Giuseppe Verdi's Il Trovatore is the hot-blooded tale of love, jealousy and retribution. Wonderful characters—bold and courageous Manrico, his beloved Leonora, the vengeful Count di Luna, and the wild, obsessed gypsy Azucena. Each has thrilling music to sing as the drama unfolds in the smoldering atmosphere of darkly mysterious 15th-century Spain. Themes of obsession, revenge, war, and family are conveyed through characters who present dramatic contrasts.  Act II features the “Anvil Chorus” (or “Gypsy Chorus”), which has become one of the best-known passages in the operatic repertoire.