The imposing grandeur of the Arena di Verona is the setting for Il Trovatore, one of Verdi’s greatest masterpieces, with stage designs by the distinguished sculptor Mario Ceroli. For many years Il Trovatore has been an opera of worldwide popularity and the cast in this production is worthy of the opera’s perennial success. It features the talents of the British soprano Rosalind Plowright in her Verona debut, a wealth of vocal experience from Fiorenza Cossotto as Azucena, matched with Giorgio Zancanaro’s strong portrayal of the Count and Franco Bonisolli in fine voice as Manrico, the troubadour. Il Trovatore was written at the peak of Verdi’s career and its swift, spontaneous and stirring passages are a vivid illustration of his genius for the melodramatic; it is one of his most genuinely innovative works. "... pure delight, aurally and visually." OPERA