Verdi's Il Trovatore (1857 French version)
Robert Wilson (stage director), Roberto Abbado (conductor) – Giuseppe Gipali (Manrique), Franco Vassallo (Le Comte de Luna)
Cast
Robert Wilson — Stage director, set designer, lighting, Concept
Giuseppe Gipali — Manrique, le Trouvère
Franco Vassallo — Le Comte de Luna
Marco Spotti — Fernand
Luca Casalin — Ruiz/A Messenger
Roberta Mantegna — Léonore
Nino Surguladze — Azucena, a gypsy
Program notes
"This is a family tragedy, and in many ways, it is a very contemporary story." This is how Robert Wilson described Il trovatore, or Le Trouvère in its French version, commissioned from Verdi after the incredible success of the premiere of his Italian version in 1853. With a few changes and alterations to the original music, this version was first performed in 1857 at the Paris Opera. A light show unique to the stage director unfolds in the cold architecture, creating the perfect framing for Verdi’s music, dramatic and dark in this timeless opera.
