Rigoletto: Opera National de Paris
About the Event
Claus Guth's staging of Verdi’s 'Rigoletto' was the first acclaimed collaboration between the successful German stage director and the Paris Opera.
Monstrous and heart‐rending, grotesque and sublime, the title role of Rigoletto demonstrates Verdi’s incomparable capacity to apply the bel canto style to verismo theater.
Sung in Italian, with surtitles in English and French.
'Rigoletto is a three‐act play by Guiseppe Verdi written in 1851 and based on Victor Hugo’s play 'Le Roi s’amuse' (Fr.: The king amuses himself). The play was banned by the censors for its depiction of immorality and satirical undermining of royal authority, therefore in Verdi’s opera the character of the king becomes a duke. 'Rigoletto' was the first of Verdi's masterpiece to achieve immediate box‐office success following its premiere at the Teatro 'La Fenice' in Venice.
Act One
A party at the court of the Duke of Mantua. Rigoletto makes jokes at the expense of Count Monterone, whose daughter has been seduced by the Duke, and Monterone curses Rigoletto. Despite Rigoletto's best efforts to shield his daughter Gilda from the outside world, she has met and fallen in love with the lascivious Duke, disguised as a simple student. The Duke and his henchmen kidnap Gilda from her home, leaving Rigoletto devastated.
Act Two
The next morning, the Duke's henchmen gleefully recount the kidnapping. Rigoletto arrives at the Duke's palace, desperate to discover what has happened to Gilda. When he finds her and learns that she has been with the Duke, Rigoletto becomes obsessed with vengeance.
Act Three
Rigoletto hires a hitman named Sparfucile to murder the Duke. Sparfucile's seductive sister Maddelena lures the Duke to an isolated inn. Rigoletto forces Gilda to witness the Duke flirting with Maddalena. Maddelena feels drawn to the Duke, and asks Sparfucile to spare him Sparfucile agrees to do so, if anyone should arrive to die in the Duke's place. Still in love with the Duke, Gilda enters the inn and is killed. Rigoletto discovers that his plot has resulted in Gilda's death, and Monterone's curse is complete.
Cast / Production
Conductor, Domingo Hindoyan — 1. Dec 24. Dec
Andrea Battistoni — 10. May 12. June
Stage Director, Claus Guth
Sets, Christian Schmidt
Costumes, Christian Schmidt
Lighting, Olaf Winter
Dramaturgy, Konrad Kuhn
Video, Andi A. Muller
Chorus Master, Alessandro Di Stefano, Ching‐Lien Wu
Il Duca di Mantova : Liparit Avetisyan (1. Dec 24. Dec), Dmitry Korchak (10. May 12. June)
Rigoletto : Roman Burdenko (1. Dec 24. Dec), George Gagnidze (10. May 12. June)
Gilda : Rosa Feola (1. Dec 24. Dec), Slávka Zámečníková (10. May 12. June)
Sparafucile : Goderdzi Janelidze (1. Dec 24. Dec), Alexander Tsymbalyuk (10. May 12. June)
Maddalena : Aude Extrémo (1. Dec 24. Dec), Justina Gringytė (10. May 12. June)
Giovanna : Marine Chagnon (1. Dec 24. Dec), Seray Pinar (10. May 12. June)
Il Conte di Monterone : Blake Denson (1. Dec 24. Dec), Daniel Giulianini (10. May 12. June)
Marullo : Florent Mbia
Matteo Borsa : Kevin Punnackal
Il Conte di Ceprano : Amin Ahangaran
La Contessa : Teona Todua
Paggio della Duchessa : Seray Pinar (1. Dec 24. Dec), Sofia Anisimova (10. May 12. June)
Usciere di Corte : Julien Joguet, Fabio Bellenghi
