‘Il Trovatore’ Opens at Pittsburgh Opera (Sat., 3/22/23)

IL TROVATORE (opera) by Giuseppe Verdi, with libretto by Salvadore Cammarano and Leone Emanuele Bardare. Pittsburgh Opera. March 25 – April 2.

Pittsburgh Opera’s ‘Il Trovatore’ has plenty of action, including singing and swordfights. Shown here is singing swordsman Conte di Luna (Lester Lynch). Credit: David Bachman Photography for Pittsburgh Opera.

Pittsburgh Opera thunders onto the Benedum Center stage to perform the epitome of epic, tragic operas, Verdi’s Il Trovatore. This is a grand opera in every sense of the word, with memorable scenes such as the Anvil Chorus. Although Verdi composed Il Trovatore during a time of personal turmoil—and had to find a new writer to finish the libretto, after librettist Salvadore Cammarano died in mid-project—the opera’s score has been lauded for powerfully evoking the emotions in each twist of a complex story. That story is a tale of vengeance and ill-fated love amid strife between a warlord and a rebel army. Il Trovatore was a smashing success when it opened in Rome in 1853, and has become a fixture of the repertoire to this day. Pittsburgh Opera presents Il Trovatore with a stellar cast including soprano Alexandra Loutsion as Leonora, mezzo-soprano Marianne Cornetti as Azucena, baritone Lester Lynch as Conte di Luna, and tenor Jonathan Burton as the troubadour Manrico. The female leads have local connections, as Loutsion is a native of Canonsburg and Cornetti lives in Pittsburgh. 8 p.m. Benedum Center, 237 7th St., Cultural District. (M.V.) 

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