Opera Review: ‘Don Carlo,’ Los Angeles Opera
Oct. 2, 2018

Ramon Vargas as Don Carlo and Ana Maria Martinez as Elisabeth de Valois in LA Opera’s 2018 production of “Don Carlo.” (Photo: Cory Weaver / LA Opera)
GIUSEPPE VERDI
DON CARLO
LOS ANGELES OPERA
SEPTEMBER 29, 2018
By Carol Jean Delmar
Opera Theater Ink
Original in Beverly Hills Courier at BHCourier.com
I really wanted to write a review of LA Opera’s current production of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Don Carlo” even though I am in the midst of moving from Beverlywood to Hidden Hills. But I guess it wasn’t meant to be.
I have been seeing signs adorn the streets near Beverly Hills and around Los Angeles
which brand tenor Plácido Domingo as the star of “Don Carlo.” He may be, but then so
may also be Ramón Vargas as Don Carlo, Ana María Martínez as Elisabeth de Valois,
Anna Smirnova as Princess Eboli, and the magnificent Ferruccio Furlanetto as King
Philip II. Each singer has the ability to shine or be forgotten, to be a team member or a standout star. The two main roles and stars are usually Don Carlo and Elisabeth with King Philip close behind, and the other roles are secondary. But because Verdi wrote a score with exquisite arias for all, secondary roles can reach to new heights, and primary roles can fall by the way side. One thing is certain: Domingo is a draw, and he’s the general director of LA Opera.
I saw this production of “Don Carlo” twice in 2006, and had a ticket for Sept. 29 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. I just love the music.
But as I said, I guess this review wasn’t in the cards. I have not been well, and I got all dressed up to drive downtown to hear this opera, but when I got into the garage, no one would help me find a spot to park, and I was there almost an hour early. I was directed to go to the fourth level where the disabled parking is, but no one there would help me. After trying and trying to find a spot, I finally gave up and left the parking lot and went to the valet parking area where the cars were lined up like canned sardines. So I drove onto the freeway and got lost since I had also lost my sense of direction. Then a young woman finally oriented me back toward Beverly Hills after I turned into a gas station and honked for help.
I made it home a bit frazzled, but I still really wanted to get my views out about the word, “star,” and what it means to star in “Don Carlo.” I also wanted to write about the role of Rodrigo, Marquis of Posa, and the type of singer I believe Posa should be. So I am still going to write some of my thoughts here, and I hope you will go to the opera and decide for yourselves.
Based on Friedrich von Schiller’s play of the same name, the action in “Don Carlo” takes place in Spain in the sixteenth century at the time of the Spanish Inquisition. The political climate between France and Spain is such that Elisabeth marries King Philip II instead of her true love, Don Carlo, his son. Carlo’s friend, Rodrigo, Marquis of Posa, entreats Carlo to go to the Netherlands to help restore religious freedoms for the Flemish, then oppressed by Spanish rule. Catholics vs. Protestants — Carlo goes against his father’s ideals to fight for the Protestants in Flanders. Posa dies for his friend Carlo, and Carlo continues to embark on his friend’s mission.
Domingo, a great tenor with ringing high notes, no longer has the high notes. Of course, the audience never hears them since rather than sing tenor roles at the age of 77, Domingo has chosen to continue in the grand profession he loves and has mastered, by both conducting and singing roles with lower tessituras. In some roles, baritones can be lyric baritones with voices that almost mimic tenors, while in other parts, they should have voices that can be chocolaty, rich and full, and almost have the sound of a bass-baritone in quality. Posa is just such a role. What makes “Don Carlo” such a melodic opera is that the timbres of the various voices blend to create beauty that surpasses the sounds inherent in many other operas. So although Domingo is able to sing some baritonal roles well, in this particular opera — even though he always sings with zest, vigor, youthfulness, and a flawless sound and technique — he still has the ring of a tenor, and nothing can make his Posa have the rich, sonorous quality that is usually required of the Verdi baritone. Yet, a novice to opera, not a true opera buff, can be very satisfied with Domingo as Posa since he sings with, as said before, flawless technique, ringing tones,and an acting ability rarely equaled by other tenors or baritones. Domingo is a force of nature although his age is evident in his voice and demeanor. I personally would rather
hear a tenor as Posa who has great vocal technique and acting ability than a baritonal Posa who has neither. But the ideal is to hear a Verdi baritone as Posa who can win the audience over with his characterization and voice.
Bass Ferruccio Furlanetto is the perfect Philip II. As the Philip of choice throughout the world, Furlanetto sang the role in LA Opera’s 2006 production. His “Ella giammai m’amò” is seasoned and exquisite — beginning with deep introspection, then blooming into agonizing passion as he comes to the realization that he will never win the queen’s heart. Furlanetto inhabits the role. His voice is rich and deep. Every stare and hand gesture, although subtle, adds to the intensity of emotions Furlanetto is able to communicate. Furlanetto is truly a star.
Ramón Vargas’s arias and duets with Elisabeth and Posa support the fact that he should be the star of the opera that bears his character’s name, but other singers have the ability to take center stage.
Soprano Ana María Martínez is no stranger to LA Opera audiences. Her flexibility
enables her to sing numerous roles well, whether lyric or spinto. And finally, Anna
Smirnova’s Princess Eboli enables her to glide through arias like the “Veil Song” and a dynamic “O don fatale.”
Morris Robinson’s Grand Inquisitor and Soloman Howard’s Monk make the lower sounds
prevail. If you love the low voice timbre, this is the opera for you.
Ian Judge’s production has one basic set, with arches moving and rolling in and out on casters, designed by John Gunter. Various hues of light draw attention to the singers, and Tim Goodchild’s gorgeous period costumes add to the vision. Supernumeraries and a grand chorus led by Grant Gershon create a magnificent spectacle in the square when the heretics are condemned by the Inquisition. The scene was spectacular in 2006.
