About
Il Trovatore, one of Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi’s three opera masterpieces composed during his heyday, had its premiere at the Apollo Teatro, Rome on January 19th, 1853. With an intricate plot, strong human emotions and conflicts, and highly expressive, dramatic music, it is one of the most popular and highly staged operas in the world. Some arias in the opera, including The Anvil Chorus, Di quella pira and Il balen del suo sorriso, have been listed among the classics from Romantic operas composed in the 19th century.

 

 

 

Produced by world-renowned director Hugo De Ana, the NCPA opera Il Trovatore was premiered in May 2014 by a group of singers who enjoy a high reputation on the international stage. Relying on symbolic stage design and powerful video projection technology, use is made of warfare, flames, the moon and other core elements to take the audience to an abstract and poetic space, where a heart-wrenching tragic epic is presented to them.

 

 

Music: Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto: Written by Salvadore Cammarano and finished by Leon Badal, based on Antonio Garcia Gutierre’s drama Il Trovatore.
World premiere: Teatro Apollo, Rome, January 19th, 1853
NCPA premiere: Opera House, May 21st, 2014

 

Conductor: Pietro Rizzo
Director / Set Designer / Costume Designer: Hugo de Ana   
Lighting Designer: Vinicio Cheli
Video Projection Designer: Sergio Metalli
Chorus Master: Salvatore Caputo
Revival Director / Choreographer: Alessandra Panzavolta

 

Cast
Manrico: Amadi Lagha (Apr 09/11/13)/ WANG Chong●(Apr 10/12)
Leonora: Iwona Sobotka (Apr 09/11/13)/ ZHOU Xiaolin●(Apr 10/12)
Counte di Luna: Marco Caria (Apr 09/11/13)/ ZHOU Zhengzhong (Apr 10/12)
Azucena: Cristina Melis (Apr 09/11/13)/ NIU Shasha (Apr 10/12)
Ferrando: Adriano Gramigni (Apr 09/11/13)/ GUAN Zhijing●(Apr 10/12)
Ines: WANG Jing
Louis: KOU Jing●
Organist: SHAO Jingkai△
Messenger: CAO Ruidong△

● stands for NCPA Resident Singer
△ stands for NCPA Chorus Member

Synopsis
At the beginning of the 15th century, European countries are confronting constant change and turbulence. During the Spanish Civil War, feudal lords have imposed brutal persecution on the Gypsies. Counte di Luna’s father once burns an old Gypsy woman to death at the stake for witchcraft. Azucena, the dead Gypsy’s daughter, then takes revenge by kidnapping Counte di Luna’s younger brother in his infancy and intends to throw him into the flames. In panic, she mistakenly throws her own son into the fire. Many years later, Counte di Luna falls in love with the royal female officer Leonora, but the girl loves Manrico deeply, who in fact, is Counte di Luna’s younger brother that has been stolen and raised by Azucena. In a duel between the two brothers, Manrico is wounded despite his victory, and gets rescued by Azucena. While Manrico and Leonora are preparing for their wedding, Counte di Luna captures Azucena and vows to burn her to death. Manrico is arrested when rescuing his mother. Leonora offers herself to the count in return for her lover’s life; however in order to safeguard her innocence, she secretly takes a slow-acting poison and dies in Manrico’s arms, which irritates Counte di Luna, who orders Manrico’s execution. Witnessing it, Azucena tells Counte di Luna that Manrico is actually his younger brother. Azucena finally avenges her mother.