Giuseppe Verdi

Il Trovatore: Act IV, No. 12

The creation of the opera Il Trovatore by Guiseppe Verdi (1813-1901) was complicated by a variety of circumstances. The original play by Garcia Gutierrez needed simplifying, and the traditional notions of Commarano, Verdi's three-time librettist, seemed at odds with his impulse for thematic depth. To add to complications, soon after Verdi started to work on it, Cammarano passed away, leaving him scrambling to find another librettist. Premiered at the Teatro Apollo in Rome on January 19, 1853, it quickly transcended the challenges of its genesis and became loved for its dark and fiery drama, vocal thrills, and famous innovations, including the familiar "Anvil Chorus" in Act 2. Its Italian-language premiere took place in Paris on December 23, 1854, and this is the version most often performed. In Act 4, Leonora sings "D'amor sull'ali rosee" as she lingers in disguise outside the prison where Manrico, the man she loves, is being held on account of trying to save his mother from execution. Instrumentation: 1.1.2.2: 1.0.0.0: Str (4-4-3-3-3 in set): Solo Soprano. Reprint edition.