Il trovatore.
Production by Dmitri Tcherniakov

In Dmitri Tcherniakov’s production, the intricate plot of the opera set in the Middle Ages, generally considered next to impossible to relay in a straightforward manner, takes the form of a small-scale, intimate stage play. The five characters, linked by their daunting family legacy, grapple with their heart-wrenching secrets, struggling to break free from their onerous grip. All fall victim to the distant events, even though none of them fully understand all of their complexities. Deliberately confined to the contained space of an abandoned house — where no outsider or incidental or unimportant character may enter — the characters strive to reconstruct what happened in the past and untangle the sinister knot of the mysterious events and coincidences. They remain in this space until the very end of the drama, effectively held hostage, with no way to hide, escape, or quit.

Originally staged in 2012 at the La Monnaie theatre in Brussels, Dmitri Tcherniakov’s interpretation of Il trovatore became one of the most widely discussed productions in European opera. A new, Russian chapter in its stage history begins this autumn at the Mikhailovsky Theatre. The premiere performances will be on 20, 22, 25, 27 November and on 11 December.

Some of the most prominent names in world opera have been cast in the leading roles: Tatiana Ryaguzova, Ildikó Komlósi, Arnold Rutkowski, Scott Hendricks, and Giovanni Furlanetto.