RIGOLETTO

@raumstadtion

#bregenz #lakekonstanz #bodensee #voralberg #austria #österreich #rigoletto #seebühne #giuseppeverdi #verdi #oper #opera #openairopera #outdooropera #bühnenbild #kulisse #stage #seebühne #konzert #concert #klassik #classic #photography #fotografie #fotografia #photo #foto #raumstadtion

Dutch National Opera presents Rigoletto as a mental wreck in a psychiatric clinic

Under dramatically dissonant orchestral sounds, the curtain rises on Rigoletto, Verdi’s 17th opera, in the Amsterdam Music Theatre. Instead of the ballroom in the ducal palace from the libretto, we find ourselves in a frigid room in a psychiatric clinic. In this 2017 revival, director Damiano Michieletto presents Rigoletto as a mental wreck, broken by grief and guilt. The hunchbacked jester who inadvertently drives his daughter to death from obsessive paternal love, relives the tragic events of his life in flashbacks.

Ghost from the past

In principle, there is something to be said for this, but it makes the story difficult to understand and gets in the way of empathy with the characters. Rigoletto is on stage from beginning to end, even when he is not taking part in the action. The direction zooms in on his over protective relationship with his daughter Gilda, whom he wants to shield from the lust of the Duke. That precisely because of this he surrenders her to the whims of his employer gives the theme the dimension of a Greek tragedy, which, however, does not come to life.

Gilda is also portrayed as a child: in her floral dress with oversized mask, she constantly wanders about silently, like a ghost from the past. It is a pity that Michieletto exploits this beautiful find a bit too emphatically: in film footage, we see the child desperately tugging at the bars in front of her window and banging on closed doors. The Duke’s servants initially wearing masks as well (with the face of the Duke), however, does make it palpable how alone Rigoletto is in the face of those around him.

Banal tunes versus dramatic arioso

The scene in the third act in which Gilda, instigated by her father, watches from the street how the Duke courts Maddalena (mezzo-soprano Maya Gour) with the same flattery he used to seduce her earlier, is highly confusing. In his famous aria ‘La donne è mobile’ the Duke not only dances lecherously with Maddalena but also with Gilda, only to then repel her boorishly. It is inconceivable that after this experience she still sacrifices her life for this cocksure horndog.

Musically, Verdi treats us to a varied score, in which the Duke and his entourage deliver banal tunes, while Gilda and Rigoletto sing dramatic parts in an arioso that flows organically into the following music. In fast, folky dances, conductor Antonio Fogliani unfortunately does not always manage to get the musicians of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra in line, while the connection with DNO’s male choir is regularly out of sync as well. The singers do manage to impressively evoke the roar of an overwhelming storm at the end.

Good cast

The cast is of a high standard. Dutch bass-baritone Frederik Bergman has an imposing voice, but the curse he casts on the Duke and Rigoletto as Count Monterone comes somewhat out of the blue due to the strong focus on the father-daughter theme. In contrast, Romanian bass Alexander Köpeczi shines in his role as Sparafucile, the hitman whom Rigoletto hires to kill the Duke, but who ends up cutting Gilda’s throat.

Mexican-American tenor René Barbera does not have the physique of the handsome Adonis Gilda sees in him, but he has a killer voice and his mannerisms perfectly capture the Duke’s smug character. Russian baritone Roman Burdenko impresses as the tormented Rigoletto, hobbling across the stage as a miserable heap or clinging to his bed in exasperation.

The true star of the evening is the Tatar soprano Aigul Khismatullina. With her beautifully clear and agile voice she is the only one who, despite the sterile setting, occasionally manages to strike a chord.

Seen and heard 2 September 2024 in Amsterdam Music Theatre, the opera runs through 29 September

#AigulKhismatullina #DamiaoMichieletto #DutchNationalOper #RenéBarbera #Rigoletto #RomanBurdenko

Der Fluch der eigenen Psyche – „Rigoletto“ an der Oper Graz
Elena Deinhammer

Rigoletto – der verspottete und spottende Hofnarr, ein einsamer Außenseiter und liebender Vater, der seine Tochter vor der niederträchtigen Außenwelt beschützen will, dabei jedoch, blind vor Rache, Wahn und falsch verstandener Liebe, zu spät erkennt, dass er genau das befördert hat, was er um jeden Preis verhindern wollte. Es ist diese selbsterfüllende Prophezeiung, die der Geschichte ihre Tragik und der zentralen Figur ihre scharfen Kontraste verleiht. Ute M. Engelhardt geht in ihrer Inszenierung jedoch noch einen Schritt weiter und verschärft die moralischen Abgründe, die sich so nicht zwischen zwei Welten, sondern inmitten der Persönlichkeit Rigolettos auftun. Zugleich versucht die Regisseurin die Frage nach dem Ursprung dieses gestörten, obsessiv-wahnsinnigen Verhaltens, das in Tod und Verlassenheit endet, zu beantworten. So entsteht eine vielschichtige, packende Ergründung einer gebrochenen Seele, die sich, anstatt zu heilen, immer weiter in Wahnvorstellungen und egoistischem Kontrollverhalten verliert und selbst vor Mord nicht zurückschreckt. Ein Haus- und ein Rollendebüt sowie ein agiles, spannungsreiches Orchester sorgten auch musikalisch für eine beeindruckende Premiere. (Rezension der Premiere vom 15. November 2025) […]

https://opernmagazin.de/der-fluch-der-eigenen-psyche-rigoletto-an-der-oper-graz/

«Storied #Venetian #Opera house #LaFenice→embroild in dispute w/ its orchestra & chorus ovr appointmnt o young, telegenic musical director w/ ties 2 #GiorgiaMeloni but none w/ musicians she has been hired 2 conduct

La Fenice’s GM, #NicolaColabianchi, who joind theatr in March, has defended his choice of 35-year-old #BeatriceVenezi, saying youthful nrg will bring new audience 2 theater where #GiuseppeVerdi premiered ‘’#Rigoletto’’ & ‘’#LaTraviata’’ more than 170 yrs ago»

https://www.europesays.com/2569774/

For tonight's opera, instead of my usual light fare, I chose something tragic. I had been curious about it for quite some time, and it also fits neatly into my list of Schipa's operas, which I shall soon finish at this rate. But it was well worth it.

