Opera of the Week tonight – Rigoletto at Gran Liceu
Opera‘Oh! Victor Hugo’s Le Roi s’amuse deals with the greatest of themes and is perhaps the most important play of modern times. It’s worthy of Shakespeare!’ Verdi enthused to his librettist Francesco Maria Piave. The irresistible threesome of the court jester, his daughter and the duke came as a flash of inspiration to the composer. Slippedisc courtesy of OperaVision broadcasts Monique Wagemakers’ exuberant production from the Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona, with its delightful Venetian red costumes, focusses on the themes of ill-treatment, the quest for identity, and the abuse of power over the defenceless, as shown by the Duke’s domination of Rigoletto and Rigoletto’s domination of his daughter. Precisely the contradictions and conflicts on which the whole extraordinary score rests. Directed by Daniele Callegari with Markus Brück in title role, Saimir Pirgu as Duke of Mantua, , Aigul Khismatullina as Gilda and Liang Li as Sparafucile.
The Plot:When a sharp-tongued court jester Rigoletto is cursed for his spiteful words, he is forced to hide his unworldly daughter Gilda from his own licentious master the Duke. For Verdi’s wonderful ambivalent hunchback, paradise is the peaceful home and family that he struggles to protect.
Click below for the actual production. Available from 11 March 2022 19.00 CET, 18.00 London, 1300 NY
Who wrote The Plot? It’s just two sentences, and they couldn’t get even that right. Half of the first sentence is incorrect.
Miért? Nem Victor Hugó?
No, nothing to do with Victor Hugo.
“The Plot: When a sharp-tongued court jester Rigoletto is cursed for his spiteful words, he is forced to hide his unworldly daughter Gilda from his own licentious master the Duke.”
Rigoletto doesn’t hide his daughter _after_ he is cursed by Monterone, Gilda has been in town for three months, and Rigoletto doesn’t fear just the Duke, he is wary of all courtiers.
OK, so it is IMPLIED that Rigoletto wants Gilda to stay close to home to avoid the duke and possibly others, and that Gilda implies that she only goes out to go to church. Yet Mr. Lebrecht did a pretty dang good two sentence synopsis of a 2.5 hr. opera! Any opera company’s site should be able to fill you in on the details!
“OK, so it is IMPLIED that Rigoletto wants Gilda to stay close to home to avoid the duke and possibly others, and that Gilda implies that she only goes out to go to church.”
No and no. No implication, both Rigoletto and Gilda sing this out loud and clear.
Don’t waste your time. The staging is silly, the tempi rushed as if the conductor was competing for the shortest Rigoletto on record. The singing is very sub par, especially from Martin Bruck and Aigul Khasmatullina. Samir Pirgu has a big , strong tenor voice, but essentially two colors loud and louder. More nuance is needed because even Verdi can sound monotonous. The exuberant Venetian costumes mean everyone dressed in long red coats and skull caps. The opening scene looks like a conclave of cardinals gathered th elect the next Pope. All the action occurs inside a square on an empty stage. Thankfully, there is no nudity and no graphic sex.