Ryland Davies, Ambrosian Opera Chorus, Classical, Classical Music, Italian Romantic Opera, Opera, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio, Opera/Operetta
Verdi - Don Carlo / Domingo · Caballé · Raimondi · Milnes · Verrett · Estes · Giulini
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Marvelous performance by the whole lot.
  • This is the definitive recording of Don Carlo!!!
  • Italian Opera Sung By two Spaniards, an Italian and two Americans
  • TAKING SOUNDINGS
  • A masterpiece of conducting
 Verdi - Don Carlo / Domingo · Caballé · Raimondi · Milnes · Verrett · Estes · Giulini
Giuseppe Verdi , Carlo Maria Giulini , Plácido Domingo , Montserrat Caballé , Ruggero Raimondi , Sherrill Milnes , Shirley Verrett , Giovanni Foiani , Simon Estes , Ryland Davies , and Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00004VVZP
Release Date: 2000-08-15

Tracks:

  1. Don Carlo: Act One - I: Introduzione - Coro di cacciatori - Su, cacciator! pronti o la belva (Coro)
  2. Don Carlo: Act One - II: Scena e romanza - Fontainebleu! Foresta immensa e solitaria!
  3. Don Carlo: Act One - II: Scena e romanza - Io la vidi e al suo srriso (Carlo)
  4. Don Carlo: Act One - III: Scene e duetto - Il suon del corno alfin nel bosco tace (Carlo, Tebaldo, Elisabetta)
  5. Don Carlo: Act One - III: Scene e duetto - Al mio pie', perche?
  6. Don Carlo: Act One - III: Scene e duetto - Di quale amor, di quanto ardor (Elisabetta, Carlo)
  7. Don Carlo: Act One - III: Scene e duetto - Al fedel ch'ora viene, o signora (Tebaldo, Elisabetta, Carlo)
  8. Don Carlo: Act One - III: Scene e duetto - L'ora fatale e suonata! (Elisabetta, Carlo)
  9. Don Carlo: Act One - IV: Coro, scena e finale primo - Inni di festa lieti echeggiate (Coro, Elisabetta, Carlo)
  10. Don Carlo: Act One - IV: Coro, scena e finale primo - Il glorioso Re di Francia (Lerna, Coro, Elisabetta)
  11. Don Carlo: Act One - IV: Coro, scena e finale primo - Vi benedica, Iddio dal ciel! (Coro, Elisabetta, Carlo)
  12. Don Carlo: Act Two, Scene One - I: Preludio, Introduzione, scena del frate e duetto (Don Carlo-Rodrigo) - Preludio (Orchestra)
  13. Don Carlo: Act Two, Scene One - I: Preludio, Introduzione, scena del frate e duetto (Don Carlo-Rodrigo) - Carlo il sommo Imperatore (Coro, Un frate)
  14. Don Carlo: Act Two, Scene One - I: Preludio, Introduzione, scena del frate e duetto (Don Carlo-Rodrigo) - Al chiostro di San Giusto (Carlo, Un frate)
  15. Don Carlo: Act Two, Scene One - I: Preludio, Introduzione, scena del frate e duetto (Don Carlo-Rodrigo) - E lui! desso! l'Infante!
  16. Don Carlo: Act Two, Scene One - I: Preludio, Introduzione, scena del frate e duetto (Don Carlo-Rodrigo) - Questo arcano dal Re non fu sorpreso ancora? (Rodrigo, Carlo)
  17. Don Carlo: Act Two, Scene One - I: Preludio, Introduzione, scena del frate e duetto (Don Carlo-Rodrigo) - Dio, che nell'alma infondere amor (Carlo, Rodrigo, Coro, Un frate)
  18. Don Carlo: Act Two - Scene Two - II: Coro e scena (Canzona del velo) - Sotto ai folti, immensi abeti (Coro di donne, Tebaldo)
  19. Don Carlo: Act Two - Scene Two - II: Coro e scena (Canzona del velo) - Tra queste mura pie la Regina di Spagna
  20. Don Carlo: Act Two - Scene Two - II: Coro e scena (Canzona del velo) - Nei giardin del bello saracin ostello (Ebloi, Tebaldo, Coro di donne)
  21. Don Carlo: Act Two - Scene Two - III: Scena terzetto et dialogato (Romanza di Rodrigo) - La Regina!...Un'arcana mestizia (Coro di donne, Eboli, Elisabetta, Tebaldo, Rodrigo)
  22. Don Carlo: Act Two - Scene Two - III: Scena terzetto et dialogato (Romanza di Rodrigo) - Che mai si fa nel suol francese
  23. Don Carlo: Act Two - Scene Two - III: Scena terzetto et dialogato (Romanza di Rodrigo) - Carlo, ch'e sol il nostro amore (Eboli, Rodrigo, Elisabetta)
  24. Don Carlo: Act Two - Scene Two - IV: Gran scena e duetto - Il vengo a domandar
  25. Don Carlo: Act Two - Scene Two - IV: Gran scena e duetto - Perduto ben, mio sol tesor
  26. Don Carlo: Act Two - Scene Two - IV: Gran scena e duetto - Oh! Carlo! Oh! Carlo! (Carlo, Elisabetta)

