Opera Essentials: Il trovatore
Our quick guide to Verdi’s opera of obsession and superstition.
Troubadour Manrico and the jealous Count di Luna fervently vie for the noble Leonora’s heart. Meanwhile Manrico’s mother Azucena, haunted by a gruesome past and seeking vengeance for her own mother’s death, reveals a truth that will devastate all…
Quick facts
Who wrote Il trovatore?
Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi wrote Il trovatore in 1853. Librettist Salvatore Cammarano died before the opera’s completion, leading Leone Emanuele Bardare to step in to restructure it.
How long does Il trovatore last?
Il trovatore has four acts, and lasts approximately 2 hours and 55 minutes, including one interval.
What is Il trovatore about?
Verdi’s opera is a tale of doomed love, the destructive nature of revenge, and the inescapable influence of the past. Rich with twists and secrets, the plot revolves around four main characters: Manrico, Azucena, Leonora and Count di Luna, each caught up in misunderstandings and dramatic confrontations that lead to a fiery, fateful end. There’s also a love story at the opera’s core – but as with many Verdian romances (think La traviata, Aida), passion is tinged with tragedy…
What does Il trovatore mean?
Il trovatore translates as 'The Troubadour'. Manrico, the protagonist of the opera is a troubadour. A troubadour was a composer and performer of lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350).
Does Il trovatore have any memorable tunes?
Yes! Il trovatore is best known for its Act II ‘Anvil Chorus’ (Vedi! Le fosche), an energetic and rousing number in which the hammering of anvils creates a rhythmic and powerful backdrop to the drama. Beloved by the Marx Brothers, the chorus has been used in several of their films, as well as in the cartoon Bugs Bunny. There’s also a popular 1965 jazz adaption performed by the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
Another Trovatore classic is the passionate ‘Stride la vampa’ (The flame crackles) in Act II. Sung by Azucena, the aria recounts the traumatic memory of her mother’s burning at the stake: an event that has haunted her throughout her life and shaped her quest for revenge.
Watch a performance
Watch a performance
Il trovatore runs from 28 February – 22 March 2025 and 8 July – 19 July 2025
Adele Thomas’ production lights up the stage with ‘anarchic imagination’ (Guardian), combining Hieronymus Bosch-inspired mayhem and medieval lore. Three unique casts are led by conductors Giacomo Sagripanti and Carlo Rizzi to bring Verdi’s dark and disturbing tale to energetic life.
Gallery
Gallery
Background
Giuseppe Verdi, a pivotal figure in 19th-century Italian opera, composed Il trovatore in 1853, hot on the heels of Rigoletto (1851) and preceding the equally acclaimed La traviata (also 1853). This period marked a pinnacle of Verdi’s operatic creativity, with all three works quickly becoming audience favourites.
Inspired by Antonio García Gutiérrez’s dramatic play El Trovador, Verdi was eager to transform the passionate Spanish narrative into an opera, collaborating initially with librettist Salvadore Cammarano. The composition process was challenging, particularly after Cammarano’s unexpected death in 1852, which necessitated Leone Emanuele Bardare completing the libretto. Despite these setbacks, the opera premiered at the Teatro Apollo in Rome on 19 January 1853 and was met with enthusiastic critical acclaim.
The work’s complex narrative of love, revenge and familial conflict, paired with Verdi’s masterful musical composition – particularly the famous ‘Anvil Chorus’ – and dramatically charged arias, ensured Il trovatore’s enduring popularity. Today, the opera continues to captivate audiences worldwide more than 170 years after its debut.
Characters
Manrico – a brave and passionate troubadour in love with Leonora. He has been raised by his mother, Azucena. (Sung by a tenor)
Azucena – Manrico’s mother. She’s a fiery, vengeful woman scarred by the trauma of her youth. (Sung by a mezzo-soprano)
Leonora – a noblewoman who is deeply in love with and loyal to Manrico, despite the fact that Count di Luna also desires her. (Sung by a soprano)
Count di Luna – a jealous and entitled nobleman, and the romantic rival to Manrico. He is determined to marry Leonora and seeks to capture and kill Manrico, whom he believes is his enemy. (Sung by a baritone)
Synopsis
Troubadour Manrico and military commander Count di Luna have become rivals vying for Leonora’s heart. Though Leonora loves Manrico, the jealous Count will do everything in his power to have her. Battles between the Count’s army and Manrico's men ensue, and he and Manrico agree to a duel.
Meanwhile, haunted by a gruesome past, Azucena, Manrico’s mother, harbours a secret that affects both Manrico and the Count: years before, in a vow to avenge the murder of her mother at the hands of the aristocratic Luna family, she abducted their younger son. Will she reveal this truth, or will she see her revenge through at any cost?
