Verdi's five-act spectacular, composed for the Paris Opera in 1867, was inspired by Schiller's dramatic poem and sets its main characters against the background of the Spanish Inquisition.
When the idealistic Don Carlos loses his beloved Elisabeth of Valois to a political marriage with his own father, Philip II, a confrontation ensues in which the fates of both the individual and the state are at stake.
During the interval Rodney Milnes continues his series Opera Snaps - a sideways glance at each of this season's Met operas.
Chorus and Orchestra of the New York Metropolitan Opera, conductor Valery Gergiev
Acts l and 2
7.40 Interval: New York Collections
Tim Marlow visits The Cloisters, part of the Metropolitan Museum devoted to medieval acquisitions, including five cloisters and an apse transported stone by stone from Europe to the United States.
8.05 Act 3
8.40 The Met Opera Quiz
Send questions to Met Opera Quiz, [address removed]
9.05 Opera Snaps
With Rodney Milnes.
9.10 Acts 4 and 5
(Broadcast Guide: For a free copy of the Met Broadcast Guide, call the BBC Information line on [number removed])
