Editorial Review:

Description:
Jose Cura and Dmitri Hvorostovsky lead the star cast of Verdi's blazingly passionate opera, in Elijah Moshinsky's new Royal Opera House production, co-produced with Teatro Real Madrid, with sets by the noted Italian film designer Dante Ferretti. SPECIAL FEATURES -- Meet the Cast, All about Schlager, Behind the Scenes, Illustrated Synopsis, Illustrated Booklet









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Rating: - Powerful!
Although I am not fond of opera, I enjoy so much seeing Dmitri Hvorostovsky perform - not just the incredible range of his voice, but his superb singing and acting abilities. His face and body are so expressive of the emotions to be projected during a scene. He has such a wide range of musical superiority! A DVD to be treasured for many years.

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Rating: - Good singing; lousy production!
This production (the fourth I've seen) of Il Trovatore was a disappointment from the start with poor lighting throughout. As for the sets and costumes, detail of which was obscured by the aforementioned lack of light, it was red for the gypsies and blue for the nobility. What a concept! (This made it easy to spot the gypsy sympathizers in blue territory.)

I found it hard to believe that the pristine, blue-blooded Leonora would fall for the sweaty, greasy-hair, disheveled, gypsy-attired Manrico portrayed by Jose Cura. Or that she would leave the church where she was about to become a nun and be found "rolling in the hay" with Manrico in the next scene.

Hvorostovsky's singing as Count di Luna was powerful and passionate and better than his acting. The show stealer for me was Yvonne Naef as Azucena. Her performance was emotionally gripping and believable, her singing top notch. The other players were just adequate. Except for Tomas Tomasson as Ferrando; I disliked his voice completely.

And yes, there were no anvils in the anvil scene and the gang rape of Azucena was really offensive. And if you have pistols and rifles, why are you fighting with swords? Is that a fair question? And Hvorostovsky and Cura are complete opposites in appearance. They are supposed to be brothers? I know this is opera, but...

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Rating: - Brief Review
Okay, simply stated:

Hvorostovsky: Highlight of the show. "Il balen" was stunning and his presentation was exquisite.

Cura: Not his best by any means, but a passable heroic tenor.

Villarroel: Not appropriate for this role. She skipped out on some of the high notes in the first aria. Not unheard of, but it should be expected of someone performing for a company as prestigious as Covent Garden. Not a bad voice, but she does not need to sing Verdi ever again. Also, she seemed sounded like she should've been Cura's mother, not lover. Highly disappointing. HIGHLY disappointing.

Naef: Wonderful. "Stride la vampa" was just wonderful. Very emotional and passionate. If it wasn't for Hvorostovsky, she would've been the entire show.

I can't remember their actual names, but the Ferrando and Inez were also very nice. Ferrando's aria made me hit "back" on my remote a few times and Inez had much more stage presence than Villarroel.


Overall, this is worth a watch.... if you can ignore freaky bondage fencers and their gang rape party.

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Rating: - It almost got 5 - but for...
Jose Cura, simply not in his best vocally here. In the 'bonus CD', Hvorostovsky and Cura commented on their portrayals in this production: they carried out real sword fights in Act I, as opposed to Pavarotti and Milnes' sham sword showing in the other set I've got. However, this highly dramatic scene has its cost - Cura was not attuned to this physical assertion. Dmitri actually gave an account of this scene in the commentary part - he gave credit to Cura, being a tenor, for making this scene dramatically effective. Judging from the performance, however, the credit actually goes to Dmitri, whose singing and acting (in duel) go on simultaneously in a high level without any sign of strain either way. A really great singing-actor. His di Luna is so adorable that really saved the production.
Cura's great duet with Yvonne Naef was also strained. Excuse me for comparing his Manrico with Pavarotti's. Naef isn't bad, but the other has got the great Zajick...

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Rating: - A passionate production of this wild opera
Il Trovatore has a wild quality to it with its firelight nighttime settings, its revenge theme, its intense characters. I love how the opera often feels out of control even though, of course, the performers can't be. And that's why this is such a good production. The four leads attack their parts with passion, while exhibiting (for the most part) the control that Verdi requires of his singers.

The two stand-out performances are by Yvonne Naef and Dmitri Hvorostovsky. Naef is moving as Azucena, partly because she doesn't play her as crazed beyond belief. As a result, we can identify with her suffering. I love the clarity of her voice and the freshness of her acting. The audience's enthusiastic response to her is well-deserved. Hvorostovsky is charismatic as Count di Luna and possesses a truly great baritone voice -- rich and full and burnished.

Veronica Villaroel struggles at times with the vocal requirements of Leonora, particularly with the coloratura and the faster musical passages. But she's emotionally convincing as Leonora. As Manrico, Jose Cura's voice is rough around the edges (but then, Manrico is rough around the edges). Like Villaroel, Cura makes up for his vocal struggles by delivering a passionate acting performance, convincingly portraying the great range required for the role: loving son, warrior, spurned lover, grieving man.

The four leads put everything they've got into their roles and the high energy level that results keeps the viewer engaged from beginning to end. One example: While Villaroel's voice soars above them, Cura and Hvorostovsky engage in an intense sword fight as they sing "Di geloso amor spezzato," the trio that closes Act I. Usually the players lock swords for a few seconds once they've finished singing and the applause has started. Not this group of players. They perform Il Trovatore with the wild abandon that befits this opera. I highly recommend it.