"Il trovatore" was premiered with triumphant success in 1853 at the Teatro Apollo in Rome and is Giuseppe Verdi’s (1813-1901) second opera from the so-called "trilogia popolare" ("Rigoletto" / "Il trovatore" / "La traviata").The plot is set in medieval Spain and is based on the play "El trovador" by Antonio Garcìa Gutiérrez. The libretto, which remained fragmentary due to the unexpected death of Salvadore Cammarano, was completed by Leone Emmanuele Bardare. Although this circumstance causes the plot to have breaks and flaws, Verdi composed splendidly melodious arias for his protagonists Manrico (= il trovatore) and Leonore that are among the most beautiful in his repertoire.Overall, the instrumentation within the trilogia reaches an extremely high artistic level, which is expressed particularly clearly in the musical characterization of the multi-layered characters. Thus the dark character of Azucena is transformed from a vengefully tormented one into a loving mother who sings with the most tender and heartfelt feelings about her son who was mistakenly sacrificed. Rich in somber soundscapes and extreme contrasts, this dramma lirico, whose main motif is revenge, is now regularly performed at all major opera houses.

Carmen is undoubtedly one of the most popular and most performed operas in the world. Its premiere in 1875 at the Opéra-Comique in Paris, however, was only a moderate success: The outrageous new realism, the brutality and vehemence in the actors’ actions, and not least the shady milieu, overwhelmed the conventional Parisian audience, which was stuck in old patterns of thought.The opera is set around 1820 in Seville, Andalusia, and is based on the novella of the same name by Prosper Merimée. The libretto was co-produced by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy (nephew of composer Jacques Fromental Halévy and also cousin of Georges Bizet’s wife). Shortly after its premiere, Carmen began its triumphal march across the world via Vienna and the rest of Europe, a triumph that continues to this day.The theme and plot of this opera inspired numerous artists to create independent works, and various (opera and dance) films as well as ballets were made. Georges Bizet (1838-1875), however, unfortunately did not live to see the triumph of his sensual and passionate masterpiece. Exactly three months to the day after the first performance, he succumbed to a fatal heart attack at the age of only 36.