Don Carlos

This was a co-production between the Welsh National Opera and Canadian Opera Company of the original 5 Act version of Don Carlos, sung in French.

The first performance of this production was by the WNO at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff on 17th September 2005.

It opened at the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto on 12th October 2007.

The Houston Grand Opera production opened on 13th April 2012 and played in repertoire until the 28th April.

Richard Bradshaw

The music director and chief conductor of COC, the much-loved and admired Richard Bradshaw, was instrumental in setting up the co-production deal with WNO. He was to have conducted the opera but he died suddenly and unexpectedly a few weeks before rehearsals began.
The excellent Paolo Olmi stepped in at short notice to replace him on the podium, but Richard was dreadfully missed – as he still is by all his friends and colleagues.