Libretto

https://www.opera-arias.com/verdi/rigoletto/libretto/english/

Recording

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsxxPDbqQkY&list=OLAK5uy_kdJVBOkQal084JqOED2nAmAR8suE1h69I

There does seem to be a curse in this opera, and it's not the one on Rigoletto! First, I couldn't find the version with Tagliavini. Then, a friend kindly gave the link to me, and I was happy, because I found a version of the libretto at Hathi Trust. I thought it would be wonderful, like Linda di Chamounix, in which all I had to do was read every other page for the English. Instead, this one had English and Italian mixed in the same lines, so that there was no way for me to make sense of it with my screen reader. I found another at the Internet Archive, but the txt version had so many errors that even I, being accustomed to making sense of such things after a lifetime of having to do so, found it difficult to read! So I was forced to use a modern version at a site that I usually avoid for that very reason. Fortunately, it wasn't bad, and I was able to read the story. And I thought the mix-up with I Due Figaro was bad!

At any rate, I make it a point not to judge operas as I would real life, nor do I add current ideas to them. But even by the standards of that time, it seems that Rigoletto was controlling and strange, not telling his own daughter his name or that of her mother and basically imprisoning her in the house, only allowing her to go to church. It's no wonder, then, that she fell in love with the Duke, who was probably the only other man she knew and was initially kind to her. Of course, all of it serves as a wonderful means of creating a great plot, with her innocence and love being a large part of it. This reminds me of a Greek or Shakespearian tragedy, with anger, vengence, and mistaken identity all playing a role in the eventual outcome. For one of the very few times in my life after finishing a story, I found myself thinking of the effects of the ending. I couldn't help but wonder what would happen once the Duke found out that Gilda not only died but sacrificed her life for him. He certainly had his flaws, but he was not represented as truly violent or evil.

Since this was a playlist, after downloading it, I slightly modified the track names by adding numbers, i.e. 001 to 030, then played them using Media Player Legacy, which played them all in the correct order, without my having to do anything. As is to be expected from RAI, the sound quality of this is truly excellent. If this were classical music and not an opera, I would have not liked all the crashes and loud music, but here, of course, they make complete sense and add to the ambiance and story itself. I knew all of the main singers, so I'm not surprised at all by the excellent performances, but it was still a pleasure to hear the characters brought to life in this way. Aside from the wonderful arias, several of which I already knew, I loved the quartet near the end. I was also impressed by the sound effect of the storm. The ending, of course, was done extremely well, both musically and in acting. While I will try earlier versions out of curiosity, I am very glad that I chose this one and I highly recommend it.

#review #Rigoletto #opera #Verdi

So happy to be back in Verona tonight for Rigoletto which is the final performance of the season at the completely sold out Arena di Verona (Arena di Verona)! Toi Toi Toi to all of my colleagues tonight, the wonderful Ludovic Tezier (Ludovic Tézier) and Pene Pati (.pati)

This clip is from my 2018 debut at the Arena where we sang only the second act of Rigoletto as part of a Verdi gala with Luca Salsi (Luca Salsi)

#rigoletto #arenadiverona #verona #verdi #lastshow #seasonend

*Note. I only listen to recordings from the 1950's and earlier, unless I absolutely can't avoid a modern one.*

I'm seeking the following version of Rigoletto, but I can't seem to find it on Youtube. I was very excited, since it would give me another chance to hear Tagliavini in a full opera.

"1954
Giuseppe Taddei,
Ferruccio Tagliavini,
Lina Pagliughi,
Giulio Neri,
Irma Colasanti
Angelo Questa
RAI Orchestra Sinfonica and chorus"

Fortunately, I found many other versions mentioned on Wikipedia and narrowed them down to these. I had to remove 1916, because, again, I couldn't find it, though I did find another conducted by Molajoli and with singers whom I know. I included the 1917 mostly for the conductor. If no one can help me locate the 1954, which other version should I choose? I'm strongly considering 1927-30.

"1917
Giuseppe Danise,
Carlo Broccardi,
Ayres Borghi-Zerni,
Vincenzo Bettoni,
Nelda Garrone
Carlo Sabajno
Teatro alla Scala orchestra and chorus"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEVqbz3edNM

"1927–28
Luigi Piazza,
Tino Folgar,
Lina Pagliughi,
Salvatore Baccaloni,
Vera de Christoff
Carlo Sabajno
Teatro alla Scala orchestra and chorus"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFjwmaGRUY4

"1927 (Youtube says 1927-30)
Riccardo Stracciari,
Dino Borgioli,
Mercedes Capsir,
Ernesto Dominici,
Anna Masetti-Bassi
Lorenzo Molajoli
Teatro alla Scala orchestra and chorus"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5uQWPK8Ong

(Not in list, special recording from the Met in 1949)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYTb_ZREEGE

The full list can be found here.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigoletto_discography

#opera #Rigoletto #Verdi