WIN Tickets To Verdi's Opera | Living North WIN Tickets To Verdi's Opera Share Add a touch of class to your February with a trip to Rigoletto, Verdi's opera. This tragic tale of misunderstanding, revenge and sacrifice is performed by the Russian State Ballet and Opera House, and will come to Tyne Theatre & Opera House (16th), Darlington Civic Theatre (17th) and Harrogate Royal Hall (24th). One of Verdi’s most popular operas, Rigoletto tells the story of fatherly love, loss and revenge that goes tragically wrong. Its story revolves around the hunchbacked court jester, Rigoletto, his beautiful daughter Gilda whom he loves (but had kept secret from the court) and the womanising Duke of Mantua he serves. We have a pair of tickets for each performance up for grabs. For your chance to win simply send a postcard marked RIGOLETTO (followed by the name of the venue you'd like to attend) to Living North Magazine, Studio 2, St Nicholas Chare, Newcastle NE1 1RJ or enter using our online competition form here . You must include a telephone number or email address.

All entries to be received by Friday 30th January. Published in: January 2015 What's Happening At Lehigh? Events In Bethlehem | Lehigh University - Academy of Vocal Arts: Rigoletto | Zoellner Arts Center Academy of Vocal Arts: Rigoletto | Zoellner Arts Center Sunday Zoellner Arts Center - Baker Hall 420 East Packer Avenue inzactix@lehigh.edu Verdi’s exciting opera tells the story of a hunchbacked jester, an outsider, who struggles to balance the dueling elements of beauty and evil that exist in his life as he tries to protect his daughter from the licentious Duke of Mantua. Hear the famous La donna e mobile and other beautiful arias with live orchestra. Box Office Hours: TUE 12-6 pm; WED – FRI 12-5pm; For ticketed events: SAT 2 hours prior to curtain, 90 mins. all other days. Free event parking attached to the center. Lehigh University student/faculty/staff discounts available.

Rigoletto (Verdi) - Synopsis Rigoletto - Synopsis An Opera by Giuseppe Verdi Opera in three acts, by Verdi; words by Francesco Maria Piave, founded on Victor Hugos play, "Le Roi s'Amuse." Produced, Fenice Theatre, Venice, March 11, 1851; London, Covent Garden, May 14, 1853; Paris, Théâtre des Italiens, January 19, 1857; New York, Academy of Music, November 4, 1857, with Bignardi and Frezzolini. Caruso made his début in America at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, as the Duke in "Rigoletto," November 23, 1903; Galli Curci hers, as Gilda Chicago, November 18, 1916.

CHARACTERS THE DUKE OF MANTUA Tenor RIGOLETTO, his jester, a hunchback Baritone COUNT CEPRANO, a Noble Bass COUNT MONTERONE, a Noble Baritone SPARAFUCILE, a bravo Bass BORSA, in the Dukes service . Tenor MARULLO Bass GILDA, daughter of Rigoletto .. Soprano GIOVANNI, her duenna .. Soprano MADDALENA, sister to Sparafucile Contralto Courtiers, nobles, pages, servants. Place: Mantua. Titta Ruffo as Rigoletto, c. 1912 "Rigoletto" is a distinguished opera. Composed in forty days in 1851, nearing three-quarters of a century of life before the footlights, it still retains its vitality. Twenty years, with all they imply the experience and artistic growth, lie between "Rigoletto" and "Aida." Yet the earlier opera, composed so rapidly as to constitute a tour de force of musical creation, seems destined to remain a close second in popularity to the more mature work of its great composer.

There are several reason for the publics abiding interest in "Rigoletto." It is based upon a most effective play by Victor Hugo, "Le Roi s'Amuse," known to English play-goers in Tom Taylors adaptation as "The Fools Revenge." The jester was one of Edwin Booths great roles. This role of the deformed court jester, Rigoletto, the hunchback, not only figures in the opera, but has been vividly characterized by Verdi in his music. It is a vital, centralizing force in the opera, concentrating and holding attention, a character creation that appeals strongly both to the singer who enacts it and to the audience who sees and hears it. The role has appealed to famous artists. Ronconi (who taught singing in New York for a few years, beginning in 1867) was a notable Rigoletto; so was Galassi, whose intensely dramatic performance still is vividly recalled by the older opera-goers; Renaud at the Manhattan Opera House, Titta Ruffo at the Metropolitan Opera House, Philadelphia, both made their American débuts as Rigoletto.

