Verdi’s very first production of Il trovatore was dogged by difficulties: he lost his librettist before the book was finished, and while his two leading ladies bickered their way through rehearsals, the composer was confined to his hotel rooms by ill health. The opera turned out to be a great deal better than all right, though, at its debut on the night of 19 January 1853, in Rome, where Verdi was given a crown of laurel leaves. Three days later he was carried home in triumph from the Teatro Apollo by a crowd bearing torches.
21st century London operagoers are less demonstrative (perhaps because there is every reason to suppose that concerns over ‘Health and Safety’ would lead to the swift kettling of even a polite middle-class fire-wielding Bank Holiday mob), but they were in full voice on Easter Monday to welcome Elijah Moshinsky’s 2002 Il trovatore back to the Royal Opera House for its third revival.
There was a great deal to cheer over: both conductor Carlo Rizzi and Dmitri Hvorstovsky as villain Count di Luna have returned unwithered from the 2002 original and, in place of enmity, there appears to be a good-natured rivalry between Sondra Radvanovsky’s Leonora and Malgorzarta Walewska’s Azucena — both new to this production — over who best combines stage presence with sheer vocal talent. Roberto Alagna more than holds his own in such distinguished company as the eponymous troubadour Manrico.
Strong performances from the leads are underscored by excellent ensemble work and fabulous costumes. Mike Gunning’s lighting design makes full use of the huge ROH auditorium and Dante Ferretti’s towering sets; the impression is always that the stage picture is a snapshot of the universe conjured by Verdi through his music.
Enrico Caruso once said that all it takes for a successful performance of Il trovatore is the four greatest singers in the world. I do not say that this is the case in the current production, but none of the principals would look out of place on the shoulders of a crowd of torchbearers.
Il trovatore plays in repertory at the Royal Opera House until 7 May 2009.
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