IL TROVATORE
Giuseppe Verdi 1813-1901
An opera in four acts
Libretto by Salvatore Cammarano, based upon the play
El trovador, by Antonio García Gutiérrez.
Stage director Àlex Ollé has managed to prise the drama of Il
Trovatore away from its excessive romanticism by transferring the
action to the First World War, on a stage disfigured by trenches,
and weighed down by desolation and the meaninglessness of soldiers
facing off against their fellow human beings. The solid vocal
quartet required for this opera is led by tenor Piero Pretti and
baritone Artur Ruciński, regulars at Les Arts, together with Rachel
Willis-Sørensen, one of the most relevant sopranos today who will
make her debut in Valencia with the role of Leonora after singing
it at The Metropolitan. Also, Ekaterina Semenchuk, the best current
Azucena, will return to Les Arts to sing this role for the second
time.