Giuseppe Verdi’s Il trovatore is said to be one of Verdi’s musical masterpieces – full of emotions and expressive melodies, the paragon of Italian romantic opera but also a formidable challenge for the singers. This production from the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino is brought to vivid life by directing veteran Cesare Lievi with sets and costumes by Luigi Perego. Young Mongolian baritone Amartuvshin Enkhbat caused a first international stir winning the audience prize of the International Singing Competition “BBC Cardiff Singer of the World” in 2015. In the role of Count di Luna he is “the triumphant winner of the opening night.” (Giornale della musica). Ekaterina Semenchuck as Azucena – “admirable from the first to the last note.” (OperaClick.com) – is joined by the accomplished Verdian interpreters Fabio Sartori as the titular troubadour Manrico and María José Siri as Leonora. Zubin Mehta conducts Chorus and Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.
Arena di Verona Box
Three great performances from Arena di Verona! Il Trovatore: „Zeffirelli gives to the arena what it merits: a colourful, multifaceted staging in which impressive mass scenes alternate with intimate moments […]“ (Der Neue Merker) Don Giovanni: Carlos Álvarez is “of beautiful voice” (GP Opera) and “presumably todays best Don Giovanni”. (L’ape musicale) Plácido Domingo Opera Gala: 12 times Grammy winner Plácido Domingo in the title roles as Nabucco, Macbeth and Simon Boccanegra with “top phrasing and articulation, his baritone with full and sonorous intonation and a unique timbre.” (Das Opernglas).
Attila
Verdi´s opera Attila takes as its starting point Attila’s plans to storm Rome with his army of Huns and the Romans’ attempts to prevent him. As with Nabucco and I Lombardi, Verdi spiced up the action with a number of patriotic choruses, guaranteeing that – against the background of the Italian movement for unification – the opera was a great success. “Michele Mariotti owes much to the fact that this evening became a celebration of voices“ (Opern-Kritik). Ildebrando D´Arcangelo is “perfect for the serious Verdi roles”, Fabio Sartori has a voice of immense brilliance” (Opern-Kritik), “Simone Piazzola was an impressive Ezio” (theoperacritic.com) and “the real warrior of this Attila is the soprano Maria Jose’ Siri … with her voice, touching each primordial sentiment in every note of the opera, she commanded ‘Attention’ from everybody.” (La Repubblica)