Saturday, Oct. 3 at 1 p.m. — RUTLAND — The MET Live in HD 2015-2016 season begins with Anna Netrebko in her highly anticipated Met role debut as Leonora, the tortured heroine of “Il Trovatore.” Town Hall Theater in Middlebury and the Paramount in Rutland will broadcast “Il Trovatore” live Saturday, Oct. 3 at 1 p.m. There will be a pre-show talk at 12:15 p.m. at Town Hall Theater with refreshments provided by the Opera Company of Middlebury.
“Il Trovatore,” Verdi’s turbulent tragedy of four characters caught in a web of family ties, politics, and love, is a mainstay of the operatic repertory. The score is as melodic as it is energetic, with infectious tunes that are not easily forgotten. The vigorous music accompanies a dark and disturbing tale that revels in many of the most extreme expressions of Romanticism, including violent shifts in tone, unlikely coincidences, and characters who are impelled by raw emotion rather than cool logic.
Soprano Anna Netrebko’s dramatic and vocal skills are on full display in her next new role at the Met—Leonora, the Verdi heroine who sacrifices her own life for the love of the gypsy troubadour. Tenor Yonghoon Lee, who began his professional opera career with the Middlebury Opera, sings the ill-fated Manrico, baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky is his rival, and mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick is the mysterious gypsy with the troubled past. Angela Meade sings Leonora in later performances. Marco Armiliato conducts Sir David McVicar’s Goya-inspired production.
Tickets ($22) are available at www.paramountlive.org or at the Paramount Theatre Box Office Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Seating is general admission and doors open at 12:40 p.m. For more info, call 802-775-0903.
