# Il Trovatore



## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Well, I went to the Met's outdoor screening of Il Trovatore on Sunday night, and had a great time.

Hvorostovsky did especially well, much better than I was expecting. I've heard him as Giorgio Germont and as Simon Boccanegra, and he's never had so much power. (Maybe he needs the cameras to be rolling to really cut loose lol)

Marcelo Alvarez overacted a bit, and Sondra Radvanovsky was hard to judge because in the soprano range the speakers they had were kind of scrreechy - you know, it looks better with two r's, I'll just leave it - but Dolora Zajick was great and the Ferrando was great and everything was so much fun! The David McVicar sets were a bit clunky - each had to do double or triple duty and so you never knew where the heck you were - so this was the prison, and now it's an abbey? it was confusing. But really, it was great.

And I'm wondering - the Met is offering the DVD for $25, which suggests that there are much better productions out there. I mean, a top line DVD at the Met Opera Shop can go for $40 or $50. Have you seen this production? Are you a big fan of Il Trovatore, and can you suggest a better production, in your opinion?


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

guythegreg said:


> Well, I went to the Met's outdoor screening of Il Trovatore on Sunday night, and had a great time.
> 
> Hvorostovsky did especially well, much better than I was expecting. I've heard him as Giorgio Germont and as Simon Boccanegra, and he's never had so much power. (Maybe he needs the cameras to be rolling to really cut loose lol)
> 
> ...


I am huge Trovatore fan, have that new MET one on DVD the big selling point is modern sound and picture (blu ray) quality singing is pretty good overall, McVicar should have done better in big budget MET production. ROH Trovatore is roughly same overall quality to me with some odd quirks in production and liberties with storyline, pehaps slight edge to MET but it "should" have been better

Siberian Silver Fox (Hvorostovsky) in both versions......

















*No Trovatore fan can be without 1978 Karajan*, the cast singing quality will never be equalled today:
Domingo - Kabaivanska - Cossotto - Cappuccilli
The problem is dated picture and sound, if you think Zajick is a good Azucena Cossotto is in a different class better IMO. You can buy this individually or in a Domingo Volume II set.....

















Only buy this Trovatore for a couple good laughs, workers vs bosses in a petro chemical plant setting......characters enter exit through pipes, tunnels, limos, boats and more.
Singing quality is an after thought to this excess of director liberties, poor Verdi.....


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

I'm so pleased you enjoyed it Greg. Like DarkAngel I'm a huge fan & I agree with everything he's said. I haven't got the Met one yet (I will) but I don't need to see it to know I'll love it.

I've only seen Hvorostovsky live once & that was Rigoletto & I thought he was absolutely fabulous. It took me several days to recover!


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

DarkAngel said:


> I am huge Trovatore fan, have that new MET one on DVD the big selling point is modern sound and picture (blu ray) quality singing is pretty good overall, McVicar should have done better in big budget MET production. ROH Trovatore is roughly same overall quality to me with some odd quirks in production and liberties with storyline, pehaps slight edge to MET but it "should" have been better
> 
> Siberian Silver Fox (Hvorostovsky) in both versions......
> 
> ...


Wow - you put some thought into it! Obviously a big Trovatore fan (I'm listening to it right now, by the way - only have one recording so far, the classic Domingo/Milnes/L. Price version, don't seem to be able to NOT listen lol), I really appreciate your help.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

sospiro said:


> I'm so pleased you enjoyed it Greg. Like DarkAngel I'm a huge fan & I agree with everything he's said. I haven't got the Met one yet (I will) but I don't need to see it to know I'll love it.
> 
> I've only seen Hvorostovsky live once & that was Rigoletto & I thought he was absolutely fabulous. It took me several days to recover!


Hey Annie! yeah it was great. It was kind of funny - there were some BITTER fights, in the audience, over who would sit where and who would say what and how loud, it was like come on people, we're outside, we're just having a good time right? lol but some people have RIGHTS I guess ...

Yeah I would like to see him do Rigoletto, I'm sure he'd be great. He's definitely rising in my estimation!


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

guythegreg said:


> Hey Annie! yeah it was great. It was kind of funny - there were some BITTER fights, in the audience, over who would sit where and who would say what and how loud, it was like come on people, we're outside, we're just having a good time right? lol but some people have RIGHTS I guess ...


Sounds as though you had some "entertainment" you weren't expecting.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

MAuer said:


> Sounds as though you had some "entertainment" you weren't expecting.


O yes. Bitter but very civilized, one pinky out at all times. No cursing, no throwing things. It was kind of funny. Well, you know, some people really go hog wild at this thing - they designate a friend to come by at 1 pm and throw a blanket over twelve chairs in a row, and then everybody shows up with 5 minutes to go and some people think that's a bit much. Saving that many seats, and nobody even being there. Well, well ... the big city ...


