Opera of the Week tonight – Rigoletto at Gran Liceu

‘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