rousing, satisfying, truly fun
One of Verdi's most outlandish operas returns to the Met guided by the capable hands of Sir David McVicar. A vivid production tells of mistaken identity, obsessive love and horrifying tragedy, playing against a backdrop of the Spanish Civil War. Gypsies, counts, troubadours and noblewomen all cross paths in a breakneck tale of revenge. Rachel Willis Sorenson and Angela Meade share the role of Leonora.
What is the story?
Much of the story is given in exposition at the beginning, as they pertain to events that happen long before the opera's storyline. Two men vie for the love of noblewoman Leonora; one the irascible Count di Luna who is dangerously obsessed with her; the other, Manrico, a gypsy-born troubadour who serenades her at night. The two come to blows in a duel; Manrico gains the upper hand, but something stays his hand - what is it about the Count that stopped him from killing him...