Giuseppe Verdi - Don Carlo (Herbert von Karajan)

Information

Composer: Giuseppe Verdi

• Don Carlo

José Carreras; Mirella Freni

Nicolai Ghiaurov; Agnes Baltsa

Piero Cappuccilli; Ruggero Raimondi

José Van Dam; Edita Gruberova

Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin

Berliner Philharmoniker

Herbert von Karajan, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: Warner Classics

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This landmark recording captures Herbert von Karajan’s celebrated interpretation of Verdi’s Don Carlo in its 1884 four-act version, following the opera’s legendary run at the Salzburg Festival, staged by Karajan with his characteristic grandeur. Seeking to preserve this acclaimed production, he assembled the same artistic team for the recording. The exceptional cast features leading voices of the era, including José Carreras and Mirella Freni, alongside distinguished basses Nicolai Ghiaurov and Ruggero Raimondi. The role of the Friar is performed by José van Dam, whose recent passing adds a poignant resonance for modern listeners. The recording stands as a monumental document of a lavish production and an intensely dramatic realization of Verdi’s masterpiece.

Herbert von Karajan was born in Salzburg on 5 April 1908. Initially a gifted pianist, he turned to conducting at the encouragement of Bernard Paumgartner and studied with Franz Schalk in Vienna. He began his professional career in 1929 at the Ulm Opera, later becoming music director in Aachen and joining the Berlin State Opera in 1938. After the war, he recorded with the Vienna Philharmonic under producer Walter Legge and led London’s Philharmonia Orchestra. In 1955 he succeeded Wilhelm Furtwängler as director of the Berlin Philharmonic and later directed the Vienna State Opera. Internationally renowned for his recordings and technological innovation, Karajan died in 1989.