But the opera offers other rôles of distinction. Mario was a famous Duke in other days. Caruso made his sensational debut at the Metropolitan in the character of the volatile Duca de Mantua, November 23, 1903. We have had a Gilda Adelina Patti, Melba, and Tetrazzini, to mention but a few; and the heroine of the opera is one of the roles of Galli-Curci, who appeared in it in Chicago, November 18, 1916. No coloratura soprano can, so to speak, afford to be without it. Thus the opera had plot, a central character of vital dramatic importance, and at least two other characters of strong interest. But there is even more to be said in its behalf. For next, to the sextet in "Lucia," the quartet in the last act of "Rigoletto" is the finest piece of concerted music in Italian opera -- and many people will object to my placing it only "next" to that other famous ensemble, instead of on complete equality with, or even ahead of it.

The "argument" of "Rigoletto" deals with the amatory escapades of the Duke of Mantua. In these he is aided by Rigoletto, his jester, a hunchback. Rigoletto, both by his caustic wit and unscrupulous conduct, has made many enemies at court. Count Monterone, who comes to the court to demand the restoration of his daughter, who has been dishonoured by the Duke, is met by the jester with laughter and derision. The Count curses Rigoletto, who is stricken with superstitious terror. For Rigoletto has a daughter, Gilda, whom he keeps in strict seclusion. But the Duke, without being aware who she is, has seen her, unknown to her father, and fallen in love her. Count Ceprano who many times has suffered under Rigolettos biting tongue, knowing that she is in some way connected with the jester, in fact believing her to be his mistress, and glad of any opportunity of doing him an injury, forms a plan to carry off the young girl, and so arranges it that Rigoletto unwittingly assists in her abduction.

When he finds that it is his own daughter whom he has aided to place in the power of the Duke, he determines to murder his master, and engages Sparafucile, a bravo, to do so. This man has a sister, Maddalena, who entices the Duke to a lonely inn. She becomes fascinated with him, however, and begs her brother to spare his life. This he consents to do if before midnight any one shall arrive at the inn whom he can kill and pass off as the murdered Duke. Rigoletto, who has recovered his daughter, brings her to the inn so that, by being a witness of the Dukes inconstancy, she may be cured of her unhappy love. She overhears the plot to murder her lover, and Sparafuciles promise to his sister. Determined to save the Duke, she knocks for admittance, and is stabbed on entering. Rigoletto comes at the appointed time for the body. Sparafucile brings it out in a sack. The jester is about to throw it into the water, sack and all, when he hears the Duke singing.

He tears open the sack, only to find his own daughter, at the point of death. Act I opens in a salon in the Dukes palace. A suite of other apartments is seen extending into the background. All are brilliantly lighted for the fête that is in progress. Courtiers and ladies are moving about in all directions. Pages are passing to and fro. From an adjoining salon music is heard and bursts of merriment. There is effervescent gayety in the orchestral accompaniment to the scene. A minuet played by an orchestra on the stage is curiously reminiscent of the minuet in Mozarts "Don Giovanni." The Duke and Borsa enter from the back. They are conversing about an "unknown charmer" -- none other than Gilda -- whom the Duke has seen at church. He says that he will pursue the adventure to the end, although a mysterious man visits her nightly. Among a group of his guests the Duke sees the Countess Ceprano, whom he has been wooing quite openly, in spite of the Counts visible annoyance. The dashing gallant cares nothing about what anyone may think of his escapades. Least of all the husbands or others relatives of the ladies.

"Questo e quella per me pari sono" (This one, or that one, to me tis the same). This music floats on air. It gives at once the cue to the Dukes character. Like Don Giovanni he is indifferent to fate, flits from one affair to another, and is found as fascinating as he is dangerous by all women, of whatever degree, upon whom he confers his doubtful favours. Rigoletto, hunchbacked but agile, sidles in. He is in cap and bells, and carries the jesters bauble. The immediate object of his satire is Count Ceprano, who is watching his wife, as she is being led off on the Dukes arm. Rigoletto then goes out looking for other victims. Marullo joins the nobles. He tells them that Rigoletto, despite his hump, has an inamorata.

