Il Trovatore (Royal Opera House)

One of Giuseppe Verdi's most passionate and romantic operas has been given an opulent production in this staging by Elijah Moshinsky, with sets designed by noted production designer Dante Ferretti. Set in 15th century Spain, Il Trovatore tells the story of Manrico, a gypsy troubadour who has fallen in love with the duchess Aragon; however, the Count di Luna is also attracted to Aragon, and when he attempts to take her from Manrico, the troubadour takes the count's life in a duel, not realizing they were, in fact, brothers, and that his mother Azucena actually stole him from a family of royals many years ago. This version of Il Trovatore features Jose Cura, Veronica Villarroel, Yvonne Naef, and Dmitry Hvorostovsky.