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## jflatter (Mar 31, 2010)

I love Trovatore as well. I saw the ROH production that Dark Angel refers to but with Alagna as Manrico but still with the silver fox as the Count and it was one of the best nights of Italian opera I have seen or more particularly heard. 

People crab Trovatore but hey it is a great night's entertainment and that what the music industry should be all about.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

DarkAngel said:


> *No Trovatore fan can be without 1978 Karajan*, the cast singing quality will never be equalled today:
> Domingo - Kabaivanska - Cossotto - Cappuccilli
> The problem is dated picture and sound, if you think Zajick is a good Azucena Cossotto is in a different class better IMO. You can buy this individually or in a Domingo Volume II set.....


You were RIGHT! I got it out of the library last night - total amazeballs!!

I got two others at the same time (in addition to the Cossotto Macbeth on CD) - the ROH Hvorostovsky and the Met version with Pavarotti as Manrico. Well, it couldn't be any less than fun, right?


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

jflatter said:


> I love Trovatore as well. I saw the ROH production that Dark Angel refers to but with Alagna as Manrico but still with the silver fox as the Count and it was one of the best nights of Italian opera I have seen or more particularly heard.
> 
> People crab Trovatore but hey it is a great night's entertainment and that what the music industry should be all about.


Hey jflatter, haven't seen you around before so hi, but yeah, Trovatore is a lot of fun. And to think SOME people say its plot is ludicrous - why, it's all from the history books! lol


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

jflatter said:


> I love Trovatore as well. I saw the ROH production that Dark Angel refers to but with Alagna as Manrico but still with the silver fox as the Count and it was one of the best nights of Italian opera I have seen or more particularly heard.
> 
> People crab Trovatore but hey it is a great night's entertainment and that what the music industry should be all about.


Wish I'd seen that!


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Well, I watched the Pavarotti/Milnes/Marton version last night, and it really wasn't bad! Dolora Zajick is just a great Azucena! (The last Trovatore I went to was funny - Patricia Racette was Leonora, and it was announced beforehand that she had a cold but would be singing anyway, please forgive, etc etc. Well Marianne Cornetti (not sure I've spelled that right) was Azucena, and the lady next to me said, wow, that is a bad cold lol. I had to say no, it's Leonora that's ill.) But Zajick is doing Ulrica AND Azucena this season! I'm going to have to go. Well, I was going to have to anyway, we all knew that. Ballo for sure, Trovatore for sure, Traviata, Parsifal, Giulio Cesare, Otello, hmm hmm hmm. Elisir not sure ... Kwiecen is a STUPENDOUS Belcore, but I have seen him before, and as good as Netrebko's voice is, she's not the best Adina ... but on the other hand Adina is the only role I really ENJOY her in ... hmm hmm hmm. I dunno. We'll have to see about Clemenza di Tito, Dialogues of the Carmelites, Rigoletto, Rondine, Troyens and Francesca da Rimini. All depends on the finances. As for the rest, eh, if I have a job by then.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

guythegreg said:


> Well, I watched the Pavarotti/Milnes/Marton version last night, and it really wasn't bad! Dolora Zajick is just a great Azucena! (The last Trovatore I went to was funny - Patricia Racette was Leonora, and it was announced beforehand that she had a cold but would be singing anyway, please forgive, etc etc. Well Marianne Cornetti (not sure I've spelled that right) was Azucena, and the lady next to me said, wow, that is a bad cold lol. I had to say no, it's Leonora that's ill.) But Zajick is doing Ulrica AND Azucena this season! I'm going to have to go. Well, I was going to have to anyway, we all knew that. Ballo for sure, Trovatore for sure, Traviata, Parsifal, Giulio Cesare, Otello, hmm hmm hmm. Elisir not sure ... Kwiecen is a STUPENDOUS Belcore, but I have seen him before, and as good as Netrebko's voice is, she's not the best Adina ... but on the other hand Adina is the only role I really ENJOY her in ... hmm hmm hmm. I dunno. We'll have to see about Clemenza di Tito, Dialogues of the Carmelites, Rigoletto, Rondine, Troyens and Francesca da Rimini. All depends on the finances. As for the rest, eh, if I have a job by then.


:lol:

Addiction is like that!


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

sospiro said:


> :lol:
> 
> Addiction is like that!


Yes it is!


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## tyroneslothrop (Sep 5, 2012)

Jonas Kaufmann is in a Py production of _Il trovatore_:


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

tyroneslothrop said:


> Jonas Kaufmann is in a Py production of _Il trovatore_ ...


Woah! a KKK Trovatore! Whoo buddy! I can't stop using exclamation points! ... but it looks like great fun, actually!


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## tyroneslothrop (Sep 5, 2012)

guythegreg said:


> Woah! a KKK Trovatore! Whoo buddy! I can't stop using exclamation points! ... but it looks like great fun, actually!


Hmmmm.... I think the CD will be better than the DVD in this case.


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