David McVicar’s monumental production – created for the Met premiere of the original French version of Verdi’s gripping drama in the 2021-22 season -returns, now sung in Italian and starring an unbeatable cast of dramatic voices. Russell Thomas, one of today’s fastest-rising tenors, takes on the title role, a Spanish nobleman caught between private passion and public duty, sharing the stage with soprano Eleonora Buratto as Elisabeth of Valois, mezzo-soprano Yulia Matochkina as Princess Eboli, baritone Peter Mattei as Rodrigo, bass-baritone John Relyea as the Grand Inquisitor, and bass Gunther Groissbock as King Philip II. Carlo Rizzi conducts one of the repertory’s most epic works.
RTÉ lyric fm, Saturday 18th February, 7pm-10pm