José Van Dam (Philippe II), Roberto Alagna (Don Carlos), Thomas Hampson (Rodrigue), Eric Halfvarson (Le Grand Inquisiteur), Csaba Airizer (Un moine), Karita Mattila (Élisabeth de Valois), Waltraud Meier (La princesse Eboli), Anat Efraty (Thibault), Scot Weir (Le Comte de Lerme) & Donna Brown (Une voix d’en haut)

Orchestre de Paris & Chœur du Théâtre du Châtelet, Antonio Pappano

Don Carlos, one of Verdi’s supreme achievements, received its premiere in Paris and this live recording from the city’s Théâtre du Châtelet presents the original, five-act version of the opera. Singing eloquently in their native French, Robert Alagna and José van Dam head a charismatic cast, while Antonio Pappano, in the words of Gramophone, leads “an inspiriting performance of Verdi’s singular music-drama depicting private tragedy within public conflict … a subtly shaped, superbly paced and vital interpretation from start to finish.”