Il Trovatore Is Feb. 3, 2018, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast

Summary: The Feb. 3, 2018, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is Il Trovatore by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi.

Jennifer Rowley appears in Verdi's Il Trovatore as Leonora, whose rival suitors turn out to be brothers; photo by Catherine Pisaroni / Lenny's Studio: Jennifer Rowley @LaRowley1, via Twitter Jan. 11, 2018

Il Trovatore, a four-act operatic tragedy by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901) centering on a love triangle of two brothers unknowingly vying for the same noble lady, is the Feb. 3, 2018, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast.

Credit for much of the Italian libretto goes to Italian librettist Salvadore Cammarano (March 19, 1801-July 17, 1852). Cammarano also left a detailed scenario and an unfinished libretto for Re Lear, Verdi’s projected operatic adaptation of William Shakespeare’s King Lear.

Italian poet Leone Emanuele Bardare (1820-ca. 1874) is credited with finessing the libretto for Il Trovatore.

The libretto’s literary source is El Trovador: Drama Caballeresco en Cinco Jornadas en Prosa y Verso by Spanish Romantic dramatist Antonio García Gutiérrez (Oct. 4, 1813-Aug. 26, 1884). El Trovador premiered March 1, 1836, at Teatro del Príncipe in Madrid, central Spain.

Verdi’s Il Trovatore premiered Jan. 19, 1853, at Teatro Apollo in Rome, western central Italy. Six years later Teatro Apollo served as venue for the premiere of another Verdi opera. The first public performance of Un Ballo in Maschera took place Feb. 17, 1859, at Teatro Apollo.

Eight performances of Il Trovatore are scheduled for the 2017-2018 Met Opera season. Opening night is Monday, Jan. 22, 2018, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The month’s two additional performances take place Friday, Jan. 26, at 8 p.m. and Tuesday, Jan. 30, at 7:30 p.m.

February’s five performances begin with the Saturday matinee broadcast, Feb. 3, at 1 p.m. The season’s four remaining performances are scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Feb. 9, at 7:30 p.m.; Monday, Feb. 12, at 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, Feb. 15, at 7:30 p.m.

Estimated run time for Il Trovatore is 2 hours 46 minutes. Acts I and II span 71 minutes. An intermission of 30 minutes follows. Acts III and IV span 65 minutes.

Marco Armiliato conducts all performances. His birthplace is Genoa, Liguria, northwestern Italy. The Genoese conductor debuted Nov. 9, 1998, at the Metropolitan Opera in La Bohème by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924). In the 2017-2018 Met Opera season, he also conducts three Puccini operas: La Bohème, Madama Butterfly and Turandot.

Maria Agresta was originally scheduled to appear in all performances as Leonora, a lady-in-waiting whose rival suitors do not know that they are brothers. Her birthplace is Vallo, Campagna, southwestern Italy. The Italian soprano debuted Jan. 6, 2016, at the Metropolitan Opera as Mimì in Puccini’s La Bohème.

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera announces via Twitter tweet of Jan. 11, 2018, that Jennifer Rowley replaces Maria Agresta, who is ill, as Leonora in all performances. Her birthplace is Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, northwestern Ohio. The American soprano debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2014 as Musetta in Puccini’s La Bohème. In the 2017-2018 Met Opera season, Jennifer Rowley also appears in the title role of Puccini's Tosca.

Anita Rachvelishvili appears in Feb. 3’s Saturday matinee broadcast as Azucena, a gypsy who seeks to avenge her mother’s fiery death as a witch. She also appears in all three of January’s performances and in three other performances in February (9, 12, 15). Her birthplace is Tbilisi, Central Valley, Republic of Georgia, Eurasia. The Georgian operatic mezzo-soprano debuted Jan. 5, 2011, at the Metropolitan Opera in the title role of Carmen by French Romantic Era composer Georges Bizet (Oct. 25, 1838-June 3, 1875).

Anita Rachvelishvili shares the role of Azucena with Dolora Zajick, who appears in Feb. 6’s performance. Her birthplace is Salem, Marion County, northwestern Oregon. The American mezzo-soprano reprises her Metropolitan Opera debut role. She debuted Oct. 8, 1988, at the Metropolitan Opera as Azucena. In the 2017-2018 season, she also appears as Gertrude in Hansel and Gretel by German composer Engelbert Humperdinck (Sept. 1, 1854-Sept. 27, 1921).

