Don Carlo

An exciting cast of singers unites for this revival under the direction of British conductor Mark Elder: Tatiana Serjan, who thrilled audiences at the Opernhaus Zürich as Lady Macbeth, will bow as Elisabetta di Valois, and Marcelo Álvarez and Simon Keenlyside return as Don Carlo und Marquis Posa. Alternating with Keenlyside is renowned baritone Ludovic Tézier, who will make his first appearances at the Opernhaus Zürich. Russian mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Semenchuk will also make her debut at the Opernhaus, appearing as Prinzessin Eboli, and bass Vitalij Kowaljow will sing Filippo II. Major political power and the private pursuit of happiness are ominously linked in this final Schiller setting by Giuseppe Verdi. Newly in love, the Spanish infante Carlos and the French king’s daughter Elisabeth von Valois learn that King Philipp II wants Elisabeth to himself – which would make her the stepmother of his son Carlos. In order to help him get over his ill-fated love affair, Marquis Posa tries to convince him to join the fight for freedom in the province of Flanders. Princess Eboli, who denounces Elisabeth to the king out of disenchanted love for Carlos, contributes to the tragic ending just as much as the brutal actions of the Inquisition.