The statement makes a visible impression upon Count Ceprano, and when the nobles, after another sally from the jester, who has returned with the Duke, inveigh against his bitter tongue, the Count bids them meet him at night on the morrow and he guarantee them revenge upon the hunchback for the gibes they have been obliged to endure from him. The gay music, which forms a restless background to the recitatives of which I have given the gist, trips buoyantly along, to be suddenly broken in upon by the voice of one struggling without, and who, having freed himself from those evidently striving to hold him back, bursts in upon the scene. It is the aged Count Monterone. His daughter has been dishonoured by the Duke, and he denounces the ruler of Mantua before the whole assembly. His arrest is ordered. Rigoletto mocks him until, drawing himself up to his full height, the old noble not only denounces him, but calls down upon him a fathers curse. Rigoletto is strangely affrighted. He cowers before Monterones malediction. It is the first time since he has appeared at the gathering that he is not gibing at some one.

Not only is he subdued; he is terror-stricken. Monterone is led off between halberdiers. The gay music again breaks in. The crowd follows the Duke. But Rigoletto? The scene changes to the street outside of his house. It is secluded in a courtyard, from which a door leads into the street. In the courtyard are a tall tree and a marble seat. There is also seen at the end of the street, which has no thoroughfare, the gable end of Count Cepranos palace. It is night. As Rigoletto enters, he speaks of Monterones curse. His entrance to the house is interrupted by the appearance of Sparafucile, an assassin for hire. In a colloquy, to which the orchestra supplies an accompaniment, interesting because in keeping with the scene he offers to Rigoletto his services, should they be needed, in putting enemies out of the way -- and his charges are reasonable. Rigoletto has no immediate need of him, but ascertains where he can be found. Sparafucile goes. -- Rigoletto has a soliloquy, beginning, "How like are we!

-- the tongue, my weapon, the dagger his! To make others laugh is my vocation,-his to make them weep!. . . Tears, the common solace of humanity, are to me denied. . . Amuse me buffoon -- and I must obey." His mind still dwells on the curse -- a fathers curse, pronounced upon him, a father to whom his daughter is a jewel. He refers to it, even as he unlocks the door that leads to his house, and also to his daughter, who, as he enters, throws herself into his arms. He cautions her about going out. She says she never ventures beyond the courtyard save to go to church. He grieves over the death of his wife -- Gildas mother -- that left her to his care while she was still an infant. "Deh non parlare al misero" (Speak not of one whose loss to me). He charges her attendant, Giovanna, carefully to guard her. Gilda endeavours to dispel his fears.

The result is the duet for Rigoletto and Gilda, beginning with his words to Giovanna, "Veglia, o donnma, questo fiore" (Safely guard this tender blossom). Rigoletto hears footsteps in the street and goes out through the door of the courtyard to see who may be there. As the door swings out, the Duke, for it is he, in the guise of a student, whose stealthy footsteps have been heard by the jester, conceals himself behind it, then slips into the courtyard, tosses a purse to Giovanna, and hides in the shadow of the tree. Rigoletto reappears for a brief moment to say good-bye to Gilda and once more to warn Giovanna to guard her carefully. When he has gone Gilda worries because fear drove her to refrain from revealing to her father that a handsome youth has several times followed her from church. This youths image is installed in her heart.

"I long to say to him I lo-- " The Duke steps out of the trees shadow, motions to Giovanna to retire and, throwing himself at Gildas feet, takes the words out of her mouth by exclaiming, "I love thee!" No doubt taken by surprise, yet also thrilled with joy, she hearkens to him rapturously as he declares, "E il sol dell anima, la vita e amore" (Love is the sun by which passion is kindled). The meeting is brief, for again there are footsteps outside. But their farewell is an impassioned duet, "Addio speranza ed anima" (Farewell, my hope, my soul, farewell). He has told her that he is a student, by name Walter Malde. When he has gone, she muses upon the name, and, when she has lighted a candle and is ascending the steps to her room, she sings the enchanting coloratura air, "Caro nome che il mio cor" (Dear name, my heart enshrines).

