Prom 46 (22.08.20) Verdi: Don Carlos

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

First appearing at the festival in 1966, Bernard Haitink gave his final Proms performance – his 90th! – in September 2019, on his last week before retirement. In 1996 he brought to the Proms forces from the Royal Opera (Covent Garden) – of which he was Music Director at the time – for a performance of Verdi’s Don Carlos. Perhaps the composer’s greatest opera, its principal characters are entangled in a web cast by the Church and State. This Proms performance features a fine cast including Olga Borodina and Dmitri Hvorostovsky, as well as future Proms favourite Roderick Williams.


Verdi: Don Carlos (1886 version)

Roberto Scandiuzzi (King Philip II)
Richard Margison (Don Carlos)
Dmitri Hvorostovsky (Rodrigo)
Robert Lloyd (Grand Inquisitor)
Sylvie Valayre (Elisabeth de Valois)
Olga Borodina (Princess Eboli)
Susan Parry (Thibault)
Robin Leggate (Count of Lerma)
Sorin Coliban (Old Monk)
Mary Plazas (Voice from Heaven)
Roderick Williams (Royal Herald)
Royal Opera Chorus
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Bernard Haitink (conductor)

(From the BBC Proms 1996, 20 July)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

"Perhaps the composer's greatest opera..."?

Perhaps. Perhaps not.

Perhaps the writers of such simplistic comments could sign their documents?

[Alison]

Excited to hear this again.