My debut as Leonora comes after having long entertained the idea, and after studying and developing from a theatrical and vocal perspective but, above all, at a time in my career in which I feel the urge to take on a masterpiece like Il Trovatore, Italian romantic opera at its most sublime.

The challenge faced by the women in the opera is heartrending, with Azucena’s frenzied agony and the tragically passionate nature of Leonora, who kills herself for Manrico. Verdi (and Il Trovatore) lead us with a steady hand, through cantabile passages, choruses, scenes and cavatinas of exceptional melodic beauty and dazzling orchestral colours, into the abysses of the human soul, showing us the terrible emotions that human beings are capable of, but also their aspiration to a purer, more idealistic world.

I’ll be on stage at the Hamburgische Staatsoper for all the performances: 18, 20, 25 and 27 March, 4 and 8 April.

© Gianluca Fontana