Tracks:

  1. Don Carlo: Act Two, Scene Two - V: Scena e romanza - Il Re!...Perche sola e la Regina? (Tebaldo, Filippo, Coro)
  2. Don Carlo: Act Two, Scene Two - V: Scena e romanza - Non pianger, mia compagna (Elisabetta, Rodrigo, Coro, Filippo)
  3. Don Carlo: Act Two, Scene Two - VI: Scena e duetto - Restate! Al mio regal cospetto
  4. Don Carlo: Act Two, Scene Two - VI: Scena e duetto - O Signor, di Fiandra arrivo
  5. Don Carlo: Act Two, Scene Two - VI: Scena e duetto - Quest'e la pace che voi date al mondo?
  6. Don Carlo: Act Two, Scene Two - VI: Scena e duetto - Oso lo sguardo tuo penetrar il mio soglio (Filippo, Rodrigo)
  7. Don Carlo: Act Three, Scene One - VII: Preludio - Preludio (Orchestra)
  8. Don Carlo: Act Three, Scene One - VIII: Scena, duetto e terzetto - A mezzanotte, ai giardin della Regina
  9. Don Carlo: Act Three, Scene One - VIII: Scena, duetto e terzetto - Ciel! non e la Regina! (Carlo, Eboli)
  10. Don Carlo: Act Three, Scene One - VIII: Scena, duetto e terzetto - Che disse mai? (Rodrigo, Eboli)
  11. Don Carlo: Act Three, Scene One - VIII: Scena, duetto e terzetto - Al mio furor, sfuggite invano
  12. Don Carlo: Act Three, Scene One - VIII: Scena, duetto e terzetto - Ed io, che tremava al suo aspetto!
  13. Don Carlo: Act Three, Scene One - VIII: Scena, duetto e terzetto - Trema per te, falso figliuolo (Eboli, Rodrigo, Carlo)
  14. Don Carlo: Act Three, Scene One - VIII: Scena, duetto e terzetto - Carlo! se mai su te fogli importanti serbi (Rodrigo, Carlo)
  15. Don Carlo: Act Three, Scene Two - IX: Gran finale - Spuntato ecco il di d'esultanza (Coro)
  16. Don Carlo: Act Three, Scene Two - IX: Gran finale - Il corteggio resale (Orchestra, Coro)
  17. Don Carlo: Act Three, Scene Two - IX: Gran finale - Schiusa or sia la porta del tempio! (L'araldo, Coro)
  18. Don Carlo: Act Three, Scene Two - IX: Gran finale - Nel Posar sul mio capo la corona (Filippo, Coro, Elisabetta, Rodrigo, Carlo, Deputati)
  19. Don Carlo: Act Three, Scene Two - IX: Gran finale - A Dio voi foste infidi, infidi al vostro Re (Filippo, Coro, Elisabetta, Tebaldo, Carlo, Rodrigo, Deputati)
  20. Don Carlo: Act Three, Scene Two - IX: Gran finale - Sire! egli e tempo ch'io viva! (Carlo, Filippo, Elisabetta, Rodrigo, Tebaldo, Coro)
  21. Don Carlo: Act Three, Scene Two - IX: Gran finale - O ciel! Tu! Rodrigo! (Carlo, Coro, Eboli, Elisabetta, Filippo, Una voce dal cielo, Deputati)