PART I: THE DUEL
SCENE 1: Count di Luna’s camp
Count di Luna’s officer Ferrando orders his men to watch for the mysterious troubadour who Luna believes is his rival for the love of Leonora. While they wait, Ferrando tells the story of how the Count’s infant brother Garzia mysteriously disappeared (Abbietta zingara). One day, an old gypsy woman was discovered by Garzia’s cradle. The child became sickly soon after, so the gypsy was arrested for witchcraft, and burned at the stake. On the day of the execution Garzia disappeared, and the charred remains of a baby were found in the gypsy’s funeral pyre. The gypsy’s daughter was suspected, but could not be found. Ferrando reminds his men that the old Count di Luna’s last request was for his elder son to find Garzia, whom he believed had survived. Ferrando claims the ghost of the old gypsy woman still roams at night. As midnight chimes, the men disperse.
SCENE 2: The palace gardens
Leonora tells her companion Ines about the mysterious man she met before the war. He serenades her each night as her troubadour (Tacea la notte placida). Ines suggests it would be safer for Leonora to forget him, but Leonora declares she would rather die (Di tale amor).
As Count di Luna searches for Leonora, he hears the voice of the troubadour – Manrico – singing a serenade (Deserto sulla terra). Leonora hurries to meet Manrico, and is confronted by Luna. Manrico mistakenly suspects that Leonora has betrayed him (Qual voce!... Di geloso amor sprezzato). The Count and Manrico agree to fight a duel.
PART II: THE GYPSY
SCENE 1: The gypsy camp
In the gypsy camp, Azucena recalls the horror of her mother’s death, and her vow to avenge her (Stride la vampa). Azucena tells Manrico about what happened to the old Count di Luna’s younger son: she had intended to burn him on her mother’s funeral pyre, but in her disturbed state of mind killed her own child instead. Manrico asks if this means that he is not Azucena’s son. Azucena feigns confusion, but assures Manrico of her love for him. Manrico tells Azucena about his duel with Luna: he was victorious but felt irresistibly compelled to spare his rival (Mal reggendo). Manrico’s comrade Ruiz arrives with the news that Leonora is about to become a nun. Manrico determines to find Leonora (Perigliarti ancor languente).
SCENE 2: A convent
Count di Luna is still very much in love with Leonora and plans to kidnap her from the convent (Il balen del suo sorriso). He and his men prepare to strike (Per me ora fatale). Leonora enters with the nuns to take her vows. Before Luna can intervene, Manrico’s men surround him and his soldiers, and Manrico and Leonora escape.
PART III: THE GYPSY'S SON
SCENE 1: The Count’s camp
The Count’s men prepare for the next day’s battle (Squilli, echeggi la tromba guerriera). Ferrando drags in Azucena, who was found wandering near the camp. Azucena pleads her innocence, but Ferrando recognizes her as the suspected murderer of the Count’s infant brother. Luna condemns her to death by fire.
SCENE 2: An army camp, commanded by the Count’s enemies
Leonora and Manrico are about to be married. Leonora is anxious for Manrico’s safety in the forthcoming battle, and he attempts to calm her. Ruiz comes to inform Manrico that Count di Luna has condemned Azucena to be burnt to death. Manrico gathers his men and prepares to attack the Count’s army (Di quella pira).
PART IV: THE EXECUTION
SCENE 1: Outside Manrico’s prison
Manrico’s attack has failed and now he and Azucena are the Count’s prisoners. Leonora has Ruiz conduct her to where Manrico is being held. The suffering of the prisoners moves her (D’amor sull’ali rosee) and awakens her courage. Manrico calls to Leonora, bidding her farewell.
Leonora attempts to bargain with Luna, but he wants revenge. At last, he agrees that if Leonora will give herself to him, he will free Manrico. Leonora surreptitiously swallows poison, concealed in a ring, to ensure that she will never be the Count’s mistress.
SCENE 2: Manrico’s prison
Azucena is terrified of death, and Manrico soothes her by reminding her of their happy past life in the mountains (Ai nostri monti). Azucena falls asleep. Leonora arrives to free Manrico, but refuses to accompany him. Manrico accuses her of betraying him, and Leonora explains her bargain with the Count, and what she has done to avoid it. She collapses as the Count arrives. As Leonora dies, the Count orders that Manrico be killed at once, and forces Azucena to watch. Azucena begs him to stop and listen to her, but Luna refuses. As Manrico is killed, Azucena announces that Count di Luna has murdered his own brother, and her mother is at last avenged.
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