Verdi’s Il Trovatore, starring four of the world’s most celebrated interpreters of the leading roles and conducted by Marco Armiliato, was originally seen live in movie theaters on April 30, 2011 as part of the groundbreaking series, The Met: Live in HD, which transmits live performances to more than 1500 movie theaters and performing arts centers in 46 countries around the world. The cast earned excellent reviews for their performances as the heroic troubadour of the title, Marcelo Álvarez is “exciting, conveying Manrico’s urgency and desperation”; in the role of Leonora, Sondra Radvanovsky is “remarkable…a spirited, feisty heroine”; Dolora Zajick is “a force of nature” as Azucena, the gypsy with a dark secret; and Dmitri Hvorostovsky‘s “vivid presence and rich baritone emphasize Count di Luna’s swings between hell-bent vengeance and romantic obsession”.