Don Carlos

Verdi composed the original five-act French version, Don Carlos, for the Paris Opéra in 1867. He later created a shorter four-act Italian translation called Don Carlo in 1882–1883, cutting the first act (the Fontainebleau scene) and revising several passages throughout.

In Act IV, the blind, elderly Grand Inquisitor demands that King Philip II hand over his son Don Carlos to the Church, insisting that the state must submit to religious authority. This scene is one of the most dramatically tense moments in all of Verdi's operas and underscores the central conflict between political power and ecclesiastical dominance.

The major roles include Don Carlos (tenor), Elisabeth de Valois (soprano), King Philip II (bass), Rodrigue (or Rodrigo), Marquis of Posa (baritone), Princess Eboli (mezzo-soprano), and the Grand Inquisitor (bass). The Posa–Philip duet and Eboli's 'O don fatale' are among the most celebrated passages.

The first act, set in the forest of Fontainebleau where Don Carlos and Elisabeth first meet, is included in the original five-act French version but was cut from Verdi's 1883 four-act Italian revision. Modern productions vary: some perform the full five-act French version, while others use the tighter four-act Italian version.