Verdi's operas are most often represented in the concert hall by their overtures or 'sinfonias' with very good reason. A number of them are symphonic gems in their own right. The operas he composed for the Paris stage give us another view of his orchestral virtuosity with their sumptuous ballet scores. The ballet music here was composed for the Paris premiere of Il Trovatore, given on January 12, 1857 at the Salle Le Peletier in Paris conducted by Narcisse Girard. The ballet, inserted into the third act after the the Soldiers' chorus, portrays Gypsy dancers enterianing the troops....