'Il Trovatore' at Virginia Opera (2008)

Virginia Operas 34th season boasts a healthy offering of Italian Opera, featuring titles straight from Opera Americas Top 20 Hit List, beginning with a new production of Giuseppe Verdis action-packed Il Trovatore. The sweeping tragedy, most famous for its universally popular Anvil Chorus, opens the season with performances in Norfolk, Fairfax and Richmond.

Three major talents return in starring roles for the opening production: Finnish-Canadian soprano Eilana Lappalainen (Carmen, 1992; Turandot, 1993; and La Traviata, 1994) as Leonora, Argentinas Teatro Colón leading tenor Gustavo López Manzitti (Cavalleria Rusticana/I Pagliacci, 2007) as Manrico, and two-time Grammy Award winning baritone Nmon Ford (Salome, 1994; Otello, 1999; and Tristan & Isolde, 2005) as Count di Luna. Mezzo-soprano Jeniece Golbourne makes her company debut as Azucena.

New designs for the season opener include the set by Michael Ganio (Fidelio, 2004; Tristan & Isolde, 2006; and Agrippina, 2007) and lighting by Richard Winkler, who makes his design debut with the company. Returning in the directors chair is Lillian Groag, acclaimed time and again for her inspired staging of Virginia Opera productions that include most recently Tales of Hoffmann, which opened the previous season in September, and the Virginia Premiere of Agrippina in the 2006-2007 Season. Artistic Director Peter Mark will conduct, marking his 100th production conducted for Virginia Opera and when he conducts the final performance in Richmond on Oct. 26 700 performances in 34 seasons with the company.

The orchestra for this production is provided by the Virginia Symphony. Visit www.vaopera.org for more details.

Copyright (c) 2008 by Virginia Opera Association - All Rights Reserved. This program may not be copied in whole or in part without the written consent of Virginia Opera Association.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Virginia
• Opera
• Trovatore
• Verdi
• Italian
• Manzitti
• Golbourne
• Nmon
• Ford
• Classical
• Music
• Orchestra
• Symphony
• Drama

[19Manya41]

@lucasbarraco1986

 A bassbariton:Nmon Ford

[birgitnilsson]

@KingdomSlayer Why not? I don´t understand.

[KingdomSlayer]

@birgitnilsson

Thanks you, alot.

My workmates are not so pleased, though. xD

[birgitnilsson]

@KingdomSlayer it is the anvil chorus,ac tII, il TRovatore, Verdi

[KingdomSlayer]

Please someone tell me name of the very first song on this video o_O

I've beein after it since I saw that singing frog from the Looney Toons's cartoons

pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease

[crimdell]

@RockytheWolf Norfolk and Richmond.

[rachelhana1990]

I performed with her when she did it in Eugene.

[egyboy67]

Virginia Opera is based in Norfolk, VA. They also tour in Richmond and Fairfax (which is practically DC).

[egyboy67]

Yes, I heard of the English National Opera, which exists alongside The Royal Opera House Covent Garden where all performances are in the original language. English is a much more difficult language to sing in than Italian. Not only that, its intelligibility would be obliterated by the brutal vocal writing of Verdi.

And what's wrong with subtitles?

[egyboy67]

Ditto..... I got to be next to her on stage every night in that production. She is a force of nature.... and one hell of a nice person.