I have always been a big fan of Verdi ever since my love and appreciation of opera started, and Don Carlo is one of my favourites of his. The story can get complicated at times, but is always interesting, and with the famous duet, Phillip's lament and the whole scene between Phillip and Posa early on in the opera the opera contains some of Verdi's most complex music.
This is a wonderful live recording of the opera. The orchestra and conducting are very well done, and while the supporting roles of Delia Siegel as a lovely Elisabetta, Fedora Barbieri as an excellent Princess Eboli, Cesare Siepi as a sometimes frightening but also intelligent and heavily-burdened King Phillip and Jerome Hines as a genuinely imposing Grand Inquisitor are top notch across the board, there are two primary reasons why this works so well.
One is Jussi Bjorling, the other is Robert Merrill. To me these two are opera giants and their partnership(like Domingo and Milnes for example) is legendary. Bjorling's warm and appealing voice is perfect for the title role, and Merrill who possessed one of the most resonant and most beautiful baritone voices I know makes for a noble, idealistic Posa. Their performance of the duet, mostly for how well they blend together, their musicality and Merrill's style, still remains high in my favourite performances of any opera duet.
All in all, wonderful and ideal for fans of any of these singers. 10/10 Bethany Cox
