Tristan und Isolde was the first complete opera by Richard Wagner whose CD I acquired (the Böhm recording on DGG). I know it’s not the easiest starting point, but I found my way into his music through it, and since then, I’ve become a huge fan of the composer. I’m always amazed by the four…
Don Carlo might not be the most widely performed of Verdi’s operas, but it is easily one of my personal favorites. The story is intricate and compelling, seamlessly blending high-stakes politics with intimate human drama. Yet despite its complexity, it is thrilling from start to finish—Verdi masterfully uses his score to elevate the dramatic power…
As with Simon Boccanegra, Don Carlo is one of Verdi’s lesser-known operas. I don’t really understand why, as the combination of Schiller’s multi-layered play and the musical depiction of the characters and story is fascinating. The reason might be the difficulty in establishing a definitive version (there is the original five-act French version from 1867,…