Don Carlo was the first opera presentation of the Teatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, South America. I saw it twice on Sunday, August 23rd and Sunday, August 30rd in 1998.

    The cast of was the following :

    Unfortunately the opera was presented in its Italian version in 4 acts (I personally prefer the 5 act version) but we have to be grateful a decent cast was assembled and the opera presented after all.

    First, the best : in both nights, all honors should go to James Morris who sang quite well although not having a beautiful voice (the production is nasal which sound rough and unpleasant). He dealt well with the two low notes in Act I - Scene 2 with Rodrigo but betrayed he is not a real bass but a very good bass-baritone. The voice is ample and rang freely in the theatre creating quite an impression for the audience. He characterizes very well, I'd like to mention specially the scene when he denounces Elisabetta for having betrayed him, his sentence "che ! pietá d'una adultera consorte" was very well done and he had the biggest ovation of the night in his soliloquy "Ella giammai m'amó". All in all a very good presentation.

    Armilliato was very good. I confess I was apprehensive because of the bad reviews from the newsgroup, but I don't understand why. His voice is large, well projected, although he lacks a command of phrasing (he could improve if he listened more or even had a master class with Carlo Bergonzi) and his tone is not always steady. Anyway, I liked his portrayal, he cuts an excellent figure on stage, tall and slim, he reminded me of a ballet dancer !!! His best moment was in the final duet where he sang some ravishing pianos, in the first duet with Elisabetta and in the Auto-da-fé where he did not shy away from the C and even sustained it for more than necessary.

    Casolla was good. She possesses a true italianate voice, big and dark, perfect for Eboli. She had no problem with the Veil Song and relished in the coloratura. She is a discreet performer but enough to portray the character. Her big moment was O Don Fatale where the audience went wild ! Todisco is a young singer, still in the making, she has at least half Cassola's voice and could only let the voice ring in the Trio in Act 2 but otherwise was overparted by the role. She is very tall and thin. A singer to be watched, let's see how she goes.

    And Leona Mitchell ? Well, she is the Pavarotti in skirts (She sang almost always holding a handkerchief) ! She is really interesting and disappointing. She has an ample voice, very good pianissimos, one of the most powerful chest voices I've seen in a soprano but the middle of her voice is cloudy and her intonation is faulty. Her biggest moment was in Act 4, in the final duet she let the pianissimos ring freely (I've seen many Elisabettas run from them !!!) which is really something and hit the final piano in "Tu che la vanitá", a real feat !!! But at the same time she ended the aria with a chest note unlike any other singer I've ever seen so that the audience go wild with her (which they did, anyway). She had problems with the pianos in "Non piager mia compagna", but sang well in the duet. One final note: when Eboli says she loves Carlos, in Act 3, Mitchell said "Sorgete" with such a powerful chest voice that I thought Erda appeared in Don Carlo !!! Really impressive !!!

    Kravakos was good, a little short on the high notes (the Inquistore is quite high for a bass), but he's a very good actor and had a good rapport with Morris. Galissa, the only Brazilian in the cast together with the Tebaldo, did well and sounded like a good Frate. He is young and deserves to be heard and have a chance to exploit his talent.

    Edoardo Müller was reliable but had trouble with the orchestra, which sounded sometimes out of tune in the brass section. The chorus was excellent as always.

    All in all, a good night. Big voices and a lot of drama, that's what opera is about anyway.

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