Anna Netrebko to Lead Starry Cast of Verdi's IL TROVATORE at Met Opera

Il Trovatore returns to the Met September 25, starring Anna Netrebko as the heroine Leonora in her long-awaited Met role debut. Dolora Zajick sings her signature role of the mysterious gypsy Azucena, with Yonghoon Lee as Manrico, Dmitri Hvorostovsky as Manrico's rival Count di Luna, and Štefan Kocán as Ferrando. In later performances, Angela Meade stars as Leonora, Marcello Giordani sings Manrico, Vitaliy Bilyy sings Count di Luna, and Kwangchul Youn sings Ferrando. Zajick and Hvorostovsky reprise their roles with Marco Armiliato leading all performances of David McVicar's 2009 production at the Met this season. The October 3 performance of Il Trovatore will launch the tenth season of the Met's Live in HD series when it is transmitted to more than 2,000 movie theaters in 70 countries around the world.

Anna Netrebko makes her Met role debut following her performance as Leonora at the Berlin State Opera and the Salzburg Festival. After making her company debut in 2002 as Natasha in the Met premiere of Prokofiev's War and Peace, the Russian soprano has sung 16 roles with the company, including Lady Macbeth in last season's production of Verdi's Macbeth and the title role in the Met premiere of Tchaikovsky's Iolanta. She can be seen later this season in her New York recital debut on the Met stage in February, as well as reprising her role as Leonora at the Paris Opera and the Berlin State Opera, the title role in Puccini's Manon Lescaut at the Vienna State Opera, and Elsa in Wagner's Lohengrin at the Semperoper Dresden.

Dolora Zajick has sung the role of Azucena 48 times at the Met, the most performances ever in the role with the company. Most recently, she sang Azucena with the Houston Grand Opera and San Francisco Opera. She has sung over 230 performances at the Met since making her company debut as Amneris in Verdi's Aida in 1989. She will be singing the mezzo-soprano role in Verdi's Requiem in Bilbao and Ulrica in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera at the Rome Opera later this season.

Yonghoon Lee makes his Met role debut following performances of Manrico at the Bavarian State Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and at the Theater an der Wien during the Vienna Festival. He made his Met debut in the title role of Verdi's Don Carlo in 2010, and previous roles at the Met include Don José in Bizet's Carmen and Ismaele in Verdi's Nabucco. Later this season, the tenor will sing Turiddu in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana with the company.

Dmitri Hvorostovsky has sung Count di Luna in two previous seasons at the Met, including the premiere of David McVicar's staging. He made his Met debut in 1995 as Yeletsky in Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades. Since then, he has sung over 170 performances with the company including Verdi roles such as Anckarström in Un Ballo in Maschera, Rodrigo in Don Carlo, the title role in Rigoletto, Germont in La Traviata, and Don Carlo in Ernani. Later this season, he will sing a recital at Carnegie Hall and star as the title character in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden.

Štefan Kocán previously sang the role of Ferrando at the Met in 2011. He made his Met debut in 2009 as the King in Aida. Other roles at the Met have included the Grand Inquisitor in Don Carlo, Khan Konchak in Borodin's Prince Igor, Gremin in Eugene Onegin, and Sparafucile in Rigoletto, a role he will reprise later this season.

Angela Meade reprises Leonora in February, a role she sang at the Met in 2013. She made her company debut in 2008 singing Elvira in Ernani, and her other Met roles have included the title roles in Donizetti's Anna Bolena, Bellini's Norma, and Rossini's Armida; Alice Ford in Verdi's Falstaff, and the Countess in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro. Following her performances at the Met, she can be seen in Verdi's Requiem in Bilbao and reprising her role in Il Trovatore at the Deutsche Oper Berlin.

Marcello Giordani has previously sung Manrico at the Teatro Regio di Torino and Houston Grand Opera. After making his Met debut in 1993, he has sung over 220 performances with the company. His Met repertory includes Verdi roles, such as Gabriele Adorno in Simon Boccanegra, Radamès in Aida, the title role of Ernani, the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto, and Gustavo in Un Ballo in Maschera. Giordani can be seen later this season at the Met as Cavaradossi in Puccini's Tosca.

Vitaliy Bilyy will sing Count di Luna, a role he performed with the company in 2010. In addition to the Met, he has sung di Luna at the Bavarian State Opera, Toulouse's Théâtre du Capitol, and the Teatro Municipal in Santiago, Chile. The Ukrainian baritone made his Met debut in 2007 as Denisov in War and Peace and has also sung Shaklovity in Mussorsgky's Khovanshchina with the company. Next year, he can be seen reprising di Luna, as well as Amonasro in Aida at the Paris Opera.

Kwangchul Youn makes his Met role debut as Ferrando after singing the part at La Scala and the Munich Opera Festival. Following his company debut in 2004 in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, he has sung Narbal in Berlioz's Les Troyens, Raimondo in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, Sparafucile in Rigoletto, and King Marke in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde. Later this season, he will sing Talbot in Donizetti's Maria Stuarda at the Met and Ramfis in Aida at the Paris Opera.

Marco Armiliato returns to the Met after leading over 340 performances with the company since 1998. In recent seasons, he has led performances at the Vienna State Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Zurich Opera, and Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. The Italian conductor will also conduct Anna Bolena this season at the Met.

This opera is the first of five McVicar productions at the Met this season. The Scottish director made his Met debut helming Il Trovatore in 2009, and his other productions this season include revivals of the double bill Cavalleria Rusticana and Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, revivals of Anna Bolena and Maria Stuarda, as well as a new production of Roberto Devereux to complete the Donizetti "Tudor Queens" trilogy.

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