Agnes Baltsa: “O don fatale” (Verdi: Don Carlo) [Salzburg 1986]

Princess Eboli has betrayed the Queen. In punishment, the Queen orders Eboli to leave the court tomorrow: either into exile or to a convent. In this scene, Eboli curses the “fatal gift” (her beauty) that has landed her in this situation, expresses remorse for her actions, and resolves to use her one day of freedom to save Carlos from imminent execution. (Don Carlo, 1884 Milan version in 4 acts, Giuseppe Verdi)

As Eboli, Agnes Baltsa brings raw emotion and a visceral urgency to this aria; the voice just pours out of her! Baltsa isn’t afraid to use quite a lot of chest voice and to integrate sighs, yelps, and exclamations into the lines, giving it a speechlike quality. However, these elements are exactly the reason why this performance will not be to everyone’s liking; some may prefer a cleaner, less veristic approach to Verdi. Whatever your stylistic preferences, this one-of-a-kind performance is a must-watch for its sheer dramatic force.

This video is taken from Herbert von Karajan’s 1986 production of Don Carlo at the Salzburg Easter Festival. The score is taken from IMSLP.

0:05 "Ah! più non vedro la Regina!"
0:27 "O don fatale"
1:57 "O mia Regina, io t'immolai
4:11 "O ciel! E Carlo!"