I had looked forward to filling a gap in my education this year - at last a chance to see Il Trovatore! But then the reviews started appearing, and I became apprehensive. They were less than enthusiastic about this co-production by Gran Teatre de Liceu of Barcelona and Teatro Campoamor of Oviedo from last year, and to start it with a gratuitous rape scene seemed less than appropriate these days. But it wasn't too bad at all, not The Disasters of War by Goya projected on the walls, or even the Goya character himself wandering about and observing, with candles on the rim of his hat. Elena Stikhina was a very good Leonora, otherwise the singers were competent enough.

It occurs to me that this opera was selected for this spring season just for it's civil war setting as in Finland we are just looking back on our own civil war of 1918.

In any case, one gap in my education has been patched up, and another one, even more incredible, will be next autumn.