Among Verdi’s works Il Trovatore falls between Rigoletto and La Traviata, the great triumvirate of Verdi’s early middle period. It reigned, however, as the most successful opera of the 19th century until Faust and Carmen.
The setting: 15th century northern Spain is undergoing civil war
The Count di Luna (baritone) supports the reign of the Prince of Aragon, fighting on the Prince’s behalf. They hope to vanquish the insurgents led by Prince Urgel of Biscay, in whose service is Manrico (tenor) the Troubadour, of mysterious origins. Both men are in love with Leonora, a lady-in-waiting to the Queen. The Count holds nightly vigil under the window of his beloved, suspicious of a rival for her affections. He is right, for she is in love with Manrico the Troubadour.
ACT 1 “The Duel”
Palace of the Aliaferia, Aragon
Ferrando (bass) tries to keep his soldiers awake as they stand guard and await di Luna’s return. At their urging he recounts the story of the gypsy who was found at the crib of one of old Count di Luna’s two sons. As the infant fell ill soon afterwards, the gypsy was taken and burnt at the stake. But in the ashes of the pyre was found the body of a child, and it was thought to be the Count’s bewitched son, who had vanished. The kidnapping and infanticide were ascribed to the gypsy’s daughter, an act of vengeance for her mother’s death. But the old Count di Luna believed his young son might still be alive, and made his surviving son (the opera’s Count di Luna) continue the search. Ferrando remembers the look of the gypsy’s daughter, although all this took place perhaps twenty-five years previously.
Elsewhere in the palace gardens, Leonora awaits the nightly serenade of the mysterious Troubadour. She tells Inez her companion of how she first met him at a knight’s tournament when she placed a victory wreath upon his head. But because of the civil wars she had not seen him since. Inez tries to dissuade Leonora of this dangerous love, but enraptured Leonora claims she would sooner die.
The Count has resolved within himself to finally approach Leonora, but before he can do so he hears the song of the Troubadour. Leonora rushes out to greet her lover, but in the darkness mistakes di Luna for Manrico. Immediately realizing her error she runs to Manrico to assure him of her love. He removes his mask, revealing his identity and di Luna demands his death. She tries to persuade di Luna to kill her instead, but the men prepare to duel.
ACT 2 “The Gypsy”
Several months later, a gypsy camp on the lower slopes of a mountain of Biscay
The gypsies work at their craft, among them Manrico who gazes on his sword. Azucena, an old gypsy and purportedly Manrico’s mother, tells to all assembled the sad story of a woman burnt at the stake, just as in Ferrando’s tale, and she mysteriously cries out ‘avenge me!’ When the group put their tools away and leave to fetch bread, Manrico asks Azucena to tell the full story. She describes how the Count accused her mother of casting a spell on his son, burning her for the deed. Azucena, with her own child in her arms, watched as her mother was dragged away, hearing her dying words ‘Avenge me.’ Manrico asks if she was indeed avenged. Azucena says she succeeded in taking the Count’s son and bringing him to where the flames were raging. In that terrible moment of anguish and delirium, she reached out and threw her victim into the fire. When she recovered herself, she saw that she had thrown her own son into the flames instead. Manrico is confused and horrified. Calming down, Azucena reassures him that he of course is her son, alive and well, reminding him how she just recently nursed him back from death’s door when he was wounded on the battlefield at Pelilla at the hands of Count di Luna and his men. She then asks Manrico why he took pity on his foe di Luna when they were engaged in a duel. He says he heard a cry from heaven tell him not to strike.
A messenger arrives with a letter asking Manrico to help defend the fortress Castellor, and urging him to come quickly as Leonora is to take the veil that evening, believing Manrico to be dead.
Azucena tries to stop him, to no avail.
At a convent near Castellor, Count di Luna , Ferrando and a few retainers arrive. Di Luna also hopes to prevent her from taking the veil and believes his rival Manrico to be dead. He muses on his own determined, burning love for Leonora.
The nuns are heard singing, and the men tell each other to be brave in their audacious task of trespassing a convent. Leonora enters with Inez and some nuns and, seeing Inez weeping, explains that the world no longer holds either joy or beauty for her. She must turn to Him who is the sole comfort of the dejected. But when her days of penitence are over, she will join her lost love. As she bids her companions lead her to the altar, the Count comes forward. But before he can abduct her, Manrico appears. Leonora cannot believe it is he, alive, and wonders whether she is dreaming; if he has come down from heaven or if she is in heaven with him. The Count, aghast, threatens Manrico, and as Ferrando and the Count’s retainers enter so do Ruiz and the soldiers of Urgel. They disarm the Count who has tried to prevent Manrico from taking Leonora. She is terrified, but di Luna is surrounded, the lovers escape, and the nuns take refuge.
