Editing Don Carlos (section)

===19th century===

====As ''Don Carlos'' in French====
After the première and before leaving Paris, Verdi authorised the Opéra authorities to end Act 4, Scene 2 with the death of Posa (thereby omitting the insurrection scene) if they thought fit. This was done, beginning with the second performance on 13 March, after his departure. Further (unauthorised) cuts were apparently made during the remaining performances.<ref>Budden 1981, p. 25–26.</ref> Despite a grandiose production designed by scenic artists [[Charles-Antoine Cambon]] and Joseph Thierry (Acts I and III), [[Édouard Desplechin]] and [[Jean-Baptiste Lavastre]] (Acts II and V), and [[Auguste Alfred Rubé]] and [[Philippe Chaperon]] (Act IV), it appears to have been a "problem opera" for the Opéra—it disappeared from its repertoire after 1869.<ref>Kimbell 2001, in Holden, p. 1003.</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="220px" caption="1867 Paris premiere">
File:Marie Sasse as Elisabeth in Don Carlos, 1867 photograph by Numa Blanc – Gallica btv1b52502563r (adjusted).jpg|[[Marie Sasse]] as Elisabeth
File:Carlo V (basso), figurino di Alfred Albert per Don Carlos (1867) - Archivio Storico Ricordi ICON001220.jpg|Costume design for [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]], act 5
File:Don Carlos poster.png|Poster depicting the death of Rodrigo in the King's presence
</gallery>

====As ''Don Carlo'' in an Italian translation====
[[File:Don Carlo poster.jpg|thumb|Title page of a libretto for performances at the [[Teatro Pagliano]] in Florence in April–May 1869 which used the Italian translation by Achille de Lauzières]]

It was common practice at the time for most theatres (other than those in French-speaking communities) to perform operas in Italian,<ref>Budden 1981, p. 156.</ref> and an Italian translation of ''Don Carlos'' was prepared in the autumn of 1866 by [[Achille de Lauzières]].<ref>Budden 1981, p. 26; for the Italian translation by Achille de Lauzières, see {{OCLC|21815071}} (vocal score); {{OCLC|777337258}} (libretto).</ref> On 18 November 1866 Verdi wrote to [[Giovanni Ricordi]], offering the Milan publisher the Italian rights, but insisting that the opera:
:must be performed in its entirety as it will be performed for the first time at the Paris Opéra. ''Don Carlos'' is an opera in five acts with ballet: if nevertheless the management of Italian theatres would like to pair it with a different ballet, this must be placed either before or after the uncut opera, never in the middle, following the barbarous custom of our day.<ref>Quoted and translated in Budden 1981, p. 27.</ref>

However, the Italian translation was first performed not in Italy but in London at the [[Royal Opera House]], Covent Garden on 4 June 1867, where it was produced and conducted by [[Michael Costa (conductor)|Michael Costa]]. However, it was not as Verdi desired; the opera was given in a cut and altered form, with the first act being removed, the ballet in Act 3 being omitted, and Carlo's aria ''Io la vidi'' (originally in Act 1) being moved to Act 3, just before the terzetto. Additionally, the duet between Philip and the Inquisitor was shortened by four lines, and Elisabeth's aria in Act 5 consisted only of part of the middle section and the reprise. The production was initially considered a success, and Verdi sent a congratulatory note to Costa. Later when he learned of the alterations, Verdi was greatly irritated, but Costa's version anticipated revisions Verdi himself would make a few years later in 1882–83.<ref>Budden 1981, p. 27.</ref>

The Italian premiere on 27 October 1867 at the [[Teatro Comunale di Bologna]], conducted by Verdi's close friend [[Angelo Mariani (conductor)|Angelo Mariani]], was an "instant success", and this version, although produced in Verdi's absence, was more complete and included the ballet.<ref name="BUDD">Budden 1981, p. 28.</ref> For the Rome premiere on 9 February 1868 at the [[Teatro Apollo]], perhaps unsurprisingly, the Papal censor changed the Inquisitor into a Gran Cancelliere (Grand Chancellor) and the Monk/Emperor into a Solitario (Recluse).

This version of the opera was first performed in Milan at [[La Scala]] on 25 March 1868, and prestige productions in most other Italian opera houses followed, but it did not become a popular success. The length was a particular problem, and subsequent performances were generally heavily cut. The first production in Naples in 1871 was indisputably a failure.<ref name="BUDD"/><ref>Walker 1962, p. 326.</ref>

====1872 revisions for Naples====
Following the unsuccessful performance in [[Naples]] in 1871, Verdi was persuaded to visit the city for further performances in November / December 1872,<ref>Walker 1962, p. 417.</ref> and he made two more modifications to the score: (a) a revision of the closing two-thirds of the Philippe-Rodrigue duet in Act 2, Scene 2 (to Italian verses, almost certainly by [[Antonio Ghislanzoni]]<ref name=Porter1982p368>Porter 1982, p. 368.</ref>), which replaced some of the previously cut material, and (b) the removal of the ''allegro marziale'' section of the final Elisabeth-Carlos duet (replaced with an 8-bar patch).<ref>Verdi; Günther 1986, pp. XX, 263–276 (a), 623 (b). Budden 1981, pp. 28–29. Porter 1982, p. 362.</ref> These are the only portions of the opera that were composed to an Italian rather than a French text.<ref name=Porter1982p368/> According to Julian Budden, Verdi "was to regret both modifications".<ref>Budden 1981, p. 29.</ref> Ricordi incorporated the revisions into later prints of the opera without changing the plate numbers. This subsequently confused some authors, e.g. [[Francis Toye]] and [[Ernest Newman]], who dated them to 1883.<ref>Porter 1982, pp. 362–363.</ref>

====1882/83 and 1886 revisions: "Milan version" and "Modena version"====
The idea of reducing the scope and scale of ''Don Carlos'' had originally come to Verdi in 1875, partly as a result of his having heard reports of productions, such as Costa's, which had removed Act 1 and the ballet and introduced cuts to other parts of the opera. By April 1882, he was in Paris where he was ready to make changes. He was already familiar with the work of [[Charles-Louis-Étienne Nuitter]], who had worked on French translations of ''[[Macbeth (Verdi)|Macbeth]]'', ''[[La forza del destino]]'' and ''[[Aida]]'' with du Locle, and the three proceeded to spend nine months on major revisions of the French text and the music to create a four-act version. This omitted Act 1 and the ballet, and was completed by March 1883.<ref>Budden 1981, pp. 31–38.</ref> An Italian translation of this revised French text, re-using much of the original 1866 translation by de Lauzières, was made by {{Interlanguage link|Angelo Zanardini|it}}. The La Scala première of the 1883 revised version took place on 10 January 1884 in Italian.<ref>1884 Milan version: [http://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb41450457d/PUBLIC Notice de spectacle] at [[BnF]].</ref>

Although Verdi had accepted the need to remove the first act, it seems that he changed his mind and allowed a performance which presented the "Fontainebleau" first act along with the revised four-act version. It was given on 29 December 1886 in Modena, and has become known as the "Modena version", which was published by [[Giulio Ricordi|Ricordi]] as "a new edition in five acts without ballet".<ref>Budden 1981, p. 39.</ref>