"Il Trovatore is the ideal drama for the large space of the Arena di Verona; its stage size allows for the external scenes to have more vitality than normal ... As Leonora, Anna Netrebko, making her Verona debut, sings and acts with conviction, her phrasing and line everything one could hope for ... The second diva role of Azucena, the supposed mother of Manrico, is superbly acted and sung by American mezzo Dolora Zajick ... The performance under the baton of Pier Giorgio Morandi ... is idiomatic, and attentive to the needs of his singers ... Visually, you will rarely see such splendour or apt staging".