Il trovatore
Il trovatore
Il trovatore
Verdi’s opera of obsession and superstition returns to the Royal Opera House.
Director Adele Thomas’ production interprets this rich story of desire and an all-consuming curse.
Director Adele Thomas’ production interprets this rich story of desire and an all-consuming curse.
Opernhaus Zürich
Royal Ballet and Opera Principal Julia Rausing Trust
Sir Mick and Lady Barbara Davis
A DEVASTATING CURSE
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?
To find out more about the production, including key plot points and background information: read our Il trovatore Opera Essentials page.
Background
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.
Drama and energy
Verdi wrote Il trovatore hot on the heels of Rigoletto, and its premiere came only two months before that of La traviata. But Il trovatore, while no less popular than these other operas, is quite different. Verdi himself had suggested the source material, Antonio García Gutiérrez’s play El trovador (1836), to his librettist Salvatore Cammarano.
At the anvil
Il trovatore is probably best known for the ‘Anvil Chorus’, Azucena’s ‘Stride la vampa’ (The flame crackles!) and Manrico’s heroic ‘Di quella pira’ (The flames of the pyre). But Verdi wrote wonderful music for all four of his leads, with the aristocratic ‘Il balen del suo sorriso’ (The flashing of her smile) for the Count, and Leonora’s prayer ‘D’amor sull’ali rosee’ (On the rosy wings of love) among a host of thrilling ensembles and chorus numbers.
Cast and Creatives
Cast
The cast of this production may vary depending on performance date. Go to cast and dates to see these.
Creatives
Access
There is lift access and step-free routes to over 100 seats in the Stalls Circle, Balcony and Amphitheatre. There are 10 steps or fewer to some seats in the Stalls Circle, Balcony, Amphitheatre and the Donald Gordon Grand Tier. All seats in the Orchestra stalls are accessed by 9 steps or more. A handheld bell is rung by Front of House staff to signal guests to take their seats before a performance. The bell is loud and can be startling. The bell is rung approximately ten minutes before the show starts and at each interval.
We have an assistive listening system available to use. This opera is sung in Italian with English surtitles. Captions and translations in English will be displayed on screens above the stage and around the auditorium. Captions include more information on sounds in the performance.
This production contains themes of war, murder, suicide and a reference to an infant's death.
An audio described guide for Il trovatore is available on our SoundCloud.
Upcoming accessible performances:
There will be a British Sign Language interpreted performance on 16 July 2025 at 7.30pm.
There will be an Audio Described performance on 17 July at 7.30pm with a Touch Tour before the evening performance at 6.30pm. Touch Tours must be booked by contacting boxoffice@roh.org.uk for tickets.
Join our Access Scheme for priority access performance tickets and to personalise your account for your access requirements.
See our Accessibility page for more information on access at the Royal Opera House.
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