The finale of Winter Opera’s ninth season will be Giuseppe Verdi’s “IL Trovatore” on Friday, March 4 at 8p and Sunday, March 6 at 3p. All performances take place at the Skip Viragh Performing Arts Center at Chaminade - 425 S. Lindbergh Blvd. The production is sponsored by Nancy Pillsbury Shirley and is sung in Italian with English supertitles.
“IL Trovatore” completes our three-year plan to produce the amazing works of Verdi,” said Gina Galati, General Director of Winter Opera Saint Louis. “We began this trilogy with ‘Falstaff,’ then ‘Otello’ last season and will conclude with ‘IL Trovatore’ for our final Verdi opera. The composition is filled with extreme drama and incredible music. It will pack a punch to the audience and we are excited to bring the opera to our patrons.”
“IL Trovatore” premiered in 1853 and has been described as ”a high flown, sprawling melodrama flamboyantly defiant of Aristotelian unities, packed with all manner of fantastic and bizarre incident.” The story involve a running conflict between the Count Luna and a troubadour, Manrico, who contest the love of a noble woman, Leonora. Azucena, a gypsy, befriends Manrico, but Luna accuses her of murder and orders her execution. Attempting to free Azucena, Manrico himself is arrested and sentenced to die, causing Leonora to commit suicide rather than marry Luna.
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Famed tenor, Jorge Pita Carerras, who performed with Winter Opera last season in Mascagni’s “L’Amico Fritz,” will sing the role of Manrico. Fritz Baritone Neil Nelson is cast as Luna with soprano Maria Kanyova as Leonora and mezzo-soprano Claudia Chapa as Azucena. The orchestra will be conducted by Darwin Aquino.
About Winter Opera Saint Louis
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Winter Opera is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide St. Louis with world-class operatic performances during the winter months. The opera’s productions feature nationally and internationally known artists, performing classic opera in its original language with English supertitles. Winter Opera also highlights local artists and strengthens the local artist community year-round through community outreach programs and educational workshops. For more information, www.winteroperastl.org