In this article John D'Ancona tries to explain why the character of Manrico (Il Trovatore) is not essentially a dramatic or heroic figure, but encompasses a great deal of lyricism, and is as such perhaps a far more complex role than a standard and habitual interpretation can give account for. // Grandi Tenori.com, J. Anthonisen.

Without doubt one of the great moments in any good opera performance is when a singer unleashes a thrilling, full-blooded high note that rips across the combined sound of the orchestra and ensemble leaving the audience a gasp and astounded. Tenors (and their followers) have often been famed, and perhaps accused, for their love of the ‘acuti’ (especially the high C), and one of the most celebrated excuses in the Tenor canon for this to occur is in the role of Manrico, from Verdi’s “Il Trovatore”. The cabaletta ‘Di Quella Pira’ is a veritable “Everest” of a piece of music that can seal the fate of many a performer. Many have attempted to scale its treacherous face, some with more panache or gusto than others and some of who never quite reach the top, though one cannot deny that, for the conqueror, it can secure the greatest ovation of the evening.

I have to confess that when I used to buy a new recording of “Il Trovatore”, I always forwarded to the ‘Pira’ to see how good the tenor’s top note was (the unwritten high C, of course). If done well, it might heavily influence my overall opinion of the tenor undertaking the role. I would also be slightly disappointed if the tenor transposed down the cabaletta, because I would feel somewhat cheated out of the thrill of hearing the high C.

Now, I would be the first to admit that this is a ridiculously superficial way of looking at a magnificent piece written by such a great composer as Verdi. I would also beg utter forgiveness to the poor Manricos for whom I have judged their hard-earned and nerve-wracking performance on the basis of one note, though, in all seriousness, I wonder how much the ‘Pira’ influences the casting, appreciation and indeed interpretation of the role of Manrico in today’s performances? Perhaps not in the “Can he reach a high C” stakes, but it might be that the acknowledgement of this ‘Heroic’ outburst during the opera could unfairly sway the overall opinion of the role?

Today the role of Manrico is generally associated with Heroic voices and Spintos, though opinion is divided as to whether this should necessarily be the case. Many of the famous dramatic tenors over the last 100 years or so have made this their calling card and have achieved great success in the role. Other sources state that the role is far more lyrical and should be sung by a lighter, more graceful tenor (Muti even suggests that Alfredo Kraus would be an ideal protagonist for the most part of the opera). Can it really be as cut and dry as ‘one or the other’ or is the role of Manrico far more complex than we imagine? Is today’s view correct in its assumption of the spinto/dramatic nature of the role, or has the original concept been misinterpreted due to the obvious enjoyment of the ‘Pira’? To answer this we need to evaluate the evidence we have in the score, and in the libretto, so as to see what Verdi’s conception of the role might have been, and whether it resembles what it has turned into today.

The first and most obvious clue we have as to the character of Manrico is from the title of the opera: “Il Trovatore” or “The Troubadour”. Troubadours were originally aristocratic poet-musicians of Southern France (Provence) who flourished from the end of the 11th century through to the 13th century. Many troubadours were noblemen and crusader knights; some were kings, e.g., Richard I, Coeur de Lion; Thibaut IV, king of Navarre; and Alfonso X, king of Castile and León. Eventually the tradition moved over Europe, including Spain and Italy, and the common characteristics of these wondering musicians tended to be that of the lonely singer, whose melancholy serenades spoke mainly of love and their solitary plight. Looking at our chosen character, we see that Manrico fits this description perfectly: he is a knight, fighting in the rebellion against the King of Aragon, and is also a troubadour, whose autobiographical songs speak of the same subjects, mentioned above (“Deserto sulla terra” & “Ah che la morte ognora”). From this we can already see a juxtaposition of opposing styles that begin to complicate the character of Manrico: the heroic and the romantic, the Soldier and the Singer, the Spinto and the Lyric. In saying this, we must also remember that Verdi named the opera “The Troubadour” and not “The Knight”.