Yonghoon Lee appears in all performances as Manrico, who, raised as Azucena’s son, does not know that his rival for Leonora’s love is his brother. His hometown is Seoul, northwestern South Korea. The South Korean operatic tenor debuted Nov. 29, 2010, at the Metropolitan Opera in the title role of Verdi’s Don Carlo.

Quinn Kelsey appears in Feb. 3’s Saturday matinee broadcast as Count di Luna, who is doomed with unrequited love for Leonora and with the loss of his long-lost brother, whose execution he unknowingly orders. Quinn Kelsey also appears in all three of January’s performances. His birthplace is Honolulu, southeastern Oahu, Hawaii. The American baritone debuted March 29, 2008, at the Metropolitan Opera as Schaunard in Puccini’s La Bohème. In the 2017-2018 Met Opera season, he also appears as Peter in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel and as Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti (Nov. 29, 1797-April 8, 1848).

Quinn Kelsey shares the role of Count di Luna with Luca Salsi, who appears in four performances in February (6, 9, 12, 15). His birthplace is San Secondo Parmense, Parma province, Emilia-Romagna, northeastern Italy. The Italian baritone debuted Oct. 8, 2007, at the Metropolitan Opera as Sharpless in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. In the 2017-2018 Met Opera season, he also shares the role of Enrico in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor with Quinn Kelsey, and he also appears as Miller in Verdi’s Luisa Miller.

Štefan Kocán appears in Feb. 3’s Saturday matinee as Ferrando, captain of Count di Luna’s guards and narrator of the tragic circumstances behind the burning at the stake of Azucena’s mother. He also appears in all three of January’s performances. His birthplace is Trnava, western Slovakia. The Slovakian bass debuted Oct. 2, 2009, at the Metropolitan Opera as the King in Verdi’s Aida.

Štefan Kocán shares the role of Ferrando with Kwangchul Youn, who appears in four performances in February (6, 9, 12, 15). His birthplace is Chung Ju, North Chungcheong province, central South Korea. The South Korean operatic bass debuted Oct. 8, 2004, at the Metropolitan Opera as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte by Classical Era composer Wolfgang Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791). In the 2017-2018 Met Opera season, he also appears as Frère Laurent in Roméo et Juliette by French composer Charles-François Gounod (June 17, 1818-Oct. 18, 1893).

Met Opera’s 2017-2018 staging of Il Trovatore is under the direction of Scottish opera and theatre director Sir David McVicar. Sir McVicar reprises his staging as a new Metropolitan Opera production, which debuted Feb. 16, 2009. His production team comprises Charles Edwards, set designer; Brigitte Reiffenstuel, costume designer; Jennifer Tipton, lighting designer; Leah Hausman, choreographer.

The opera’s setting is Zaragoza, Aragon, northeastern Spain, in the 15th century. Sir McVicar’s production fast forwards from the 15th century to the early 19th century. The historical background becomes the Peninsular War (1808-1814) conducted by French statesman and military leader Napoléon Bonaparte (Aug. 15, 1769-May 5, 1821).

Il Trovatore appears as the 10th of the 2017-2018 Met Opera season’s 23 Saturday matinee broadcasts. Sir David McVicar’s new production of Puccini’s Tosca was the season’s ninth Saturday matinee broadcast. Tosca aired Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018, at 1 p.m.

The season’s 11th Saturday matinee broadcast is Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore. L’Elisir d’Amore is scheduled for Feb. 10, 2018, at 12 p.m.

Online database Operabase places Giuseppe Verdi in first place in a worldwide ranking of 1,281 composers for the five seasons from 2011/2012 to 2015/2016. Second and third places are occupied by Wolfgang Mozart and Giacomo Puccini, respectively. Il Trovatore holds place 20 in the worldwide list of 2,658 most popular operas.

Il Trovatore’s Metropolitan Opera debut took place Oct. 26, 1883. Prior to the 2017-2018 Met Opera season, Il Trovatore's most recent Met Opera performances occurred during the 2015-2016 season.

The Metropolitan Opera’s Repertory Report provides statistics for the opera house’s operatic performances. Il Trovatore occupies place 11. Immediately above Il Trovatore, in ninth and 10th places, respectively, are Pagliacci by Italian opera composer Ruggero Leoncavallo (April 23, 1857-Aug. 9, 1919) and Cavalleria Rusticana by Italian composer Pietro Mascagni (Dec. 7, 1863-Aug. 2, 1945). Immediately below Il Trovatore, in 12th place, is Il Barbiere di Siviglia by Italian composer Gioachino Rossini (Feb. 29, 1792-Nov. 13, 1868).

