David McVicar's production of Don Carlo by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) celebrated its premiere at the Opernhaus on September 30, 2007 - the first new production of the work in Frankfurt in 37 years. The lavishly decorated performance with Brigitte Reiffenstuel's splendid historical costumes was predominantly acclaimed by the audience, but critical voices were also heard, for whom the Scottish director's view of Verdi's successful opera had turned out too conventional. Nevertheless, the production was judged primarily positively by the critics. The Welt, for example, wrote: "The long, five-act version from 1886 is performed, and McVicar's great directorial achievement goes far beyond the basic decisions for a strictly stylized stage with historically correct costumes. He directs his characters with great attention to psychological detail, convincingly unraveling the complex plot."
