Stride la vampa (Azucena's Aria)

Il trovatore ("The Troubadour") is a dramatic opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi, based on the play of the same name by Antonio García Gutiérrez. It premiered on 19 January 1853 in Rome and has since become part of the standard repertoire in opera.

"Stride la vampa" is an aria for dramatic mezzo-soprano, sung by Azucena at the beginning of the second act, just after the famous "Anvil Chorus". Years ago, a gyspsy woman was wrongfully accused of having bewitched the Count's youngest son, then a baby, for which she was burnt alive at the stake. While dying she cried out to her daughter Azucena to avenge her death. In a steady, obstinate pace Azucena tells about the horrific scene she had to witness on that fateful day.

• Azucena