Conductor James Conlon always leads the LA Opera orchestra with bravura. He knows
how to make the orchestra shine with big sound when indicated and how to follow the
singers when desired, without overshadowing or drowning them out.
“Don Carlo” is an opera for stars, and LA Opera’s current production of “Don Carlo” has many.
Conductor: James Conlon
Production: Ian Judge
Stage Director: Louisa Muller
Set Design: John Gunter
Costume Design: Tim Goodchild
Lighting Design: Rick Fisher
Chorus Master: Grant Gershon
Choreographer: Kitty McNamee
Alexander Vinogradov sings Philip from Oct. 4 to 14. Performances continue Thursdays, Oct. 4 and 11, at 7:30 pm and Sundays, Oct. 7 and 14, at 2 pm.
Carol Jean Delmar is the author of “Serenade: A Memoir of Music and Love from Vienna
and Prague to Los Angeles, 1927 to World War II to 2012.” She writes opera and theater reviews for the BH Courier and operatheaterink.com, and currently lives in Beverlywood.

Ana María Martínez as Elisabeth de Valois, Ferruccio Furlanetto as King Philip II and Plácido Domingo as Rodrigo in LA Opera’s 2018 production of “Don Carlo.” (photo: Cory Weaver)
‘The Quarrel’ Film Remains Pertinent
and Thought-Evoking after Twenty Years.
MOVIE: ‘THE QUARREL’
DAVID BRANDES (Screenplay)
CHAIM GRADE (Original Short Story)
JOSEPH TELUSHKIN (Play)
1991/’92 FILM, SEEN ON DVD MAY 24, 2017
By Carol Jean Delmar
Opera Theater Ink
“The Quarrel,” a 1991 film produced with care and sensitivity, is still pertinent today. Available on DVD, it remains a worthwhile vehicle for educational institutions and congregations to utilize for debates on a variety of issues facing the Jewish community.
I was made aware of the film by my neighbor in 2017. After seeing the film’s website, I decided to test my opinions since I have written a book about my parents’ journey to America during the Holocaust. Merely ninety minutes long, the film focuses on two friends (Chaim, a non-religious writer and poet; and Hersh, an Orthodox rabbi) who separate before the Holocaust after disagreeing on the role of God in their lives. Now, many years later in 1948, they meet by chance in a park in Montreal, Canada, or almost by fate, where they reminisce and discuss their present and past lives in Poland, and how being Holocaust survivors has influenced their current views.
The Canadian film is clearly focused for the Jewish community. Even the secular Chaim Kovler is clearly Jewish, simply doesn’t believe that God plays a role in people’s decisions and that they can work and create without religious involvement. Rabbi Hersh Rasseyner believes the opposite.
What makes this film so interesting is that this premise has branches that bring a myriad of topics to light for verbal discourse.
One is morality. The rabbi believes that man is not born noble and good. God and religion are what make man moral, he believes. Chaim, on the other hand, believes that humans are inherently good and must and do help each other.
The two men spend time together in the park, through sun and rain, talking about their roles in the fate of their families, their losses and guilts, and the Holocaust’s toll on their lives. They forgive each other, then stake out their claims.
A low-budget film, the few settings are cinematically artistic and fine; the costuming, appropriate in period and style; and the music and score interspersed with care. The actors — R. H. Thomson (Chaim) and Saul Rubinek (Hersh) — excel at their craft and turn the words into gems. The discourse between the two men is at times as if they are lecturing, but these actors often turn the dialogue into poetry. Therein lies the question as to whether or not the film is for a wide audience or is simply an excellent educational film for the Jewish community. In reality, people of all faiths can probably debate about the answers to the questions brought forth as they pertain to their own religions.
My favorite part is toward the end when the two men are dancing in a most creative fashion. This shows the sensitivity of the film’s makers. Even the spectators’ applause seems fitting, although somewhat jolting in execution. The ensuing story, although valuable but poorly positioned, ruins the moment for me.
The two men leave the park and each other, apparently without talk of reuniting again. The film shows their eternal bond toward each other and their roots in Jewish tradition. Yet it also shows that they have forged different paths, and although bonded for life with love for one another, life’s experiences have made them who they are, and they must continue to journey with their beliefs in tact. Ripe for discussion, I was hoping these men would delight in their reunion and vow to remain close.
A smorgasbord of ideas — one needs to see the film more than once to tune in, listen and digest. Still, not knowing its success-level in 1992, “The Quarrel” seems too focused on these two men often lecturing to each other to be embraced in general release by a wider youthful audience; yet it is far too eloquent and accomplished to be merely an educational film. It is a marvelous film for those who have the interest and want to debate on the topics brought forth. I recommend “The Quarrel” to them, and I congratulate the actors on their fine delivery.
Screenplay: David Brandes
Director: Eli Cohen
Produced by David Brandes, Kim Todd
Associate Producer: Joseph Telushkin
Executive Producers: Peter Sussman, Paul Bronfman, Lindsay Law
Principal Actors: R.H. Thomson, Saul Rubinek
Cinematography: John Berrie
Music: William Goldstein
Editing: Havelock Gradidge
Costumes: Francois Barbeau
Released in Canada, 1991; USA, 1992
DVD available at http://www.thequarrelmovie.com ( http://thequarrelmovie.com ) and on Amazon.
An American Playhouse Theatrical Films, Atlantis Releasing and Apple & Honey Film Corp. presentation in association with Comweb Productions Inc., The Ontario Film Development Corporation and Super Ecran. An Atlantis Films Limited and Apple & Honey Productions production. DVD: Fox Lorber and Winstar TV & Video.
Illustration: Photo of DVD front taken by Carol Jean Delmar.
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