Don Carlos comes to Azerbaijan in June
By Nigar Orujova
Giuseppe Verdi's "Don Carlos" will be the last premiere of the season at the Azerbaijan Opera and Ballet Theater on June 7.
The classical performance, based on the drama "Don Carlos, Infante of Spain" by Friedrich Von Schiller, will be staged in Azerbaijan for the first time.
Andrey Romanenko, Ukrainian tenor and Honored Artist of Ukraine, was invited to perform Don Carlos.
The main parts of the opera will be played by Azerbaijani honored artists Akram Poladov (Philip II), Farida Mammadova (Elizabeth of Valois), and Sabina Asadova (Princess Eboli).
Professor Javanshir Jafarov, People's Artist, is the music director and conductor of the show.
The opera premiered in Paris in 1867, and has been a great success in many opera houses around the world since then.
The five-act grand opera is a tale of love, ambition, and intrigue set in the 16th-century Spain.
Don Carlos falls in love with Elizabeth, daughter of Henry II of France. However, his father, King Philip II of Spain, intends to marry her himself to secure a peace treaty in the war-torn 16th century.
When Carlo dares to protect the Flemish people from Philip's persecution, he incites both his father's fury and the authority of the Grand Inquisitor. Believing that he has been doubly betrayed, Philip arrests Carlo and Elisabeth.
In the dramatic final scene at the tomb of Charles V, a ghostly friar rescues Carlo from the wrath of Church and State.