Il trovatore or "The Troubadour" is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto largely written by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play El trovador (1836) by Antonio García Gutiérrez. It was Gutiérrez's most successful play.

The premiere took place at the Teatro Apollo in Rome on January 19, 1853, where it "began a victorious march throughout the operatic world," a success due to Verdi's work over the previous three years that had produced La Traviata and Rigoletto.

Today, Il Trovatore is performed frequently and is a staple of the standard operatic repertoire.

Cast:

Manrico – Giacomo Lauri Volpi

Leonora – Catarina Mancini

Count di Luna – Carlo Taglibue

Frenando Previtali – conductor

CETRA - 1951