Tracks:

  1. Don Carlo: Act Four, Scene One - X: Introduzione e scena - Introduzione (Orchestra)
  2. Don Carlo: Act Four, Scene One - X: Introduzione e scena - Ella giammai m'amo!
  3. Don Carlo: Act Four, Scene One - X: Introduzione e scena - Dormiro sol nel manto mio regal (Filippo)
  4. Don Carlo: Act Four, Scene One - XI: Scena - Il Grand'Inquisitor! (Lerma, L'Inquisitore, Filippo)
  5. Don Carlo: Act Four, Scene One - XI: Scena - Nell'ispano suol mai l'eresia domino
  6. Don Carlo: Act Four, Scene One - XI: Scena - Mio padre, che tra noi la pace alberghi ancor (L'Inquisitore, Filippo)
  7. Don Carlo: Act Four, Scene One - XII: Scena e quartetto - Giustizia, giustizia, Sire! (Elisabetta, Filippo)
  8. Don Carlo: Act Four, Scene One - XII: Scena e quartetto - Ardita troppo voi favellate!
  9. Don Carlo: Act Four, Scene One - XII: Scena e quartetto - Ah! sii maledetto, sospetto fatale (Filippo, Elisabetta, Eboli, Rodrigo)
  10. Don Carlo: Act Four, Scene One - XIII: Scena ed aria - Pieta! Pieta! perdon! (Eboli, Elisabetta)
  11. Don Carlo: Act Four, Scene One - XIII: Scena ed aria - Ah! piu non vedro la Regina! O don fatale, o don crudel
  12. Don Carlo: Act Four, Scene One - XIII: Scena ed aria - O mia Regina, io t'immolai (Eboli)
  13. Don Carlo: Act Frou, Scene Two - XIV: Morte di Rodrigo e sommossa - Son io, mio Carlo (Rodrigo, Carlo)
  14. Don Carlo: Act Frou, Scene Two - XIV: Morte di Rodrigo e sommossa - Per me giunto e il di supremo (Rodrigo)
  15. Don Carlo: Act Frou, Scene Two - XIV: Morte di Rodrigo e sommossa - Che parli tu di morte? (Carlo, Rodrigo)
  16. Don Carlo: Act Frou, Scene Two - XIV: Morte di Rodrigo e sommossa - O Carlo, ascolta, la madre t'aspetta
  17. Don Carlo: Act Frou, Scene Two - XIV: Morte di Rodrigo e sommossa - Ah! io morro, ma lieto in core (Rodrigo)
  18. Don Carlo: Act Frou, Scene Two - XIV: Morte di Rodrigo e sommossa - Mio Carlo, a te la spada io rendo (Filippo, Carlo, Coro, Lerma, Eboli, L'Inquisitore)
  19. Don Carlo: Act Five - XV: Scena ed aria - Introduzione (Orchestra)
  20. Don Carlo: Act Five - XV: Scena ed aria - Tu che le vanita
  21. Don Carlo: Act Five - XV: Scena ed aria - Carlo qui verra! Si!
  22. Don Carlo: Act Five - XV: Scena ed aria - Addio! Addio, bei sogni d'or
  23. Don Carlo: Act Five - XV: Scena ed aria - Tu che le vanita (Elisabetta)
  24. Don Carlo: Act Five - Scena, duetto d'addio e finale - E dessa!...Un detto, un sol
  25. Don Carlo: Act Five - Scena, duetto d'addio e finale - Vago sogno m'arrise!
  26. Don Carlo: Act Five - Scena, duetto d'addio e finale - Ma lassu ci vedremo (Carlo, Elisabetta)
  27. Don Carlo: Act Five - Scena, duetto d'addio e finale - Si, per sempre! (Filippo, L'Inquisitore, Elisabetta, Carlo, Un frate, Familiari)

