Verdi's Rigoletto

From the première of Rigoletto at Venices La Fenice in 1851, the Dukes La donna è mobile caught on with the public and has done much to ensure the ongoing popularity of Verdis opera about the body in the sack. Rigoletto, the sarcastic court jester, is cursed by a nobleman who he has mocked. Subsequent events see the curse realised, as Rigolettos daughter Gilda is kidnapped, raped, and later killed.
The story, originally about King François, contemporary of the English King Henry VIII, came from a novel by Victor Hugo, author of Les Misérables and the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Concerned by its combination of debauchery, seduction, rape by a king, regicide, kidnap and murder, the censors required the librettist Francesco Piave to relocate it from the Louvre in Paris to the court in Mantua.
The wonderful music also includes the Dukes Questa o quella, Gildas Caro nome, Rigolettos Piangi! piangi fanciulla and the glorious ensemble Bella figlia dellamore.
Enrico Caruso made his début at the Metropolitan Opera House as Rigoletto. Others who have starred include Patti, Melba, Callas, Domingo and Pavarotti.
Written by Michael Steen, author of the acclaimed The Lives and Times of the Great Composers, Short Guides to Great Operas are concise, entertaining and easy to read. They are packed with useful information and informed opinion, helping to make you a truly knowledgeable opera-goer, and so maximising your enjoyment of a great musical experience.
Other Short Guides to Great Operas that you may enjoy include La Traviata, Tosca and Lucia di Lammermoor.