Il Trovatore appears as the second of three Verdi works offered as Saturday matinee broadcasts during the 2017-2018 Met Opera season. On Dec. 2, 2017, Verdi’s Requiem opened the 2017-2018 Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast season. Luisa Miller is the April 14, 2018, Saturday matinee broadcast.

The takeaway for Il Trovatore as the Feb. 3, 2018, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is that the 2017-2018 Met Opera season’s 10th Saturday matinee broadcast is a tragically retributive tale of rivalry between two suitors who are revealed, too late, to be brothers and of the fatal cost to Leonora, their shared love interest.

January performances and the Feb. 3 Saturday matinee broadcast team Quinn Kelsey (left) as Count di Luna, who unknowingly orders the execution of his long-lost brother, a mysterious troubador (trovatore) raised by gypsies, with Anita Rachvelishvili (right) as Azucena, a gypsy determined to avenge her mother's fiery death; photo by Karen Almond/The Metropolitan Opera: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Jan. 23, 2018

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Jennifer Rowley appears in Verdi's Il Trovatore as Leonora, whose rival suitors turn out to be brothers; photo by Catherine Pisaroni / Lenny's Studio: Jennifer Rowley @LaRowley1, via Twitter Jan. 11, 2018, @ https://twitter.com/LaRowley1/status/951568597092102149

January performances and the Feb. 3 Saturday matinee broadcast team Quinn Kelsey (left) as Count di Luna, who unknowingly orders the execution of his long-lost brother, a mysterious troubador (trovatore) raised by gypsies, with Anita Rachvelishvili (right) as Azucena, a gypsy determined to avenge her mother's fiery death; photo by Karen Almond/The Metropolitan Opera: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Jan. 23, 2018, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/10160031031135533

For further information:

Anita Rachvelishvili @AnitaRachvelishviliOfficial. "Mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili enthralled Met audiences when she debuted in the title role of Bizet’s Carmen in 2011, a character that she has sung to great acclaim around the world. This month, she returns as Azucena in Il Trovatore—her first Verdi role with the company." Facebook. Jan. 8, 2018.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/AnitaRachvelishviliOfficial/posts/10155281003313100

"Composers: Composers Ranked by the Number of Performances of Their Operas Over the Five Seasons 2011/2012 to 2015/16." Operabase > Opera Statistics.
Available @ http://operabase.com/top.cgi?lang=en

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Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=352451

“Debut: Yonghoon Lee, Maxime de Toledo.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353647 Don Carlo {193} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/29/2010.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353647

“Debuts: Alexei Ratmansky, Stefan Kocán, Adam Laurence Herskowitz.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353094 Aida {1104} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/02/2009.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353094

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Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=355378

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Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353729

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Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=331123

“Debuts: Luca Salsi, Kevin Augustine, Tom Lee.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 352090 Madama Butterfly {812} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/08/2007.
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Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=351036

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Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=356237

Jennifer Rowley @LaRowley1. "I am so happy to share that I will sing Leonora in #Iltrovatore with a phenomenal group of artists @metopera Jan 22-Feb 15 Hope you can join us -- tickets are available here!" Twitter. Jan. 11, 2018.
Available @ https://twitter.com/LaRowley1/status/951568597092102149

Marriner, Derdriu. “Tosca Is Jan. 27, 2018, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast.” Earth and Space News. Monday, Jan. 22, 2018.
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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/11/verdi-requiem-is-first-2017-2018.html

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "Jennifer Rowley will sing the role of Leonora in all performances of Il Trovatore this season replacing Maria Agresta, who is ill. #CastChange." Twitter. Jan. 11, 2018.
Available @ https://twitter.com/MetOpera/status/951561180677660678

“New Production: Il Trovatore. Debuts: David McVicar, Charles Edwards, Brigitte Reiffenstuel, Leah Hausman.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353605 Il Trovatore {600} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/16/2009.
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The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “'She makes the words bite. She is sometimes ethereal. She is sometimes, even more than earthy, elemental. Amazingly, given Azucena’s unending desperation, she is elegant.'” (The New York Times) Anita Rachvelishvili stars as Azucena in Verdi’s Il Trovatore. Performances through February 15." Facebook. Jan. 23, 2018.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/10160031031135533

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