Il trovatore
Act IV

Manrico, the troubadour and rival to the Count Di Luna for the love of Leonora, is imprisoned in the palace of the Count.  Leonora is in a room of the palace hoping to find a means of saving Manrico. She hears the monks singing the “Miserere” heralding death and hears Manrico’s voice as well, bidding her farewell. Di Luna appears, saying Manrico and Azucena, Manrico’s presumed mother, must die at dawn.  Leonora begs for mercy, offering herself in exchange for her lover's life.  The Count forces her to swear that she belongs to him.  Rejoicing that she has saved Manrico's life, she takes a slow-acting poison.

In a prison cell, Azucena, riddled with guilt over her past, is almost at the point of complete madness. She ponders her fate, and is comforted by the troubadour. Leonora enters and tells Manrico to flee, although she must stay.  He assumes she has promised herself in exchange for his freedom, and denounces her.  She admits taking poison, and as it takes effect, bids him farewell.  The Count arrives and realizes that Leonora has deceived him; furious, he orders Manrico beheaded and he is dragged off by guards.  Azucena awakens and asks for her son.  He is about to die, Di Luna tells her.  Too late, Azucena tries to stop the Count.  She tells him that he has killed his own brother.  As Di Luna realizes his mistake, Azucena cries that her mother is avenged.  

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Aïda

Act III - The Nile Scene

On the banks of the Nile, Aïda, the Ethiopian princess enslaved by the Egyptians, recalls her beautiful and fertile native land that she will never see again. Radames, the Egyptian warrior in love with Aïda, has asked her to meet him; she fears this will be their farewell.  Her father, the Ethiopian King Amonasro, appears and suggests that Aïda should persuade Radames to reveal the battle plans that could spell defeat for the Egyptians, reminding her of her duty to him and to her country. Amonasro hides when Radames appears, declaring his love for Aïda. She proposes to Radames that they run away, enticingly describing the beauty of her homeland and their life together, but to do this she will need to know how they can cross the undefended border.  He reveals the location and  Amonasro comes out of hiding, revealing himself as the King of Ethiopia and the Egyptians’ mortal enemy.  Radames realizes the enormity of what he has done.  Furious at Aïda for her betrayal, he refuses to leave with them and surrenders himself as a traitor. 

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La forza del destino

Act IV - Final Scene

Leonora, after having lived a life seemingly destined to be full of tragedy and sorrow, has disguised herself as a monk in a monastery, ensuring a completely solitary life of reflection and prayer. She longs for the peaceful release of death, recollecting her love for Alvaro and begging God for peace.  A duel between two men is heard in the vicinity of Leonora's isolation. Upon hearing them, she takes refuge. Carlo, Leonora's brother, is mortally wounded by Alvaro, Leonora's former fiancé, who invades what he thinks is a hermit's sanctuary to request the last rites for the man who is dying nearby. Leonora and Alvaro recognize each other. Alvaro tells her of the tragic events that occurred, and she rushes to embrace her dying brother. However, he stabs her and she returns mortally wounded. The Father Superior, who has come in answer to Leonora's alarm, orders Alvaro to stop cursing fate and to humble himself before God. The dying Leonora joins him in this plea, and Alvaro declaims that he is now redeemed.