After a three-year hiatus, Verdi's popular opera Don Carlo returns to the repertoire in the well-known four-act Italian version, with Boldizsár László in the title role. The production, performed five times between 17 May and 1 June 2025, features the ensembles of the Hungarian State Opera conducted by first guest conductor Péter Halász and Kálmán Szennai, in a staging by Frank Hilbrich.
Following its 1867 Paris world premiere in French, Don Carlo was later staged in various theaters in a shortened Italian version – often without the composer’s permission – due to its considerable length. These adaptations frequently omitted the first act and the ballet scene. Based on these performance practices, Verdi created his own approved four-act French version in Paris in 1883, which was then adapted into Italian and premiered at La Scala in Milan a year later.
At the invitation of the Hungarian State Opera, acclaimed German director Frank Hilbrich staged the final, five-act Italian version of Don Carlo in 2021, marking its Budapest debut. Now, the opera returns to the stage at the Opera House in the more familiar four-act version known to Hungarian audiences. Hilbrich, the lead director of Theater Bremen and a faculty member at the Berlin University of the Arts, personally reworked the production. The symbolically rich sets were designed by Volker Thiele, while Gabriele Rupprecht created the contemporary-inspired costumes.
Tenor Boldizsár László debuts in the title role, joined by alternating casts in the main roles: Gábor Bretz and András Palerdi as King Philip II, Zsuzsanna Ádám and debuting soprano Kinga Kriszta as Elisabetta, Andrea Szántó and Erika Gál as Eboli, András Palerdi and István Rácz as the Grand Inquisitor, and Zsolt Haja – also making his debut– as Marquis Posa. The Hungarian State Opera Orchestra and Chorus (chorus director: Gábor Csiki) are conducted by first guest conductor Péter Halász and Kálmán Szennai.
Based on Friedrich Schiller’s play, Don Carlo is set in 16th-century Spain and portrays the tragic story of the heir to the Spanish throne, whose noble intentions are ultimately thwarted by political turmoil and romantic conflict. With its complex characters and grand, dramatic score, Verdi’s opera stands as one of the masterpieces of 19th-century operatic literature and a highlight of the Hungarian State Opera repertoire.
Photo by Valter Berecz
