A king, a murder plot, and Domingo at his most ravishing—opera doesn't get more delicious than this.
This production from Covent Garden is set in Stockholm, and not Boston. With Reri Grist (Oscar), Placido Domingo (Gustavus), Katia Ricciarelli (Amelia), Piero Cappucili (Renato), Patricia Payne (? - the booklet or DVD fails to credit the singer) (Ulrica) and Claudio Abbado in the pit: all at their peak, you just simply cannot go wrong when purchasing this DVD. This performance made me realise why I had fallen in love with opera: beautiful (today one should be thankful) and convincing sets and costumes, and fiery conducting and singing from all the above soloists which leaves you breathless. Domingo as the King (not the Governor of Boston) is simply ravishing! He is so convincing and dashing as Gustavus - I think very few tenors nowadays can even attempt such a convincing vocal and dramatic performance.
Acting
Domingo's dashing Gustavo—vocal and dramatic perfection.
Direction
Schenk's traditional staging lets Verdi speak.
Score
Abbado's fiery conducting, breathless and precise.
Director
John Vernon
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Verdi was forced to move the setting from Sweden to colonial Boston due to Italian censorship fears—this production restores his original vision.
This 1975 Royal Opera House performance captures the golden age of Domingo-Abbado collaborations that defined Verdi interpretation for a generation.
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