Il Trovatore by Verdi reviewed by Roger Parker 9th November 2024

Written hot on the heels of Rigoletto, and premiered just two months before La traviata, Il trovatore (The Troubador) is one of Verdi's most dramatic operas, and one of his most popular successes. It is packed with great music, including the bombastic ‘Anvil Chorus’, Azucena’s ‘Stride la vampa’ (The flame crackles!) and tenor Manrico’s heroic ‘Di quella pira’ (The flames of the pyre). The story, based on a play by Antonio García Gutiérrez, has been described as "a high flown, sprawling melodrama, packed with all manner of fantastic and bizarre incident."
Recommended version:
Maria Callas (soprano), Rolando Panerei (baritone) et al., La Scala, Herbert von Karajan (cond.)
Warner 2564634094