Amazon.com

Politics, love, and family conflict make a heady brew in Verdi's masterpiece, originally set to a French text for Paris in 1867. In 1882, the composer made an Italian version with big cuts, lopping off the entire first act, which here is restored by Giulini. His pointed, nuanced conducting makes this recording the best available. An ideal Don Carlo requires the unattainable: five great singers and an expert Verdi conductor. This 1970 set has glorious voices that don't dig deep enough for this multilayered drama. The young Domingo sounds fresh, but lacks the free top that the part needs. Milnes has the voice for Rodrigo but, like Domingo and Caballé, is too generalized. Raimondi is too light-voiced for Philip, and the confrontation scene consequently lacks the chilling tension that Tito Gobbi and Boris Christoff bring to it on an earlier EMI cut led by Gabriele Santini. Rival recordings have bigger flaws and few of the virtues that are displayed here, such as Caballé's extraordinarily beautiful if detached singing. True Verdians also will want Pappano's French version, also on EMI, which features Alagna as the hapless prince. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Marvelous performance by the whole lot........2007-05-31

This is a very good version of the 5-act Italian "Don Carlo". You can notice the anguish and pain of Don Carlo into Domingo's performance, sometimes is heartbreaking. Monserrat Caballé singing is full of pain and longing, a true performance by the Catalonian soprano. The Marquis de Posa sung by Milnes shows a true friendship bond to Carlo and Elisabetta. The emperor Phillip is sung by Ruggero Raimondi. As the bad guy, his singing is dark yet full of expression, specially on his monologue "nel mio manto regal". The wicked Eboli sung by Verret is very good, showing the desire of breaking the love between Carlo and Elisabetta. Giulini conducting is passionate and blazing, like fireworks. The choir is very good, specially at the auto-de-fe scene before Carlo gets arrested. Don't look further, this is the Don Carlo to listen and it has a great price too.

5 out of 5 stars This is the definitive recording of Don Carlo!!!.......2006-01-02

This is the definitive recording of Don Carlos.Giulini(a golden age conductor)does a marvelous job with his wand.Montserrat Caballe's performance is profound.She sings with such seemless legato line,and the most glorious tone,this demanding role of elisabetta di valois.Her high notes are so beautiful and powerful,she more than does this role justice.Caballe's pianissimo note at the end of her main aria,tu che le vanita(is one of the grandest verdi has ever written,and in caballe's hands,one of the most beautiful.)has to be heard to be believed.It is truely a revelation,in terms of the singular beauty Caballe is able to manifest here on planet earth.A note so soft and pure,and yet luxuriously audible.Shirley verrett is another reason to have this don carlo.Her eboli is sung with rich and beautiful tone,as well as thrilling dramatic bite.her o don fatale blows me away every time.Domingo sings with a handsome tone,and stays in character throughout.The other singers are in good voice,and pleasant to listen to.Milnes and raimondi are a nice addition to this recording.Giulini's don carlo was recorded in 1970,and this newly remastered version sounds pristine.The over all atmosphere I feel from this don carlo,when playing on my stereo,is that of being transported in a aural rapture to golden age heaven.

5 out of 5 stars Italian Opera Sung By two Spaniards, an Italian and two Americans.......2005-11-05

For the Italian version of Verdi's Don Carlo on record, which far surpasses the original French version in popularity and commercial appeal, this is the studio recording to own. The people at EMI would not dare let this classic, legendary recording go out of print. Listed among opera's top recordings, this 1970 studio recording represents the highlight of many of these singer's respective careers up to that point and attests to the prowess of conductor Carlo Maria Giulini. It's ironic that for a highly Italian opera, replete with Verdi's Italian phrasing and music, the singers are not even Italian, except for baritone Ruggero Raimondi. Placido Domingo and Montserrat Caballe, the tenor and soprano romantic duo on this set, are both proud of their Spanish heritage. Domingo's parents sang in Zarzuela in Madrid. Domingo's roots are in Spain but he first received operatic notoriety in Mexico City. The Latin gloss he suffuses his voice with is extremely sexy and seductive, and he has enough darkness and heft (coming from the fact he first sang the roles of baritones) to make Don Carlos a man not to be toyed with. Don Carlos is Domingo's most vocally gratifying role. Every thing he sings here, from love arias to pensive ones, is clearly his best work. He can relax his voice in some portions as well as exude dramatic virile power in other more thrilling parts. He was born to sing Don Carlo, for it is even a tribute to his possibly Castillian roots. And just from his voice and mannerism alone one would actually mistake Domingo for a Spanish prince.

