I/18A

Il trovatore
The Troubadour

Dramma in four parts by
SALVADORE CAMMARANO

First performance:
Rome, Teatro Apollo, 19 January 1853

Critical Edition by
DAVID LAWTON

The University of Chicago Press 1993

CHARACTERS:
COUNT DE LUNA, [young gentleman of Aragon], baritone
LEONORA, [lady-in-waiting of the Princess of Aragon], soprano
AZUCENA, [gypsy from Biscay], mezzo-soprano
MANRICO, [official of the Prince of Urgel and presumed son of Azucena], tenor
FERRANDO, [captain of the army of Count de Luna], basso profondo
INES, [confidante of Leonora], soprano
RUIZ, [soldier in Manrico's suite], tenor
Old Gypsy, bass
Messenger, tenor
Mixed chorus of Leonora's companions, nuns, members of the Count's household, men-at-arms, gypsies.

The scene is set in Biscay and Aragon in 1409

Instrumentation: Piccolo, Flute, 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets, 2 Bassoons, 4 Horns, 2 Trumpets, 3 Trombones, Cimbasso, Timpani, Bass Drum, Cymbals, Triangle, Hammers on Anvils, Bell, Strings
Offstage: 2 Horns, Side Drums, Organ
Performance time: 2h 15m

Il trovatore, the middle opera of Verdi's famous "trilogy" of the 1850s (with Rigoletto and La traviata), is one of his best loved operas. In fully Romantic, melodramatic style, it expresses the passions of its characters in mature Verdian melody. The introduction to the critical edition includes an original essay by Carlo Matteo Mossa on the creation of the libretto (finished by Leone Emanuele Bardare after Cammarano's death in July, 1852).

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