Opera
Opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto largely written by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play El trovador (1836) by Antonio García Gutiérrez.
The premiere took place at the Teatro Apollo in Rome on 19 January 1853, and in Paris in this original version at he "Theatre italien" in 1854.
Redesigned in 1856 by Giuseppe Verdi to be performed at the Paris Opera on January 12, 1957 under the title "Le Trouvère"
Performances
Wienerstaatsoper
05th February 2017
09th February 2017
12th February 2017
15th February 2017
18th February 2017
Cast
Production - Daniele Abbado
Wienerstaatsoper orchestra and Choor
Conductor - Marco Armiliato
Ludovic Tézier | Il Conte di Luna
Anna Netrebko | Leonora
Luciana D`Intino | Azucena
Roberto Alagna | Manrico
Jongmin Park | Ferrando
Simina Ivan | Ines
Jinxu Xiahou | Ruiz
New Production
Press Review
Operaeopera.com - Natalia Di Bartolo - 02/05/2017
"A brillant and well-rounded Manrico. Hats off to the unbounded professionalism of this magnificent artist. Triumph in Vienna"
EXCERPT: "As usual, Roberto Alagna's Manrico remains a marvelous mystery. How a voice so limpid, with so many lyrical qualities, can invest in heroic roles and best the challenge is an enigma, solely due to the vocal soundness of the performer. For the French-Italian tenor, with his superbly clear voice, who can still be Romeo or Werther after 30 years of career, being a brilliant and well-rounded Manrico is in itself a marvel. The singing and acting qualities of Alagna give life to the character, it was a unique moment. Roberto Alagna can do whatever he wants with his voice and in particular model it according to the feelings he would like to express in the moments of great emotional tensions. Hats off to the unbounded professionalism of this magnificent artist. "
Bachtrack - David Karlin - 02/05/2017
"Alagna, Netrebko and Tezier triumphant in Vienna's new Trovatore"
EXCERPT "Roberto Alagna nearly missed the show with a cold [...] Other than those top notes In “Di quella pira” being a fraction held back, you wouldn’t have known there was a problem. Alagna portrays Manrico as a musician first and a warrior second: there is an immensely appealing ease to his voice as he follows the smooth contours of Verdi’s melodies. A purist might complain at the amount of portamento, but that’s a cavil: Alagna amply demonstrated why his voice is so thrilling as a romantic hero"
And...
"Triumph for the singers, Alagna convincing in all respects, an artist who really sings with his soul"
> Susanne Zobl (news.at) (from German) " The premiere of Verdi's Troubadour was the singers' triumph. [...] Roberto Alagna is one of the best tenors and Manrico of our time. Dramatically, he is convincing in every respect and owns the high tessitura requested for this part. Manrico's "Di quella pira", one of the greatest challenges for any tenor, was breathtaking. He reached the top notes that Verdi indeed has not composed, but that the audience expects and demands by tradition since the very first performances of the work"
> Renate Wagner (MERKEROnline) (from German) "Roberto Alagna was not in his best physical condition tonight, but he sang valiantly with many radiant tones. [...] The High C of the Stretta was shorter than he would have liked, but it's well known that a singer is not a robot. And besides Alagna is an artist who really acts and sings with his "soul", what, not least, we could hear in the marvelously lyrical farewell duet with Azucena."
Interview
INTERVIEW | By Peter Jarolin for kurier.at: News ". Singing is a true competitive sport"
Translation:
"The star tenor sings tonight Manrico in the premiere of "Il Trovatore" by Verdi at the Wiener Staatsoper. It is a true dream cast gathered today, Sunday, on the stage of the theater "am Ring" for the opening performance of "Il Trovatore" by Giuseppe Verdi. First because it will be the first time that Anna Netrebko is performing as Leonora in Vienna. And because Roberto Alagna will sing Manrico, one of the most popular tenor parts, but also the most feared in the opera repertoire.
"Everyone is always waiting for the famous Stretta with all its high notes, yet in this opera I have many other moments to sing, equally touchy and at least as risky." After all, in "Il Trovatore" the work deals with a singer!" said Alagna to the Kurier in a great mood. And the 53-year-old now artist adds, laughing: "Maybe should I no longer sing this role at my age, as Verdi's demands require a young and fresh tenor." But: "Vocally it 's still going very well, and singing in this production with these partners gives me great joy. I hope that we can pass on this pleasure to the audience, even if, at the end of the Opera, we are almost all dead. "
He goes on, admitting: "As Manrico, you have to fight a lot. On stage, and with the ghosts of the past, who have triumphed in this role. But I'm a real fighter. "
Family Happiness: A go-getter who has now found his inner peace. Since 2015 Roberto Alagna is happily married to Polish singer Aleksandra Kurzak. Together, they both have a daughter named Malèna who "gives him so much". Alagna dedicated her an eponymous CD of traditional and popular songs. "It is so beautiful to have this marvelous family, then you suddenly realize what is really important in life. Singing and career are already great things but to be a good father and a good husband, that is fundamentally more important."
Alagna continues: "I do not want to make the same mistakes as with my eldest daughter. I was too little present during her childhood. I have a bad conscience, but now I can do it better ... When both parents are famous opera singers and perform throughout the world, it is obviously not easy. But I try to spend as much time as possible with Aleksandra and Malèna. After all, there are some operas where we can both find beautiful roles. "
Risky Roles: Beautiful roles are awaiting Roberto Alagna in Vienna soon. "During the next season I will perform often at the Staatsoper, I will sing Otello, Calaf in Turandot and Samson in Samson and Dalila by Camille Saint-Saëns, and then I will also do something crazy, I will sing Lohengrin at the Bayreuth Festival. But Christian Thielemann convinced me: "It's worth taking the risk." And I replied, "Well, so let's take the risk together." Now I must first learn this Wagnerian-German."
But Alagna has not only Wagner on his to-do list. "I am learning with Aleksandra a Polish opera, and Polish is not an easy language," explains the French of Italian origin. "I am quite good in learning, but I confess that I may be a little lazy sometimes" laughs the star of international fame. Pensive he adds: "With age it's more and more difficult to meet people's expectations, not because of vocal problems, but because each day you have to prove something to yourself again and indeed even always to surpass yourself. Singing is a true competitive sport, but it ... is just a full part of my life. And this is not the worst thing you can do. "
Galerie
