Il Trovatore Behind the Scenes from San Francisco Opera HD

Get an inside look at Il Trovatore from superstar mezzo soprano Stephanie Blythe, and the exciting new music director of San Francisco Opera, Nicola Luisotti. This production has previously appeared at Lyric Opera of Chicago (2006) and the Metropolitan Opera (2009). Both companies co-produced this production in addition to San Francisco Opera. Director David McVicar maintains the original Spanish setting if Il Trovatore, however he moves the action from 1409 to the Spanish War of Independence fought against Napoleon. According to the director, “What guides me is that that period must work musically. The early 19th century fits with Verdi’s tinta, the dark palette he creates for Spain.” McVicar and the creative team drew their inspiration from Francisco Goya’s Los Desastres de la Guerra (The Disasters of War), a series of prints created between 1810 and 1820. An illuminating New York Times interview with McVicar about the creation of this production is available at nytimes.com. Il