Celebrated Italian tenor Enrico Caruso once famously said that all that was needed for Giuseppe Verdi’s “Il trovatore” to excel were the four greatest singers in the world.

Lyric Opera of Chicago might not have fully delivered on that near-impossible formula in the second revival of the company’s 2006-07 co-production of the beloved Italian melodrama, but it came close enough with a dazzling cast of veteran and rising talents.

There were cheers aplenty as each of the four central cast members delivered one thrilling vocal turn after another, with stellar back-up from such supporting singers as bass Roberto Tagliavini, who made a striking Lyric debut as Ferrando, captain of the guard.

‘Il trovatore’ Lyric Opera of Chicago ★★★★ When: 2 p.m. Nov. 21 and 25, 7 p.m. Nov. 30, Dec. 3 and 6 and 2 p.m. Dec. 9 Where: Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Tickets: $39-$279 Info: lyricopera.org

Verdi recognized a good story when he saw it, and he seized upon Antonio García Gutiérrez’s play, “El trovador (The Troubador)” to create a rip-roaring realization suffused with violence, passion, vengeance and even accusations of witchcraft.

The production’s original director David McVicar (Roy Rallo oversaw this revival) moved the action from 15th- to 19th-century Spain, a brutal time bluntly captured in Francisco Goya’s 1810-20 series of intaglio prints, “The Disasters of War.”

The shift allowed McVicar to play up the obvious dark aspects of “Il Trovatore” and capitalize on Goya’s forbidding aesthetic, even including bodies strung up on defoliated tree trunks in the background like those shown in the artist’s prints.

To drive home the connection, the front curtain for this production features a giant mural with a mass of tortured faces created by set designer Charles Edwards, a haunting image that clearly was inspired by Goya’s Black Paintings from late in his career.

Verdi sets the opera’s action in the Aljafería Palace, a fortified 11th-century castle in Zaragoza, Spain. Edwards designed a handsome re-creation of the still-extant structure, evoking both its stark ramparts and its intricate Moorish decoration.

The towering set dramatically rotates, often as the action is unfolding, on the opera house’s massive turntable, revealing different views of this structure and providing diverse settings for the story’s changing scenes.

A crucial ingredient in the overall look is the hushed, moody lighting, originally designed by Jennifer Tipton and redone here by Chris Maravich. Arresting, film noir-like shadows result as light slips through the castle’s square windows and iron grilles.

Animating the overall production are the many crowd scenes filled with both members of the opera’s chorus and 18 supplementary actors. Following McVicar, Rallo makes sure that each teems with action and as much naturalism as is possible.

But as strong as the staging is, what really counts here, as suggested earlier, is the singing. Tenor Russell Thomas delivers an impassioned, technically secure turn in the title role of Manrico, the troubadour and rebel soldier who is in love with Leonora, the queen’s lady-in-waiting. He really comes on in the second half, especially in his Act 3 vow of devotion to Leonora, “Ah! si, ben mio.”

Soprano Tamara Wilson won the prestigious Richard Tucker Award in 2016, and it’s not hard to understand why. This fast-emerging singer presents nothing less than a star turn here as Leonora, dashing off the role’s coloratura with deceptive ease and summoning a nuanced array of vocal timbres as she compellingly reveals the character’s contrasting emotions. This is her Lyric debut; expect to see her back soon.

Artur Ruciński could hardly have made a more memorable Lyric debut as the Count di Luna, who has malevolent designs on Leonora. The Polish tenor displays an innate affinity for this role, deliciously conveying both the nobleman’s charisma and cruelty. The audience has only to bask in his agile, endlessly pleasing voice, as he makes the most of every line.

Not to be outdone is mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, who has appeared five previous times at Lyric Opera. She delivers powerful, show-stopping singing as Azucena, capturing the variously crazed, forlorn facets of this conflicted character, consumed with avenging her gypsy mother who was executed for supposedly putting a spell on the Count’s brother.

Deserving particular praise is the opera’s first-rate chorus, which, as already noted, plays a major role in this work. It delivers one rousing performance after another, especially standing out in the popular “Anvil Chorus” at the beginning of Act 2.

Conductor Marco Armiliato, back for his third turn with Lyric Opera, was a powerhouse in the pit, keeping the action lively and sharp and making sure the opera’s first-rate orchestra brought out the best in Verdi’s stirring score.

Kyle MacMillan is a local freelance writer.