On May 23 and May 25, 2025, a stage version of Giuseppe Verdi’s Il trovatore will be for the first time presented at the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. The primary roles will be performed by soloists of the Opera Company of the Primorsky Stage. The Orchestra will be under Pavel Smelkov’s baton.
Il trovatore won fame and national affection immediately after it had been premiered in 1853. The opera is the richest material for the four voice types and the chorus and is highly emotional. The somber romantic drama unfolds on the stage where two brothers, not suspecting their blood relationship, become implacable rivals in love and power.
“Il trovatore takes rank as one of the most successful operas even among the works by such genius as Giuseppe Verdi. The repertoire of our Theatre already includes some beautiful works by the Italian maestro, but the fact that we are planning so high-profile premiere indicates that our company develops and grows and is replenished with new unique voices with which we are able to carry out such music project. This opera is written in a traditional manner and includes many solo declarations, arias, duets, tercets and large ensembles, but if compared with other Verdi’s masterpieces, the composer’s technique is here distinguished with unusually emotional expressiveness. I am sure that every spectator will receive a store of artistic impressions,” said Irina Soboleva, Artistic Director of the Opera Company of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre.
The soloists are also being prepared by Maria Nikitina, Italian Language Coach at the Mariinsky Theatre.
“With no false modesty, I must say that now the voices of soloists of the Primorsky Stage are world-class voices. The company is the strongest one, and besides having vibrant voices, each soloist is an interesting personality, and it is very important for performing operas by Giuseppe Verdi. Moreover, the singers are so adapted for bel canto that they can catch at once the most delicate gradations of performance. The repertoire, which they have learned and performed earlier, is a great base for work on today’s premiere,” Maria Nikitina emphasized.
It should be noted that nowadays the repertoire of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre is decorated with a significant collection of works by Giuseppe Verdi including his operas La traviata, Rigoletto, Aida, Don Carlo and Macbeth and his famous sacred composition Messa da Requiem. In February and March 2025, these compositions were performed as part of the large-scale music project Verdi Marathon, including Il trovatore which was performed in concert.
