Soldiers’ Chorus (Part I – “Or co’ dadi”) from Il Trovatore (viola duo)

Title: Soldiers’ Chorus (Part I – “Or co’ dadi”), from the opera Il Trovatore

Composer: Giuseppe Verdi, arr. David Gable

Instrumentation: Two Violas

Printout: 4 pages

Note: The curtain rises at the beginning of Act III of Verdi’s Il Trovatore (“The Troubadour”) to reveal the camp of Count di Luna’s army, the soldiers cheerfully singing Or co’ dadi (“now we play at dice”) as they prepare themselves for battle (where but in an opera could this happen?). Despite its seemingly grim context, Or co’ dadi is a jaunty, march-like piece. It is well suited for wedding receptions, parties, and other celebratory events.

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More Verdi for two violas:

Anvil Chorus, from Il Trovatore
Grand March, from Aida
La donna è mobile, from Rigoletto
Un di felice, eterea, from La Traviata
Valse, from La Traviata
Va Pensiero, from Nabucco