Likewise, Montserrat Caballe has what it takes to essay the role of Queen Elisabeth Di Valois. Not only does she color her voice so that she is both singing with melancholy sweetness (with those ravishing pianissimi she is so famous for) but she is able to make the Queen sound tormented behind a mask of pride and aristocratic bearing. With Verdi, Caballe did not have to tra-la-la her way through phrases as she did with Puccini. She knew Verdi very well and excelled in Verdi opera perhaps because Verdi's operas are influenced in part by bel canto, which Caballe was the reigning interpretor of in the 60's. This is Caballe's best work on recording, and that's considering she sang superbly as Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia and Bellini's Norma. Her "rival" the seductive and scheming Princess Eboli is sung by the well-endowed mezzo soprano Shirley Verrett, an African-American. Born in America to a Seventh-Day Adventist, Shirley Verrett's rich, dark voice is thrilling and elegant. She makes the character of Eboli appear majestic in her own terms, though perhaps not as sympathetic in portrayal as Grace Bumbry's interpretation. Still Verrett has the right stuff to pull ito ff. Eboli is among her greatest mezzo roles and already hinted at here is her high soprano voice which she would use later in the 70's to essay the roles of Bellini's Norma, Aida and Puccini's Tosca. Another American in the cast is baritone Sherill Milnes, who is also involved in baseball. Milnes makes the role of the Inquisitornearly as charismatic as Domingo's Carlo. Their duets and scenes alone are worth the price of this recording. Milnes worked well with Domingo and it shows, especially here. This is his best work for I find that his Count Di Luna and Scarpia are static. Here, though, he delivers!! The only Italian in the bunch is Ruggero Raimondi singing one devilishly, and cool-sounding King Phillip. He makes the King sound like Don Giovanni! And that's actually good in this case because the King has some big flaws. Giulini is doing a fine job with the score, treating it with a kind of epic grandeur worthy of Wagner. This is still the best Don Carlo out there. The only other I recommend is the original French version starring Domingo, Ricciarelli, Valentini Terrani and Nicolai Ghiurov who sing in the most glorious French voices for this opera fit for the Paris Opera that adored historical spectacles.

5 out of 5 stars TAKING SOUNDINGS.......2005-08-26

Opera in sound alone can never be the full monty, just as Shakespeare on the radio can't be. The grander the Grand Opera the more true this is, and Don Carlo is bigger in scope even than Aida. It is about a lot more than the story of a love-triangle set against a background of armies, slaves, pyramids and elephants: there are four parties to the love-interest alone, the role of Posa is nearly as important as any of them, and the action takes in the fate of the royal house of Spain, the imperial dominion in Flanders and the overweening power of the Spanish Inquisition. It cries out for staging. However in sound alone the Grand Inquisitor without his garb will have difficulty in being more than a disembodied bass voice given that his is a rather small part, and however dramatically kings, princes, princesses and nobles sing and act with their voices I can't help finding myself more concerned with them as sopranos, tenors, baritones and basses than as the dramatis personae they would be for me in the opera house.

When recommending a Don Carlo on disc I therefore focus mainly on the musical side. In any case there is no possible risk that if this music is sung properly it will come across as a concert - Verdi sees to that. He was a dramatist to the marrow of his bones, and the listener at home has only to follow the words in order to be caught up in the grand sombre tragedy that Verdi has burned into music. The best performance on disc, for me, will be the performance that most consistently conveys both power and beauty, because this opera is about tormented human emotions at the mercy of ruthless political power in addition to their own tragic fallibility. None of that needs any staging when conveyed in music like this. It would be a tall order to expect any performance of this outsize opera to be perfect. It is not a perfect work itself, on any showing. Even by Verdi's standards it went through an enormous amount of rethinking and revision, and it has surely the most peculiar and unconvincing conclusion there can ever have been in a work of its stature. A worthy performance has to convey total and absolute belief and commitment, but the focus has to be on beauty as well, more than would be so in the opera house, because sound is all we have.