If the Gilda be reasonably slender and pretty, the scene, with the courtyard, the steps leading up to the room, and the young maiden gracefully and tenderly expressing her hearts first romance, is charming, and in itself sufficient to account for the attraction which the role holds for prima donnas. Tiptoeing through the darkness outside come Marullo, Ceprano, Borsa, and other nobles and courtiers, intent upon seeking revenge for the gibes Rigoletto at various times has aimed at them, by carrying off the damsel, whom they assume to be his inamorata. At that moment, however, the jester himself appears. They tell him they have come to abduct the Countess Ceprano and bear her to the Ducal palace. To substantiate this statement Marullo quickly has the keys to Cepranos house passed to him by the Count, and in the darkness holds them out to Rigoletto, who, his suspicions allayed because he can feel the Ceprano crest in basso-relievo on the keys, volunteers to aid in the escapade.

Marullo gives him a mask and, as if to fasten it securely, ties it with a handkerchief, which he passes over the piercings for the eyes. Rigoletto, confused, holds a ladder against what he believes to be the wall of Cepranos house. By it, the abductors climb his own wall, enter his house, gag, seize, and carry away Gilda, making their exit from the courtyard, but in their hurry failing to observe a scarf that has fluttered from their precious burden. Rigoletto is left alone in the darkness and silence. He tears off his mask. The door to his courtyard is open. Before him lies Gildas scarf. He rushes into the house, into her room; reappears, stanggering under the weight of the disaster, which, through his own unwitting connivance, has befallen him. "Ah! La maledizione!" he cries out. It is Monterone's curse. Act II has its scene laid in the ducal palace.

This salon has large folding doors in the background and smaller ones on each side, above which are portraits of the Duke and of the Duchess, a lady who, whether from a sense of delicacy or merely to serve the convenience of the stage, does not otherwise appear in the opera. The Duke is disconsolate. The has returned to Rigolettos house, found it empty. The bird had flown. The scamp mourns his loss -- in affecting language and music, "Parmi veder le lagrime" (Fair maid, each tear of mine that flows). In a capital chorus he is told by Marullo and the others that they have abducted Rigolettos inamorata. The Duke well knows that she is the very one whose charms are the latest that have enraptured him. "Posente amor mi chiama" (To her I love with rapture). He learns from the courtiers that they have brought her to the palace. He hastens to her, "to console her," in his own way. It is at this moment Rigoletto enters. He knows his daughter is in the palace. He has come to search for her.

Aware that he is in the presence of those who took advantage of him and thus secured his aid in the abduction of the night before, he yet, in order to accomplish his purpose, must appear light-hearted, question craftily, and be diplomatic, although at times he cannot prevent his real feelings breaking through. It is the ability of Verdi to give expression to such varied emotions which make this scene one of the most significant in his operas. It is dominated by an orchestral motive, that of the clown who jests while his heart is breaking. Finally he turns upon the crowd that taunts him, hurls invective upon them; and, when a door opens and Gilda, whose story can be read in her aspect of despair, rushes into his arms, he orders the courtiers out of sight with a sense of outrage so justified that, in spite of the flippant words with which they comment upon his command, they obey it. Father and daughter are alone. She tells him her story -- of the handsome youth, who followed her from church -- "Tutte le feste all tempio" (One very festal morning).

Then follows her account of their meting, his pretence that he was a poor student, when, in reality, he was the Duke -- to whose chamber she was borne after her abduction. It is from there she has just come. Her father strives to comfort her -- "Piangi, fanciulla" (Weep my child). At this moment he is again reminded of the curse pronounced upon him to by the father whose grief with him had been but the subject of ribald jest. Count Monterone, between guards, is conducted through the apartment to the prison where he is to be executed for denouncing the Duke. Then Rigoletto vows vengeance upon the betrayer of Gilda. But such is the fascination which the Duke exerts over women that Gilda, fearing for the life of her despoiler, pleads with her father to "pardon him, as we ourselves the pardon of heaven hope to gain," adding, in an aside, "I dare not say how much I love him." It was a corrupt, care-free age. Victor Hugo created a debonair character -- a libertine who took life lightly and flitted from pleasure to pleasure.

