Going into Don Carlo, I believed I had two problems with this opera: (1) it was almost five hours long, and (2) the true story behind it is pretty tragic.
On the first point, I saw Don Carlo at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich last May. I didn’t know it at the time, but there are several Verdi-approved extant versions of the opera, and Munich chose to perform the five-act “Modena version” in Italian. That production was not my favorite, so it dragged. The Dallas Opera, however, showed a clear understanding of their audience and chose to perform the shorter four-act “Milan version.” At under four hours, it zipped along nicely.
The second point stands. The opera is based on a play that is based on the life of Carlos, Prince of Asturias (1545–1568). Carlos remains one of the most inbred heirs in European history; a title only surpassed by his half-brother’s grandson, who ended the Spanish Hapsburg line entirely due to his genetic defects. As a student of European history and genetics, I was deeply familiar with this story. I made the mistake of attempting to explain the history of the Spanish Hapsburgs to my mother before the show, which only confused us both. However, once you recognize that the opera is pretty much divorced from who Carlos was as a person, it can be an enjoyable watch.
Now let’s get to the production itself. I am a native of Dallas, and while I no longer live there, I am always excited to see the Dallas Opera put on a fantastic show. Director Louis Désiré and set and costume designer Diego Méndez-Casariego deserve praise. When I heard that costumes weren’t going to be period-appropriate, I thought I would be let down, but everything came together with remarkable panache. The sets and costumes were sometimes abstract, but they gave the right vibes.
As for the singing, Christian Van Horn stole the show as King Philip. It was nice to see him so recently after his great turn in I Puritani at the Met in January. His aria at the beginning of Act III was so heartbreakingly good that I completely forgot his character was being kind of a jerk. I could call out every singer by name and say something nice about their performance; the vocals were top notch across the board.
In the end, I’m glad Dallas convinced me that Don Carlo doesn’t have to be a five-hour history lesson in monarchial genetic disasters. Sometimes it can just be a really great opera.
Opera: Don Carlo
Composer: Guiseppe Verdi
Venue: Dallas Opera
Date: March 1, 2026
Link: https://dallasopera.org/performance/don-carlo/
Opera Nerd 
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