Caught in a Men's Power Game

After numerous benchmark role portrayals at the Vienna State Opera - most recently as Amneris and Kundry, among others - KS Elīna Garanča will also perform the role of Eboli in Don Carlo for the first time at the Haus am Ring in March. A role in which she first appeared before the audience in Paris in 2017 (in the French version) - to celebrate another triumph.

Dates Tickets

I would describe Eboli as a "full character package" - a highly complex and anything but superficial woman from the very beginning. You can already see that in her performance scene, her interaction with the ladies-in-waiting: The way in which she makes fun of certain things, even secretly laughing at the others because she is bored in her own socially assigned role, shows how different Eboli is from all the other ladies-in-waiting. This becomes even clearer in her first scene together with Posa, where two strong, highly interesting, multi-dimensional personalities noticeably clash. It was not for nothing that I considered Eboli and comparable roles such as Amneris, Santuzza, Dalila or Kundry to be dream roles at the beginning of my career, which I absolutely wanted to do one day. To have now reached this point in my career means the fulfillment of these dreams and I look forward to being able to express them in all their depth over the next 10 to 15 years.

Of course, while studying the role of Eboli, I also studied the original, Schiller's Don Karlos, intensively. But as the saying goes: where the words end, the music begins. I think that Verdi paints an even more complete picture of the drama in his opera than is already the case in the play. It is not for nothing that I consider Verdi to be one of the greatest, if not the best dramatist in the history of music.

For me, there is also the fascination of sensing aspects in characters that are not explicitly written out, but have to be considered for the interpretation: For example, how a character listens to others, how they react to what they experience, etc. With Verdi in particular, it is often the mezzo-sopranos who undergo the actual development. Soprano roles tend to have a relatively stringent characterization: they are shaken by various situations, but a really profound transformation of their personality or a dramatic breakdown, as seen in Violetta in Traviata, are rarer. Eboli, on the other hand, undergoes what is probably the greatest emotional maturation process of all the actors in this opera. Comparable to Amneris in Aida.

Vocally, of course, Verdi's mezzo and soprano parts are very similar. The orchestration therefore plays a major role - especially the lower strings and the accompaniment surrounding the mezzo-soprano. If you look at Eboli's first aria, it is actually written very soprano-like - with coloraturas that are a real challenge for a mezzo-soprano. And Eboli's and Elisabeth's arias are also similar in their dramatic function. But the orchestration often makes Eboli's music seem deeper, more mysterious or more dangerous. Irrespective of this, Verdi generally requires good vocal technique, especially a mastery of bel canto. I wouldn't say that you need two completely different voices for the two Eboli arias, but definitely different vocal approaches. The second aria benefits from the fact that it comes at the end of the opera, when the voice is already well attuned and has been able to develop throughout the evening. The first is different: the singer has to demonstrate the greatest virtuosity as soon as she enters the stage. That's why the voice has to be warmed up intensively for at least 15 minutes beforehand so that it is well prepared and has an optimal sound. Incidentally, this is a typical challenge in Verdi operas - just think of Radames in Aida, whose most important aria is also sung right at the beginning of the opera.

As far as Eboli's relationship with Carlo is concerned, the question is often asked whether she actually loves him. My answer is: I don't know. Whether she really dreams of a serious love affair with Carlo or even of a marriage that would have made her queen is ultimately left open in the opera and can be answered by the production. In the French version, however, Eboli has an additional little aria that could indicate that for her at this moment it is really only about a love affair: be it for a brief moment of infatuation or as a kind of power play.

But one thing is certain: the moment someone loves, be it a fleeting passion or a state driven by strong emotions, their ability to think clearly and assess a situation and its implications ceases. And I believe that Eboli, at least in the moment when she meets Carlo in secret, at least believes she loves Carlo. In any case, her brutal reaction to Carlo's unexpected rejection is evidence of wounded vanity and, even more so, of deep disappointment that drives her into blind revenge. Her pain and wounded pride turn into destructive rage, but this does not necessarily mean that her feelings for Carlo were fake or vain to begin with. Rather, it shows how closely linked love and hurt, passion and revenge are in Eboli's case.

In Verdi's operas, there are not only "good" or idealized characters. Every character is shaped by their interests, their obligations and the expectations of society, as well as by personal motives, which are often led into inner conflict by patriotism, the desire to fulfill one's duty and love for another person. Even Posa is not a purely ideal figure for me. Everyone in this story has to fight for their own survival, mastering their fate in an environment full of intrigue. Sometimes they succeed, sometimes they don't. It is not uncommon for people to be sacrificed by others who are themselves fighting for survival.

Regardless of that, I always try to see something good even in seemingly 'evil' characters. Eboli grows up in a world that is dominated by men. Perhaps she has learned to play their game in order to be seen not "just" as a woman, but as an active person with her own ambitions. Perhaps she actually saw in Carlo not only a romantic hope, but also the chance of a life with more meaning and influence, an existence that went beyond that of being a mere courtier.

I think the real problem lies in the society in which she lives. In a world where women are judged primarily on their appearance rather than their abilities, Eboli has probably learned to use her beauty as a weapon. But at the same time, she is an intelligent, perceptive woman who sees through the men's power game and plays along herself. Her despair is not only due to the fact that she is rejected. Perhaps it is at this moment that she realizes how much she ultimately remains reduced to her appearance and, despite all her abilities and ambitions, never rises above what society wants to see in her. Her beauty is therefore less a privilege for her than a burden, because it prevents others from perceiving her as the extraordinary woman she really is. Her complex relationship with the Queen must be seen in this light. Many wonder how this reversal in their relationship can come about: First Eboli perfidiously betrays Elisabeth and then repents from the bottom of her heart. Why these sudden pangs of conscience, this almost sisterly affection for the queen?

Well, as I said, Eboli understands exactly how the world of men works and she knows how important it is to survive in her environment, to be on good terms with the right people and to maintain influence. Her frustration is also fueled by the fact that, despite her intelligence and skills, she is ultimately reduced to what's under her skirt. It is said that the Queen and Eboli had a good relationship and felt a certain empathy for each other. Both are trapped in their own way: Elizabeth was forcibly married and reduced to a representative role, while Eboli is smart and influential but never officially recognized or taken seriously. This shared frustration may have created a deep empathy between them. Eboli may have known that she could never be queen herself. But she may have wanted to be more than just a beautiful woman at court, she wanted to play a role, to have influence, to make a difference. She could have used her 'weapons' as a woman, her beauty, her charm, her intellect, not just for herself, but to actually be of use. Hence the betrayal. But in the end, she realizes how much her actions have only harmed a fellow woman.