Verdi's blood-soaked opera gets the Robert Wilson treatment—stark, stunning, and ice-cold.
"This is a family tragedy, and in many ways, it is a very contemporary story." This is how Robert Wilson described Il trovatore, or Le Trouvère in its French version, commissioned from Verdi after the incredible success of the premiere of his Italian version in 1853. With a few changes and alterations to the original music, this version was first performed in 1857 at the Paris Opera. A light show unique to the stage director unfolds in the cold architecture, creating the perfect framing for Verdi’s music, dramatic and dark in this timeless opera.
Direction
Wilson's geometric light tableaux are devastating.
Production
Cold architecture that devours the singers whole.
Acting
Nino Surguladze's Azucena burns through the restraint.
Director
Robert Wilson
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Verdi HATED writing the Paris Opera's required ballet, shoehorning it into Act III's gypsy camp. Wilson reportedly leans into its absurdity.
This 2019 production marks Wilson's third Verdi opera, completing his trilogy of radical reimaginings that divide traditionalists and excite visual art crowds.
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