Don Carlo - Schedule, Program & Tickets

Opera in four acts
With a prologue for orchestra (world premiere) and an interlude for violoncello solo by Manfred Trojahn
Libretto by Joseph Mery and Camille du Locle in the Italian translation by Achille de Lauzieres-Themines and Angelo Zanardini

In Italian with German and English surtitles

The Spanish royal court is freezing cold: the heir to the throne, Don Carlo, loses his bride Elisabetta to his father, the Spanish king, for political reasons. The crown prince is also unable to realize his political ambitions. The king, on the other hand, is powerless against the Grand Inquisitor, a man of strong faith. Only Carlo's friend Rodrigo can seemingly overcome the boundaries of political and private constraints. But his bold dream of freedom leads to disaster. Giuseppe Verdi plays out his great theme, the incompatibility of politics and private happiness, in almost all the characters in his opera, which premiered in 1867, thus unfolding a depressingly modern social panorama. In cooperation with the Salzburg Easter Festival, the Semperoper presents Don Carlo in the four-act Italian version from 1884, supplemented by the newly composed instrumental introduction by composer Manfred Trojahn, which tells the story of the drama's prehistory.

Subject to change without notice.