Patrick Bade
Don Carlos: Verdi
Summary
Patrick Bade discusses Verdi’s opera, “Don Carlos” (1867). It’s an incredibly sprawling complex opera and certainly a great masterpiece, but rather like Beethoven’s “Fidelio”, Patrick shares why he considers it a flawed masterpiece.
Patrick Bade
Patrick Bade is a historian, writer, and broadcaster. He studied at UCL and the Courtauld Institute of Art. He was a senior lecturer at Christie’s Education for many years and has worked for the Art Fund, Royal Opera House, National Gallery, and V&A. He has published on 19th- and early 20th-century paintings and historical vocal recordings. His latest book is Music Wars: 1937–1945.
I think it’s really a tricky opera because it’s too long. It’s not well shaped, if you know what I mean, in the way that you know everything, you couldn’t really think of cutting anything from “Rigoletto” or “Trovatore”. Those are operas which everything falls into its place. He doesn’t put a foot wrong. So even though I think it’s, I mean some people think it’s Verdi most profound, most moving opera, but it’s not, I would say a very well shaped opera.
Well he was paid a huge amount of money that was even a scandal at the time in France, how much money he was paid for that opera. But it wasn’t a success in the sense he didn’t get very many royalties for it.