ACT 3 “ The Gypsy’s Son”
A military encampment in Biscay, near the castle Castellor
Count di Luna’s men sing of their eagerness to mount siege to Castellor, wherein Manrico and Leonora are about to be married. The Count is in turmoil that his beloved is in the arms of his rival, when a gypsy woman who has strayed into the camp is caught and brought before him. Azucena claims to be just a poor wandering gypsy, moaning over her beloved son who has deserted her. Ferrando is suspicious. She says she is from the mountains of Biscay and the Count too becomes suspicious, interrogating her further. She in turn discovers he is di Luna himself, and her fear betrays her true identity to Ferrando as the gypsy who kidnapped the Count’s brother. As they arrest her she cries out for her son Manrico.
The Count is elated to find he now has the mother of his enemy, and relishes a long-awaited vengeance for his brother’s death. While preparing to burn her at the stake, they tell her the flames of hell will continue her suffering of the pyre’s flames.
Inside Castellor, in a room adjoining the chapel, Leonora questions the sound of arms just heard. Manrico seeks to calm her fears, but says that in the coming battle should he die by the enemy’s sword, his last thoughts will be of her. They sing of their great love to the strains of the organ when Ruiz enters hurriedly. He tells Manrico that Azucena has been captured , soon to be burned.
Leonora is stunned by Manrico’s reaction to the news; he reveals that he is Azucena’s son, and must honour his filial love before he can be husband to Leonora. Manrico, Ruiz and soldiers call themselves to arm.
ACT 4 “The Torture”
The Aliaferia Palace, Aragon
Manrico and Azucena have been imprisoned.
Ruiz guides Leonora to the prison tower and she bids him leave. She hopes she can still save Manrico. For her own defence, she wears a ring filled with poison. Standing alone in the dark outside the prison tower, she sings to the wind to carry her sighs to Manrico on rosy wings of love to comfort him in his miserable cell, but not to convey the pain in her heart.
The monks chant the Miserere and Leonora is overcome with anguish and apprehension. She hears Manrico singing his farewell to her, begging her not to forget him. She repeats this in disbelief, for she will love him forever. He will see that all worldly love could not be greater than hers for him. She will either save him with her own life, or descend with him to the grave.
The Count arrives at the castle and Leonora withdraws. He gives the orders for Manrico’s beheading and the gypsy’s burning at dawn. He understands to what lengths his love for Leonora has driven him, and wonders where she is, for when he overtook Castellor, she was not there. As he asks himself where this cruel woman is, she comes forward.
She tells him why she has come: for mercy. He is incredulous at her plea for pity. She begs him on her knees, crying that if her bitter tears are not enough, he can slay her, drink her blood, trample on her dead body, but save the Troubadour. The Count tells her that the more she loves his rival, the more he hates him. The Count is about to leave when Leonora offers one last price- herself. Once again he cannot believe what he hears, but she swears that if he allows her a few minutes with Manrico and lets him escape, she will be the Count’s in marriage. Di Luna organizes for Leonora to be let into the prison, but she sucks the lethal poison in her ring, unseen, and exclaims to herself that the Count will have her, but as a cold and lifeless corpse. The Count states that Manrico will live and they both rejoice in triumph, she for her victory in liberating Manrico, the Count for his conquest of Leonora.
Inside the prison, Azucena is tormented by the vision of herself dying at the stake just like her mother. Manrico helps her to think instead of their home in the mountains of Biscay, and draws her to sleep. Leonora enters telling him to quickly flee, but he refuses, guessing the bargain she must have made. In horror and hurt she continuously urges him to leave, for if he does not, not even heaven can help him. He cruelly denounces her and in despair she reveals that she has taken poison. It begins to take effect earlier than anticipated, and she soothes him with the words that she would sooner die Manrico’s than live belonging to anyone else, and bids him farewell.
The Count has come in time to see this and orders Manrico be immediately beheaded. As he is led out Azucena awakens, calling for him. Di Luna drags her to the window to watch the execution. She tries to stop it, but too late. She tells him Manrico was his brother. The Count cries out in horror whilst Azucena calls out to her mother that she has been avenged.
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