Watch: Finding the light in Verdi’s Il trovatore - 'There is love and there is hope'

‘It’s about love, it’s about hate, it’s about violence, it’s about fear – it’s about everything that is human in a way’, says Director David Bösch of Giuseppe Verdi’s Il trovatore. 'It’s a very dark and cruel opera. But there is love and there is hope.'

The opera begins mid-way through the story of a gypsy, Azucena, who plans to avenge the Luna family's murder of her mother by abducting their youngest son. Years later, Count di Luna aims to win the heart of noble lady Leonora. She however, has other ideas, and is in love with a revolutionary named Manrico, who looks strangely familiar.

Conductor Gianandrea Noseda believes that Verdi's music makes the story easier to follow and that elements of the score personify each character:

‘Even if the plot is particularly challenging, the music composed in this opera [ensures] everything makes sense', he says. 'In Manrico, you very much see the revolutionary element and understand immediately what he wants to do'.

Tenor Francesco Meli who sang role of Manrico also has high praise for the opera's composer:

'Verdi is not only a great composer of music but a great man of theatre', he says.

Soprano Lianna Haroutounian who plays Leonora, agrees the music captures the imagination of the audience:

‘The music is so powerful, so expressive, and so dynamic. This music has everything’.

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Il trovatore runs 1 December 2016-8 February 2017.

The production is a co-production with Frankfurt Opera and is staged with generous philanthropic support from the Royal Opera House Endowment Fund.