Hungarian State Opera has launched a thrilling revival of its 2021 production of Verdi’s Don Carlos staged by the German director, Frank Hilbrich. Back then, it was a pandemic digital premiere but now thankfully, all flesh-and-blood, with a superb trio of male principals (seen May 29). Hilbrich’s concept is minimalist yet not inscrutable, while the contributions of the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra and Chorus under Péter Halász elevated the music-making to a sublime level.
Whenever confronting Don Carlos, a company is faced with a plethora of versions: original French in five acts; the Italian version thereof; all manner of arias and ensembles that are sometimes, but not always used. Then there’s Verdi’s own shortened Italian version which was employed here. It’s still a very healthy 3 ½ hours plus in length, and as much as one misses the opening “Fontainbleau” act and how it functions to give context to the fated love between Carlos and Elisabetta, its absence wasn’t too much felt here.
Scene from HSO’s Don Carlos. Photo Valter Berecz
The stage is dominated by endless ranges of all-white stairs that extend to the top of the proscenium in Volker Thiele’s designs. Costumes by Gabriele Rupprecht are timeless yet still manage to signify each character’s attributes. Filippo, in form-fitting black leather, is a sleek, dangerous king; Rodrigo in an A-line smock befitting this quasi peace-maker/philosopher status, and Elisbaetta in tailored black velvet with an understated leather handbag that later conveniently doubles as her jewel box.
A recurring motif finds the Monk (bass-baritone András Kiss) slowly rolling a large ball fashioned from books up the stairs, then letting it tumble back down. It is stopped in its tracks by Carlos in Act I, then later by Elisabetta in the final act. A kind of sisyphean metaphor perhaps, to indicate the tribulations of these royals and their subjects will not be resolved, neither now, nor in future?
Also recurring were dancers dressed as black guard dogs who torment and bind the heretics in the great auto da fé scene. They also accompany the Grand Inquisitor and variously menace other characters in moments of psychological conflict. Directorial additions like the ball and dogs worked to enhance the action and themes without subverting them.
Don Carlos demands five gifted singer-actors and the HSO delivered on most accounts. The men probably slightly outshone the women this time, but overall, this was a very balanced roster of singers who regularly perform with the company.
Zsolt Haja (Rodrigo) & Gábor Bretz (Filippo) in HSO’s Don Carlos. Photo Valter Berecz
Bass-baritone Gábor Bretz currently enjoys an international career, singing in Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. He demonstrated here why he is in such demand. All of Filippo’s conflict, self-doubt and imperiousness were conveyed by vocal means with the utmost economy of gesture. Bretz gave us generous vocals with a sound that was rich, not booming, with perfectly even projection from top to bottom of his range. He delivered a thrilling “Ella giammai m’amò” which received the only real ovation of the evening from a curiously subdued audience.
In the title role, tenor Boldizsár László was tireless with his outpouring of secure, thrilling sound. Don Carlos is a rather strange main character, absent for long stretches of the opera and given only one true aria at the very start of the evening. László did his best to convey Carlos’s conflict with his father, Filippo, over his unrequited love for Elisabetta, his intended betrothed. Hilbrich could have perhaps steered the singer to a more clearly-rendered concept of Carlos, but admittedly, he’s a bit of a cypher.
Baritone Zsolt Haja was an outstanding Rodrigo, Duca di Posa. From a purely vocal standpoint, his was perhaps the performance of the evening. His untrammeled legato phrasing was thrilling, especially in his great double-aria death scene where he took immense vocal risk, linking together phrase after phrase. Sure, with technical means like that he may have held a high note here or there to inordinate length, but overall, this was a complete portrayal.
Erika Gál (Eboli), Gábor Bretz (Filippo) & Kinga Kriszta (Elisabetta) in HSO’s Don Carlos. Photo Valter Berecz
As Elisabetta, soprano Kinga Kriszta offered beautiful, clean vocalism which projected well into the superb acoustic. I wondered how much rehearsal time she had been given since her portrayal, though efficient, lacked an ideal level of physical investment. She moved well, but it sometimes felt like she was fulfilling blocking instructions rather than being motivated by decisions about character. At a disadvantage in her opening scene where the low vocal line was difficult for her to project, her portrayal improved as the evening progressed once she could let loose with a thrilling upper range, and delicate pianissimi.
Erika Gál (Eboli) in HSO’s Don Carlos. Photo Valter Berecz
The passionate, duplicitous Eboli seems tailor-made for mezzo-soprano Erika Gál’s magnetic presence and exciting vocals. As with many a singer who tackles this fiendishly difficult role, she got off to a rocky start in her opening number where Verdi cruelly demands that the singer constantly jump from low to high. Here, projection wasn’t ideal, but Gál rallied for an exciting “O don fatale” in which Eboli curses the physical beauty which has always landed her in trouble. The brass-heavy orchestral interjections that punctuate this aria buoyed by the singer’s absolute dramatic and vocal commitment provided another thrilling moment, again almost ignored by the reticent crowd.
From the pit, conductor Péter Halász reinforced his reputation as a true ‘opera’ conductor. I say this in light of the way he can light a fire under an excellent orchestra so that their contribution is intrinsic to the delivery of a complete musico/dramatic experience. He also had to contend with a few instances (under-rehearsed?) where ensemble went a little off the rails, but he always managed to set things back on course. The chorus contributed big, disciplined sound, especially in the frightening auto-da-fé inquisition scene.
Musically, some of the performances in this revival of Verdi’s masterpiece couldn’t be bettered. Combined with an intelligent production and stellar orchestral support, it makes the case for even this “short” version of Don Carlos.
Hungarian State Opera’s production of Verdi’s Don Carlos continues its run in Budapest through June 1. www.opera.hu
