Diary of Marie Bashkirtseff

Il trovatore (Verdi)

Also known as: Il Trovatore, Il Trovator, Trovatore, le Trovatore, Azucena, mi vendicar

Culture · Theatre IT

Overview

Il trovatore is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto largely by Salvadore Cammarano, based on Antonio García Gutiérrez's Spanish play El trovador (1836); Wikipedia's account of the Verdi scholar Julian Budden calls the source "a high flown, sprawling melodrama" (Wikipedia, "Il trovatore"). It was first performed at the Teatro Apollo, Rome, on 19 January 1853. The gypsy Azucena's vengeful "mi vendicar" and the Act IV prison scene are among its best-known moments.

Marie and this work

  • December 1874, Nice. At the Opéra on 6, 12 and 23 December. Eleonora, the Leonora of the Nice company, is "écœurante" to her (027.0183) and so comical at the end (when she sings "fuggi, fuggi, sei perduto") that Marie laughs aloud and imitates her (027.0373); old Audiffret admires the singer. On 30 December she cites "mi vendicar', mi vendicar'... comme dit Dary dans le Trovatore" against a man she hates (028.0082). The next line, "O rabbia, O vendetta !" (028.0090), is probably a loose Italian outburst and cannot be assigned to the opera.
  • 14 March 1875, Nice. At the Opéra again (030.0200).
  • 27-28 August 1875. "Jamais Dory en jouant Azucena n'a dit avec plus de haine et plus de passion que moi ces mots : mi vendicar !" (040.0140).
  • 2 and 16 March 1880, Paris. With Patti and Nicolini at the Théâtre-Italien: "On leur sympathise à ces amoureux" (087.0559); on the 16th Patti "dans Le Trovatore manque d'ampleur" (087.0623-0624).
  • 14 February 1882, Nice. At a soirée of amateur music Jeanne sings "l'air de la prison du Trovatore" (094.0262).

Sources