ANDREA BOCELLI

stars as MANRICO in

 

IL TROVATORE by GUISEPPE VERDI

 

The best-selling Italian tenor in his first recording of a Verdi opera

 One of the most demanding roles in the tenor repertoire

 Verdi’s much-loved masterpiece in a brilliant new recording

 

Andrea Bocelli (tenor) - Manrico

Veronica Villaroel (soprano) - Leonora

Elena Zaremba (mezzo-soprano) - Azucena

Carlo Guelfi (baritone) - Il Conte Luna

Carlo Colombara (bass) - Ferrando

 

Steven Mercurio, conductor

 

Decca 475 366-2

 

Following his best-selling recordings of Puccini’s La Bohème and Tosca, Andrea Bocelli takes on the demanding role of Manrico, the eponymous hero of Verdi’s dark, intense operatic masterpiece.

 

This is the first time that Bocelli has sung a complete Verdi opera. ‘There are four or five operas which are the dream of every tenor in the world and Trovatore is certainly one of that number,’ says the Pisa-born star. ‘It’s a fantastic opera which I think is well suited to my voice because it is sung on a fairly central tessitura, and it requires a lot of emotion, a lot of pathos and a style which I particularly like – the Verdi style of strength and character. Manrico requires that strength, that heroic character. There’s an aspect of the role that I recognise in my own character, that somewhat impetuous, impulsive nature.’

 

Il Trovatore (The Troubadour), composed in 1852, is the second in the trilogy of  enduringly-popular operas Verdi wrote in the space of three years in the early 1850s. Rigoletto (1851) is the first, La Traviata (1853) the third. The libretto of Il Trovatore is by Salvatore Cammarano and is based on the Spanish tragedy El Trovador by Antonio Garcia Gutiérrez. Verdi had the idea of using Gutiérrez’s play even before he began work on Rigoletto. Verdi’s mistress (and future wife) Giuseppina Strepponi made an Italian translation of it for him and he was immediately captivated by the story of the two lovers and the central villain.

 

 

Bocelli feels that ‘the love, the relationship between Manrico and Leonora is, all things considered, a rather normal love, the kind of love you see represented in many operas, with all the problems that the plot entails. The problem with Trovatore is that its greatness lies in the music and between the lines of the text, not in the lines of the text, because the plot of this opera is one of the most incomprehensible and impossible that exists. But even though the plot has a rather absurd and paradoxical aspect,’ adds Bocelli, ‘at the same time facets of the characters are displayed that we can see within ourselves.’

 

In a white-hot burst of inspiration, Verdi completed the score of Trovatore in the amazingly short time of thirty days, between 1 and 29 November 1852. It is one of the most remarkable feats in musical history especially in the light of the quality, variety and invention of the music.

 

What is it, despite the improbable story, that has made Trovatore so popular with audiences? ‘There is something which the Germans call geist,’ explains Bocelli. ‘There’s a spirit that comes from that synthesis, from that relation between the music and the text - and that unknown factor that really is difficult to define. That is the secret of all great art.’ Bocelli feels strongly that the role of Manrico is one of the most suitable for his voice written at that time. ‘There’s a whole kind of vocal journey that every artist must undertake and a serious career can only be built step by step.’ (He has been working with a new vocal coach.) ‘In the last few years my voice has changed in intensity and volume. The rest was always there – the intention, the musicality, the quality. All the things I wanted to express through singing was there originally. What was lacking was that intensity.’

 

Bocelli talks enthusiastically about the other members of the cast for this new recording. ‘We had some extraordinary singers like Carlo Guelfi [Il Conte Luna and the Scarpia in Bocelli’s recording of Tosca] who is one of the best baritones in the world. Carlo Colombara [Ferrando] is one of the most interesting basses, and Verónica Villarroel [Leonora] has sung roles like Madame Butterfly at the Metropolitan. Then there is Elena Zaremba [Alcuzena], a Russian mezzo-soprano of great intensity. Steven Mercurio is the conductor – an extraordinary artist.’

 

With its penetrating characterisation, highly developed dramatic conflict and keenly projected atmosphere, the opera’s many memorable highlights include Leonora’s aria ‘Tacea la notte placida’ (Act 1), ‘La Zingarella’ (otherwise known as the ‘Anvil Chorus’) and ‘Stride la vampa' (both from Act 2), ‘Ah! sì, ben mio coll’ essere’ (Leonora and Manrico’s love duet), ‘Di quella pira’ (Manrico’s aria with the famous long top C) from Act 3; in Act 4 are ‘D’amor sull’ ali rosee’ and ‘Miserere’ (the latter being at one time the most popular tune from any opera whatsoever) and ‘Ai nostri monti’ (better known as ‘Home to our mountains’ the celebrated duet sung by Manrico and his mother).

 

 

Bocelli has known the arias since he was a child of six or seven, but ‘I didn’t like the whole opera in its entirety. I learnt to love it much later. Learning a part is easy but it is a different thing to have the part in your throat. My favourite aria is ‘Mal reggendo’ [Act 2, Scene 1] and also the Trio [Act 1 Scene 2] before the duel is beautiful. ‘Di quella pira’ is complicated vocally because it requires agility and strength. There are these semiquavers which you have to sing in a perfect way at the same time that the orchestra is increasing in volume. But it is not the most difficult part of Manrico to sing. Every tenor will have his own difficulties in different areas, not always in the same places. And for me it is ‘Ah! sì, ben mio’ because it is very heavy, and because when the singer is singing that he knows that immediately after that is ‘Di quella pira’! Then there is an immensely long and taxing scene with Manrico’s mother, right at the end of the opera. It is very tiring. There are many cuts used in live performances, but this recording has the whole opera in its entirety.’

 

Il Trovatore has always retained its place as one of the world’s best loved operas. With the beautiful voice of Andrea Bocelli in the title role, it looks like being another international success to follow La Bohème and Tosca.