Il trovatore 101 – Characters and Plot
This spring, see two semi-staged performances of Verdi’s revenge thriller, Il trovatore. Slightly shortened to a dramatic ninety minutes, this performance delivers all of Verdi’s most powerful music and iconic moments, heightened with narration to guide you through every twist and turn. Learn about the characters and plot below, then see it live at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.
Il trovatore in Concert is onstage on April 26 and May 4. Tickets are on sale now, get yours today.
The Origins of Il trovatore
Composer – Giuseppe Verdi (October 1813 – January 27, 1901)
Librettists – Salvadore Cammarano (March 19, 1801 – July 17, 1852)
Premiere – January 19, 1853, Rome, Italy
The Characters of Il trovatore
Count di Luna (baritone) – a nobleman and the commander of the Royalist Aragon troops. Played by Ricardo José Rivera, making his Opera Colorado debut.
Manrico (tenor) – a troubadour and leader of the rebel forces. Played by Roberto de Biasio, making his Opera Colorado debut.
Azucena (mezzo-soprano) – a Romani woman, supposedly Manrico’s mother. Played by Deborah Nansteel, making her Opera Colorado debut.
Leonora (soprano) – a noblewoman who is in love with Manrico, but being courted by Count di Luna. Played by Alexandra Lobianco, returning to Opera Colorado after performing in Aida (Aida) in 2015.
Ferrando (bass) – Count di Luna’s officer. Played by Young Bok Kim, returning to Opera Colorado after performing in Turandot (Timur) in 2023.
Ines (soprano) – Leonora’s friend and confidante. Played by 2024-25 Opera Colorado Artist in Residence Hallie Schmidt.
The Plot of Il trovatore
Spain in the fifteenth century.
Il trovatore — Act One
Count di Luna, the commander of the Royalist Aragon troops, is enamored with Leonora, the queen’s lady-in-waiting, but she does not return his affection. The Count’s troops keep watch outside the palace, where they hear an unknown troubadour serenading Leonora. To pass the time, the captain, Ferrando, tells the troops about the Count’s history. The Count’s father once burned a woman at the stake for witchcraft. The woman’s daughter took revenge by kidnapping the Count’s infant brother and burning him to death. The Count’s father died of grief and the Count swore that he would find the woman and get vengeance for his family.
Meanwhile, Leonora confides in her friend Ines that she has fallen in love with a mystery troubadour who serenades her each night. Leonora rushes out to meet him, but mistakenly embraces Count di Luna instead. The troubadour, Manrico, reveals himself as the leader of the rebel forces. The Count is furious and challenges Manrico to a duel.
Il trovatore — Act Two
In the duel, Manrico overpowered the Count, but did not kill him. Manrico is badly injured in a battle and his mother, Azucena, nursed him back to health.
Azucena, the woman for whom the Count has been searching, is haunted by the memory of her mother’s death. Her son, Manrico, asks her for more details on the story. Azucena tells him that she kidnapped the Count’s infant brother, but mistakenly killed her own child instead. Manrico is confused by this confession, but Azucena convinces him that he is indeed her son and that he must kill the Count to make things right for their family. A messenger arrives to tell Manrico that Leonora believes he has died and she is about to enter a convent. Manrico leaves to stop her. The Count and his men arrive at the convent to take Leonora by force, but Manrico enters with his troops. In the chaos, Manrico and Leonora escape together.
Il trovatore — Act Three
The Count and his men have surrounded the fortress where Manrico and Leonora have taken refuge. The Count’s soldiers enter with Azucena, who was captured nearby. When Azucena hear’s the Count’s name, her reaction causes Ferrando to recognize her as the woman who murdered the Count’s brother. Azucena calls out to Manrico to rescue her as the Count orders a fire be built to kill Azucena.
Inside the castle, Manrico and Leonora are getting ready to be married. Manrico’s henchman arrives with news that Azucena has been captured and the Count is preparing to burn her at the stake. Manrico rushes off to save Azucena.
Il trovatore — Act Four
Manrico and Azucena have been captured and are being held captive in the Count’s castle. Leonora has escaped and comes to the prison. The Count arrives and Leonora offers herself to him in exchange for Manrico’s life. Leonora then secretly takes a slow-acting poison, showing that she would rather die than be married to the Count.
Leonora urges Manrico to escape, telling him that she has saved him by offering herself to the Count. Manrico denounces Leonora and refuses to escape. The Count appears as Leonora dies from the poison. The Count sends Manrico to his execution. Azucena hears Manrico’s cries as he is killed, and she reveals to the Count that Manrico was his brother and that her mother has been avenged.
Are you ready to see the opera live?
See this twisted tale of mistaken identity in two semi-staged concert productions on April 26 and May 4. Tickets are on sale now.
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Let us know what you’re looking forward to seeing onstage in Il trovatore in Concert in the comments below!