The Seattle Opera has extended its offer to give furloughed federal workers free tickets. In a press statement, “due to the interest in this offer from furloughed federal workers, Seattle Opera is pleased to extend this to our final two performances of ‘Il Trovatore’ this weekend. Furloughed federal workers can receive two free tickets to the company’s final two performances of ‘Il {…}
Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” is an audience favorite and a timeless classic and seeing Sir David McVicar’s revival currently playing at the Lyric Opera of Chicago is like a step back into time. The action is pushed forward a few centuries to Spain in the 19th with a dark and murky Goya-themed setting as the fitting backdrop for a tale of {…}
On Monday, Oct. 29, 2018, the Film Forum will present Luchino Visconti’s 1954 masterpiece “Senso” with a pre-screening talk. The talk will provide a historical context for the film’s opening sequence, which features Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” at Venice’s La Fenice, that soon erupts into a political riot. In a press release, August Ventura noted, “I am delighted to be returning to {…}
“Il Trovatore” fits awkwardly in Verdi’s extraordinarily fruitful “middle period.” Wedged between the musical and dramatic innovations of “Rigoletto” and “La Traviata,” it seems to be a conservative throwback to an Italian idiom established by Rossini and his early successors. It is a “numbers” opera with a melodramatic plot (based on Antonio Garcia Gutiérrez’s “El trovador”) that beggars belief. {…}
Giuseppe Verdi is Italy’s composer. Few composers have ever attained the legendary status of the man from Busetto, who created a plethora of operas throughout his career that remain fixtures of the standard repertoire today. Born on Oct. 9 (or was it 10?), 1813, Verdi would become the textbook example of how to achieve everlasting greatness when you put in {…}
It’s been a whirlwind few years for Jennifer Rowley. The soprano, who had a huge breakout at the Metropolitan Opera in “Cyrano de Bergerac” during the 2016-17 season, has since been in demand all over the world creating memorable portrayal in such roles as title roles as Tosca and Medea. This week, she brings the role of Leonora to the {…}
Anna Netrebko has announced she will make her debut at the Arena di Verona. Together with general manager and artistic director Cecilia Gasdia and Yusif Eyvazov, Netrebko announced that she will sing in Franco Zeffirelli’s production of “Il Trovatore” during the 2019 Festival. Netrebko has won over Italian audiences over the past years singing at the Teatro alla Scala and Teatro {…}
“Il Trovatore” never fails. From one note to the next, we have glory, love, pain, revenge, daring. Verdi didn’t miss. Say what you want about the twisting melodrama of a gypsy, a curse, stolen babies, a woman caught between two lovers. When you come down to it, you have opera to shout over. Last night at the Opéra National de {…}
Fiorenza Cossotto is one of the great Italian mezzo-sopranos of all-time. Born on April 22, 1935, Cossotto attended the Turn Academy and made her opera debut in the world premiere performance of Poulenc’s now-iconic “Dialogues des Carmélites” at La Scala in 1957. From there she went on to have a prolific international career at such companies as the Met Opera, {…}
Earlier this week was siblings day, an opportunity to celebrate that unique and strange bond. Afterall, siblings are that kind of bond that features a wide range of challenging emotions. From hate to love, we’ve all heard those stories of fiercely close siblings and coldly distant ones. We’ve seen stories of conflicts between brothers and sisters, but we’ve also heard {…}
In recent years, Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” has slowly but surely established a potent foothold in the Metropolitan Opera’s standard repertory. The main reason? David McVicar’s striking and still awe-inspiring interpretation of Verdi’s middle-period masterwork. A Master At Work The inspiration of Francisco de Goya and his tableaus is obvious from the opening curtain and onwards. At the core of it {…}