Verdi: Rigoletto

Jan 24, 1982

2h 8m

★ 6.9

Overview

Rigoletto is a jester in the court of the Duke of Mantua. He has a hunch-back and he's rather unattractive, but he's good at his job of humiliating the courtiers for the amusement of the Duke. The courtiers, of course, are not amused. The Duke is a ladies man who feels his life would be meaningless if he couldn't chase every skirt he sees. In fact, we learn as the opera begins that he's recently been noticing a young lady every Sunday on her way to church, and he's vowed to have his way with her. What nobody realizes is that the girl is the jester's beloved daughter, Gilda, and that Gilda has seen the Duke every Sunday and is smitten with him. Suddenly Count Monterone appears at court, furious that the Duke has seduced his daughter. Rigoletto ridicules Monterone, the Duke laughs, and Monterone casts an awful curse on both of them. Later, the courtiers discover that Rigoletto is secretly living with Gilda...

Genres

Drama

Music

Production Companies

Unitel

Deutsche Grammophon

Verdi: Rigoletto Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

Rigoletto / Monterone

Ingvar Wixell

Gilda

Edita Gruberova

Il Duca di Mantova

Luciano Pavarotti

Sparafucile

Ferruccio Furlanetto

Maddalena

Victoria Vergara

Giovanna

Fedora Barbieri

Marullo (singing voice)

Bernd Weikl

Ceprano

Roland Bracht

Marullo

Louis Otey

Borsa

Rémy Corazza

Contessa di Ceprano

Kathleen Kuhlmann

Page

Maren Shipman

A Victor Hugo play, haunting and scandalous, provided the inspiration for Verdi’s mid-career masterpiece. A vengeful but misguided court jester strives to save his daughter from a duke’s licentious clutches, but can't part with the feeling that a curse looms over all of his actions. In Rigoletto, the composer introduces several of his most iconic arias and duets—as well as an 11th-hour quartet that counts among the finest moments in opera.

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