Verdi’s Don Carlos returns to the Vienna State Opera for five performances in January 2027, in Peter Konwitschny’s celebrated production. Based on Schiller’s drama, the opera unfolds against the political and religious tensions of 16th-century Spain, combining forbidden love, friendship, dynastic duty and the struggle for political freedom.
The Vienna State Opera presents the five-act French original version, including music that Verdi was forced to cut before the 1867 Paris premiere.
Performance details
- Venue: Vienna State Opera
- Language: French
- Subtitles: English, French, German and other languages available at the seats
- Version: Five-act French original version
- Duration: Approx. 5h, with 2 intermissions
Ticket information
- E-tickets: Sent by email as PDF files
- Seating: Seats are together unless otherwise stated
Verdi’s grand drama of love, power and freedom
Few operas bring private emotion and political conflict together on the scale of Don Carlos.
The Spanish crown prince Carlos is in love with Elisabeth of Valois, who was originally intended to become his wife. Instead, she marries his father, King Philip II. Their impossible relationship unfolds within a larger struggle involving the oppressed provinces of Flanders, the Spanish court and the power of the Inquisition.
Around them, Verdi creates a network of sharply drawn characters: Rodrigue, Marquis of Posa, is Carlos’s closest friend and an advocate for freedom in Flanders; Princess Eboli is driven by love and jealousy; while Philip II and the Grand Inquisitor embody the tension between royal authority and religious power.
The five-act French version gives the drama an unusually broad arc, beginning in Fontainebleau and allowing the relationships between Carlos, Elisabeth, Rodrigue and Philip to develop in greater depth. The Vienna State Opera describes this reconstructed original version as notable for its stylistic unity and exceptionally precise psychological development of the characters.
At the Vienna State Opera, Peter Konwitschny’s production places particular emphasis on the relationships between the protagonists. Initially controversial, the staging has since become one of the house’s established revivals.
- Conductor: Bertrand de Billy
- Don Carlos: Michael Spyres
- Elisabeth de Valois: Nicole Car
- Philip II: Roberto Tagliavini
- Rodrigue: Étienne Dupuis
- Princess Eboli: Eve-Maud Hubeaux
- Grand Inquisitor: John Relyea
- Monk: Dan Paul Dumitrescu
- Production: Peter Konwitschny
- Sets and costumes: Johannes Leiacker
- Revival director: Alexander Edtbauer
- Auto-da-fé staging and video direction: Vera Nemirova
- Lighting: Hans Toelstede
Cast may vary by performance date.
Don Carlos at the Vienna State Opera in January 2027
The Vienna State Opera presents five performances of Don Carlos in January 2027, on 17, 20, 24, 27 and 31 January.
With Verdi’s expansive French original version, a major international cast and Konwitschny’s established production, Don Carlos is one of the most substantial opera performances in Vienna during the winter 2026–27 season.
More opera at the Vienna State Opera
Discover more major productions in the 2026–27 season:
- Carmen at the Vienna State Opera
- The Barber of Seville at the Vienna State Opera
- La Bohème at the Vienna State Opera
