<h3>By Alan Schuster</h3>
While the heavy rains on October 3rd made it hopeless to screen Verdi’s masterpiece that afternoon at the Center for the Arts, the rescheduling has yielded a bit of good news for opera fans. Since<em> Il Trovatore</em> requires a cast of four outstanding ‘Verdian voices’, here are some excerpts about that HD performance drawn from two prominent critics - Heidi Waleson, Wall Street Journal, and Anthony Tommasini, N.Y Times. [<b>W</b> for Heidi and <b>T</b> for Anthony].

<b>W:</b> “Soprano Anna Netrebko was flawless as the doomed heroine, Leonora, effortlessly traversing Verdi’s difficult terrain that ranges from the softly delicate to the powerfully passionate.” <b>T:</b> “Ms. Netrebko sounded wonderful, singing with plush, penetrating sound and affecting character.”

<b>W:</b> “Tenor Yonghoon Lee was an aggressive, impulsive and worthy Manrico...and a clear tenor voice that easily sliced through the loudest and thickest orchestral passages.” <b>T:</b> “The clarion-voiced South Korean tenor Yonghoon Lee...gave a fearless and stalwart performance.”

<b>W:</b> “Dolora Zajick as the crafty, revenge-minded gypsy Azucena...added both mystery and malice to her marvelous characterization.” <b>T:</b> “The powerhouse Dolora Zajick still owns this role!”

And finally, these praiseworthy remarks about the charismatic Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky who made known in late June that he had a brain tumor. After undergoing treatment for his ailment which reports suggest is non-cancerous, his return to the Met stage was a brave performance which the audience greatly appreciated. W: “Mr. Hvorostovsky showed up ready to play Saturday, playing his part to the hilt and singing with great authority and skill, almost as if nothing had happened this past summer.” T: “Hvorostovsky gave a gripping performance as Count di Luna. His resplendent voice, with its distinctive mellow character sounded not at all compromised. He sang with Verdian lyricism...and when called for, chilling intensity.”

<b>Tickets for all opera presentations are now available. All seats are general admission. Adults $20; OLLI members $18; Students $10. Order online at www.centerforethearts.com or by calling 843-521-4145. Box office opens at noon. USCB Center for the Arts is located at 801 Carteret Street, Beaufort, South Carolina. </b>