Don Carlos

About

Don Carlos (or Don Carlo when performed in Italian) is a Grand Opera in five-acts composed by famed Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. Based on an earlier play written by German playwright Friedrich Schiller, the opera was first performed in 1867 and presents the 16th century story of Carlos, Prince of Asturias, whose betrothed was instead married to his father, King Phillip II of Spain for political and diplomatic reasons. Verdi's work has experienced multiple revisions and translations over the course of its performance history, including a famous translation into Italian (Verdi's native language) from the libretto's original French.