One doesn't have to get far into the first act to realise that this Don Carlo is going to score quite exceptionally highly in point of beauty. Domingo is in superb voice, and Caballe surpasses herself. As the work goes on I suppose it might be fair to say that her lower register is not the equal of her higher, but this is Verdi and not Wagner. Wagner pitches his solo parts reasonably so as not to put strain on the voices, Verdi exploits the upper range of every voice except the bass with remorseless partiality, and Caballe rises to his monstrous demands magnificently. Eboli is a mezzo role, but the challenge Verrett has to overcome is hardly less in that respect, and her confession of the theft of the jewel-box is perhaps the final solo gem in a performance that is a jewel-box itself. Not everyone is absolutely right - the Grand Inquisitor's voice is too youthful, but I have very little criticism indeed to make of any of the major roles. Raimondi as the king seems perfectly good to me, and Milnes delivers a fine rendering of the part of Posa, combining power and inwardness, sometimes at one and the same time. If there is a high spot to the entire performance it is surely the quartet in act IV, a sublime outpouring of beautiful sound from all the principals together.

In the last analysis this Don Carlo surpasses any other I have ever heard for its combination of sheer beauty with wholehearted power. Giulini was born to conduct it, and I doubt I have a single criticism of anything he does from start to finish. The recording is now 35 years old, but you might not be able to tell. Now only weeks from Giulini's passing I am especially glad to be able to give such an unqualified endorsement to what I believe to be one of his finest achievements, indeed one of the finest opera recordings I know. It's only to be expected that there are details that one prefers in other accounts, but for sheer consistent quality at the highest level I would say your search can safely end here.

5 out of 5 stars A masterpiece of conducting.......2004-07-11

For me Don Carlo is Verdi's masterpiece. You find here a very good libretto which makes a lot of sense (compared to Il Trovatore for example) that has a very natural balance of human drama, powerful characters with veridic evolutions and above all some of the best music Verdi composed. It is flawless, and supports with depth and detail the characters and the conflicts without weak moments or loss of "concentration".

The vocal parts aren't as demanding as others in any register. Yet, the length and the profound impact that the orchestra has in this opera and the complex turns and situations the opera encompasses make me believe that a succesful Don Carlo is first of all a problem of conducting. And I think that this is why everybody turns to this recordnig when they have to name the best recording of Don Carlo.

For any of the vocals here you can find someone better. I personally prefer Corelli over all the others, including Domingo which here is in a very good shape and delivers a very involved and careful rendition of Don Carlo. Martti Talvela is indeed unsurpassed in the role of Grande Inquisitor, but Estes here does a very fine job. Ghiaurov's Filip is indeed overwhelming and I love him as much as the others do. But I have to say that I found Raimondi to be a revelation. Maybe his voice is a little lighter but the sensibility and expresivity Raimondi is capable of, deliver a very refreshing and rewarding contribution to this key role. Milnes is also very good. The first Don Carlo I heard had Bastianini singing Posa. Both him and Gobbi are more rewarding in terms of tone and interpretation. But Milnes comes really close and he makes a very convincing case especially in the duos with Domingo or King Filip (a real miscast was Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, in Solti's recording). The ladies are as god as those on other recordings if not better. I really enjoy what Caballe does in the role of Elisabeta and Verrett is a very capable pair.
In conclusion the roles in this recording are handled extremely well and I can't help thinking that the star singers of some of these roles (mentioned above) were sacrificed for the unity of the cast, a good performing team.

So, in the end, everything comes to conducting. And here I think this recording is unsurpassed. The extraordinary sense of tempo that works wonders elsewhere is displayed here by Giulini in full power. And such, the opera unwraps in front of you with a "life-like" quality. Nothing is exagerated for the sake of a particular temporary effect. But when the development of the drama asks for it power and intensity are there to deliver the goods. As usual with Giulini the orchestra is so dedicated to its conductor and you can hear inner voices inside the orchestra that you won't hear anywhere else. The characters, entirely supported by the orchestra, evolve naturally in the same right atmosphere with flawless inner logic. It is the only recording of Don Carlo which has a sense of unity and of a "single piece".

To wrap up things imagine this: you listen to a performance wich always tells you where you are and how did you get there, you follow the evolution of both characters and intrigue without any bumpss or missed points, you hear very beautiful voices in distinguished performances supported by a very beautifully sounding and highly expressive orchestra. There is no wonder that you come back to this recording when somebody asks you which one is the best recording of Verdi's Don Carlo.

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