Il Trovatore, Opera San Jose, Feb. 24 2013

A third Il Trovatore? Yes ... we had seen the opening night cast, and the opening night cast with two substitutions from the “other” cast, but we needed to see the complete other cast, ideally with no substitutions. And that's what we got: 


Manrico, the troubador: James Callon
Leonora, with whom he is in love: Melody King
Count di Luna, mortal foe of Manrico: Evan Brummel
Azucena, the baby-burner: Rebecca Krouner
Ferrando, the captain of the guard: Matthew Anchel
Conductor: David Rohrbaugh
Director: Brad Dalton

James Callon and Evan Brummel sounded at least as good as I’ve ever heard them, but the star of the show was Rebecca Krouner, whose portrayal of Azucena seethed with the intensity of the gypsy’s total dedication to avenge the death of her mother at the hands of the Count di Luna’s father. Definitely a beta.