Verdi: Il Trovatore

Il Trovatore is a four-act opera by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto is by Salvatore Cammarano with contributions (after Cammarano's death) from Leone Emanuele Badare, based on El trovador (1836), the most successful play by Spanish Romantic dramatist Antonio García Gutiérrez (1813-1884).

Verdi's opera was first performed on 19 January 1853 at the Teatro Apollo in Rome, was immediately successful, receiving over two hundred performances worldwide during the following three years, and has become standard repertoire.

Verdi also produced a French version, known as Le trouvère, using a translation of the libretto by Émilien Pacini, and this was first performed at La Monnaie in Brussels on 20 May 1856.

A selection of articles about Verdi: Il Trovatore

CD Spotlight. Simply Mesmerizing - Riccardo Chailly conducts Verdi choruses, impressing Gerald Fenech. '... oozing energy from beginning to end.'

CD Spotlight. Rarities and Discoveries - Gerald Fenech listens to some unusual Verdi. 'A memorable programme, passionately performed and splendidly recorded ...'

Ensemble. Abstract and Utterly Stylized - Giuseppe Pennisi experiences 'Le Trouvère', the last operatic staging in Parma's Teatro Farnese

Ensemble. Pure Joy - Roderic Dunnett visits Winslow Hall Opera for Verdi's 'Il Trovatore'

Ensemble. A Dark 'Trovatore' - Giuseppe Pennisi reports on Verdi from Cagliari

Ensemble. Close to Perfection - 'Il Trovatore' live in HD from New York Metropolitan Opera, enjoyed by Maria Nockin

Ensemble. A Bold Decision - 'Il Trovatore' in Naples, reviewed by Giuseppe Pennisi

Ensemble. Vocal Passion - Maria Nockin makes a virtual visit to Covent Garden for Verdi's 'Macbeth'

Ensemble. Very Credible - Verdi's 'Il Trovatore' from New York Metropolitan Opera in HD, reviewed by Maria Nockin

Ensemble. An Icy Reception - Giuseppe Pennisi describes the 2010 Parma Verdi Festival's stormy beginning

Ensemble. Terrific Pace and Direction - Verdi's 'Luisa Miller' at the Buxton Festival, recommended by Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. A Thrilling New Option - 'Il Trovatore' from Barcelona, experienced in Arizona by Maria Nockin

A Real Find - Robert Davies made a remarkable impact when he stood in as Papageno late in the run of English Touring Opera's 'The Magic Flute'; Roderic Dunnett profiles him and celebrates the progress of other ETO cast members

Ensemble. A Masterly Account - Donizetti's 'Parisina d'Este', heard by Robert Hugill

A Very Expressive Voice - Tess Crebbin talks to the tenor Zoran Todorovich

Ensemble. An Imaginative Production - 'Il Trovatore' in San Diego, reviewed by Maria Nockin

DVD Spotlight. Hothouse passions - Karajan's 'Il Trovatore', reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... wonderfully and indeed relentlessly captured ...'