Maybe not Caruso’s ‘dream team’ but this revival of Verdi’s blockbuster has its moments.

When Verdi chose Antonio Gutiérrez’ 1836 blood and thunder epic El Trovador for his latest operatic project, he was making a conscious decision to set a very modern play to music. The Italian composer, arguably at the very height of his powers in 1853, was inspired to tackle a story set during a period of civil upheaval, much like those rocking his own world of Risorgimento Italy. That he chose a historical Spanish setting said more for the theatrical censorship of the day than anything else. What is certain is that he meant Il Trovatore to feel contemporary. He wanted it to reverberate with his audience.

Elke Neidhardt chose to set her 2007 production for Opera Australia during the more recent Spanish Civil War of 1936-39, a decision that Verdi would probably have applauded. It certainly makes sense of a great deal of the partisan to-ings and fro-ings that frequently impinges on the romantic love triangle at the heart of this drama. And in a world still riven with conflict and civil unrest, Neidhardt’s staging achieves a resonance that feels as depressingly fresh as today’s...