"This one was a dramatic fizzle; the big hits were present and accounted for, and largely well sung, but the evening was, strangely, a drag. Cuts aren’t supposed to make operas feel longer."
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"Polenzani is not the swaggering, trumpeting Franco Corelli-style tenor generally associated with the part — though he rises, stylishly, to fiery intensity — but rather a vocalist of refinement, inwardness and melancholy...The only weak link is the bass-baritone Eric Owens as King Philippe, his voice dry and colorless, his face and presence inexpressive...I wish McVicar and Nézet-Séguin had restored the first act’s opening section, performed at the Met from 1979 to 2006, which shows Élisabeth among the suffering people of France. It deepens the conflict she faces not long after...At least that crucial first act is here."
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"David McVicar’s new production amps up the gloom...What saves this five-hour night at the opera from being an unadulterated bummer is the music-making, which transforms suffering into pleasure. Verdi wrote a high-thread-count score; the sheer abundance of luxuriant tunes makes it one of the richest works in any company’s repertoire. It also contains genuine characters and relationships."
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"Provided justification as much for the presentation of 'Don Carlos' as it did for itself as an institution...The result is a familiar gem that feels utterly new with its context restored, and Verdi’s multidimensional score breathes and seethes with style and grandeur...Much of the credit for that is owed to the conductor and the Met’s music director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who coaxed thrilling, cohesive playing and rich colorings from the Met Orchestra from start to finish."
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"Restored to full form, with most of the many cuts made in the opera’s early stage to make it more portable and palatable, 'Don Carlos' attains a grandest-of-grand level of spectacle and force almost immediately, and scarcely ever lets up...Strangely, the chemistry between the lovers was far less crackling than in the opera’s other love story...Mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton was a revelation in an eyepatch as Eboli, magnificently steeped in the princess’s desperation and inspiring chills when her longing curdles into rage. One of the most commanding performances I’ve seen in years, and a star turn to be sure."
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