Verdi’s masterwork Il trovatore is a tangled web of vengeance, rivalry, and regret. This is grand opera at its most dramatic.

When a gypsy woman is burnt at the stake for allegedly bewitching a child, her daughter, Azucena, swears revenge.

Azucena steals the child’s brother to throw him into the flames of her mother’s burning pyre, however, accidentally throws in her own child. Horrified by her mistake, she brings up the stolen child as her own. This haunting family secret lays the groundwork for Verdi’s tragedy.

Il trovatore

His Majesty's Theatre

What circumstances could push a mother to commit infanticide? The story of Medea has fascinated artists for centuries, including opera creators. The libretto of Luigi Cherubini's work, performed in Paris in 1797, condenses a story known from mythology. The beginnings of the relationship between Jason and Medea, the golden fleece and the Argonauts are only mentioned in it. We are thrown into the middle of a love conflict: Dircé, filled with anxiety, is preparing to marry Jason, who has abandoned his former lover for her. The celebration is interrupted by Medea trying to get her husband and children back. The rejected woman, deprived of all hope, plans revenge - she offers Dircé a crown and a dress soaked in poison, and she herself murders her sons.

Nick Schlieper

Events

Past events

16 - 25 Oct, 2025

Il trovatore · West Australian Opera

21 - 28 Jan, 2024

MEDEA · Polish National Opera

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