"Il Trovatore" at the Wichita Grand Opera Garners Praise

Bulgarian soprano Zvetelina Vassileva

"Manrico, the Troubadour, was played admirably at the last minute by tenor Michael Wade Lee, who had sung the role in the fall with the Lyric Opera in Dublin. The roll [sic] of Lenora was played by Zvetelina Vassileva. Vassileva possesses a voice with great tonal flexibility and she was able to display great tenderness and utter pathos; her coloratura tones were breathtaking. Baritone Michael Nansel’s Count di Luna also displayed a great vocal and emotional power making his character compelling and believable. Suzanne Hendrix powerfully dispatched her role as the most disturbed and disturbing mother since Shakespeare’s Gertrude, mother of Hamlet. The famous Anvil Chorus, gloriously staged, was strongly performed, but other choruses were plagued by weak diction and ensemble, particularly the chorus of nuns in Act II. The cast and orchestra were guided masterfully through the twists and turns of the score by music director Steven Mercurio. Mercurio’s clear, confident approach to the score made for a well-paced performance. Aside for some tuning challenges between sections, the playing of the orchestra was committed and very good." [Source]