Rosario La Spina

Verdi wrote Manrico for a voice that sits uneasily between lyric and dramatic — tender enough for 'Ah sì, ben mio,' heroic enough for 'Di quella pira' twenty minutes later. Given your career spans Rodolfo all the way through to Siegmund, where does Manrico actually live in your voice?

The role of Manrico sits well in my voice because predominantly I am a full lyric tenor that, with age and experience, has allowed me to move into more dramatic roles. Manrico is one of the most romantic roles in the repertoire, requiring an almost aggressive, impulsive approach because he is young, in love, and seeking revenge. The exception is in the aria "Ah sì, ben mio", where an incredible lyric legato approach is definitely required. The tessitura of the role sits perfectly for me due to the fact that it's quite central in the voice and takes you up to the high notes in a very well-written way. Verdi was a genius in knowing how to write for all voices.

You've sung Calaf, Radames, Turiddu, Canio, Siegmund — and now Manrico again. Be honest: which of those roles do you believe would win in a fight?

This is a fun question, but I definitely think the final fight would be between Radames and Siegmund, with Radames coming out as a narrow victor. Manrico would be right up there as well, but I think his impulsive nature would lose out to an experienced warrior like Radames. I'm having a good giggle as I think of these "match-ups"!

There is no love duet between Manrico and Leonora. In an opera built on passionate love, Verdi gave them a brief passage between two arias and nothing more. Why do you think that is, and what do you do with that absence dramatically?

In my opinion, I think there is no major love duet between Manrico and Leonora because Verdi wanted to place a large spotlight on the relationship between Manrico and Azucena, which in some ways is probably the most powerful storyline of the opera. Let's remember that Verdi had it in his mind to actually call the opera Azucena. I think the relationship between Manrico and Leonora is much more straightforward and easily understood than the relationship between Manrico and Azucena. That's why he gave them quite a long scene, which includes her famous aria "Stride la vampa" and "Condotta ell'era in ceppi".

Every performer brings something different to a role each time around. What does Manrico look like to you now that you couldn't have seen the first time you performed him?

I understand the character a lot more now than the first time I did it, and that allows me to bring a lot more nuance to the role.

Il Trovatore has outlasted two centuries of critics calling it absurd. What does it understand about human nature that its detractors don't?

If we look around today, and through history as well, there have been many shocking and brutal stories that humans have been presented with, and make no mistake, Il trovatore is as shocking as any of them. The difference is that Verdi has given us a musical score that is so full and rich that it has gone on forever. Critics can complain about the complexity and absurdity of the story, but it's up to us to make the story as believable as possible through the changing emotions of each character.

If you had to describe Il Trovatore in one sentence, what would you say?

In one sentence, I would say: Il trovatore creates a world of revenge, obsession, love, fate, and family bonds that are pushed to their extreme.