Il trovatore returns to the Met with an impressive young cast

Michael Fabiano (Manrico), Igor Golovatenko (Conte di Luna) and chorus

The Met Opera Chorus

Michael Fabiano (Manrico) and Jamie Barton (Azucena)

Igor Golovatenko (Conte di Luna), Rachel Willis-Sørensen (Leonora) and chorus

Ryan Speedo Green (Ferrando) and chorus

By Susan Stempleski, 31 October 2024

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“delivering thrilling high notes and fluttering trills with alluring agility and clear, resonant tone”

Reviewed at Lincoln Center: Metropolitan Opera House, New York City on 29 October 2024

Verdi, Il trovatore

Metropolitan Opera

Daniele Callegari, Conductor

Sir David McVicar, Director

Charles Edwards, Set Designer

Brigitte Reiffenstuel, Costume Designer

Jennifer Tipton, Lighting Designer

The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

The Metropolitan Opera Chorus

Paula Williams, Revival Director

Igor Golovatenko, Il conte di Luna

Rachel Willis-Sørensen, Leonora

Jamie Barton, Azucena

Michael Fabiano, Manrico

Ryan Speedo Green, Ferrando

Leah Hausman, Choreography

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Susan Stempleski, 20th April

The Lithuanian soprano’s riveting performance as the central character in Tchaikovsky’s operatic masterpiece lights up Deborah Warner’s mostly bland production.

****1

Innocence: Saariaho’s final opera receives New York premiere

Kurt Gottschalk, 6th April

At the Metropolitan Opera, Innocence proves a gripping and perhaps divisive piece which feels real because it is a reflection of our reality, with no realistic hope of finding peace.

*****

Tristan und Isolde at the Met: staging gets in the way of the music

No’a L. bat Miri, 9th March

Michael Spyres shines in his debut as Tristan alongside powerhouse soprano Lise Davidsen as Isolde in Yuval Sharon's new, beguiling production at the Metropolitan Opera.

***11

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Robert Levine, 13th January

Good Butterflys are not that difficult to come by but great ones are very very rare. Ailyn Pérez fits the bill in this revival of Anthony Minghella’s classic staging.

*****

Vocal thrills in Met’s traditional staging of Bellini’s I puritani

Susan Stempleski, 31st December

Marco Armiliato conducts a finely balanced rendition of Bellini's final masterpiece with a stellar cast headed by Lisette Oropesa and Lawrence Brownlee.

*****

Porgy and Bess returns stronger than ever at the Met

Robert Levine, 7th December

Back to Catfish Row for another revival of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess and James Robinson’s show continue to wow our writer.

*****

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Susan Stempleski

Based in New York City, Susan is a retired specialist in second and foreign language teaching and the author/editor of several professional books for language teachers and many widely used textbooks for English language learners around the world. An avid concertgoer, she spends her time attending operas and other classical music events in New York and Paris. Since 2002, she has regularly published reviews on Classical Source. A keen Francophile, she has a particularly strong interest in French music, literature and film.