And so Verdi lets him flit from tune to tune -- gay, melodious, sentimental. There still are plenty of men like the Duke, and plenty of women like Gilda to love them; and other women, be it recalled, as discreet as the Duchess, who does not appear in this opera save as a portrait on the wall, from which she calmly looks down upon a jester invoking vengeance upon her husband, because of the wrong he has done the girl, who weeps on the breast of her hunchback father. To Act III might be given as a sub-title, "The Fools revenge," the title of Tom Taylors adaptation into English of Victor Hugos play. The scene shows a desolate spot on the banks of the Mincio. On the right, with its front to the audience, is a house two stories high, in a very dilapidated state, but still used as an inn. The doors and walls are so full of crevices that whatever is going on within can be seen from without. In front are the road and the river; in the distance is the city of Mantua. It is night. The house is that of Sparafucile.

With him lives his sister, Maddalena, a handsome young gypsy woman, who lures men to the inn, there to be robbed -- or killed, if there is more money to be had for murder than to robbery. Sparafucile is seen within, cleaning his belt and sharpening his sword. Outside are Rigoletto and Gilda. She cannot banish the image of her despoiler from her heart. Hither the hunchback has brought her to prove to her the faithlessness of the Duke. She sees him in the garb of a soldier coming along the city wall. He descends, enters the inn, and calls for wine and a room for the night. Shuffling a pack of cards, which he finds on the table, and pouring out the wine, he sings of woman. This is the famous "Donna è mobile" (Fickle is woman fair). It has been highly praised and violently criticized; and usually gets as many encores as the singer cares to give.

As for the criticisms, the cadenzas so ostentatiously introduced by singers for the sake of catching applause, are no more Verdis than is the high C in "Il Trovatore." The song is perfectly in keeping with the Dukes character. It has grace, verve, and buoyancy; and, what is an essential point in the development of the action from this point on, it is easily remembered. In any event I am glad that among my operatic experiences I can count having heard "Donna è mobile" sung by such great artists as Campanini, Caruso, and Bonci, the last two upon their first appearances in the rôle in this country. At a signal from Sparafucile, Maddalena joins the Duke. He presses his love upon her. With professional coyness she pretends to repulse him. This leads to the quartet, with its dramatic interpretation of the different emotions of the four participants. The Duke is gallantly urgent and pleading: "Bella figlia dell amore" (Fairest daughter of the graces).

Maddalena laughingly resists his advances: "I am proof, my gentle wooer, gainst your vain empty nothings." Gilda is moved to despair. "Ah, thus to me of love he spoke." Rigoletto mutters of vengeance. It is the Duke who begins the quartet; Maddalena who first joins in by coyly mocking him; Gilda whose voice next falls upon the night with despairing accents; Rigoletto whose threats of vengeance then are heard. With the return of the theme, after the first cadence, the varied elements are combined. They continue so to the end. Gildas voice, in brief cries of grief, rising twice to effective climaxes, then becoming even more poignant through the syncopation of the rhythm. Rising to a beautiful and highly dramatic climax, the quartet ends pianissimo. This quartet usually is sung as the pièce de résistance of the opera, and is supposed to be the great event of the performance.

I cannot recall a representation of the work with Nilsson and Campanini in which this was not the case, and it was so at the Manhattan when "Rigoletto" was sung there by Melba and Bonci. But at the Metropolitan, since Carusos advent, "Rigoletto" has become a "Caruso opera," and the stress is laid on "Donna è mobile," for which numerous encores are demanded, while with the quartet, the encore is deliberately side-stepped -- a most interesting process for the initiated to watch. After the quartet, Sparafucile comes out and receives from Rigoletto half of his fee to murder the Duke, the balance to be paid when the body, in a sack, is delivered to the hunchback. Sparafucile offers to throw the sack into the river, but that does not suit the fools desire for revenge. He wants the grim satisfaction of doing so himself. Satisfied that Gilda has seen enough of the Dukes perfidy, he sends her home, where, for safety, she is to don male attire and start on the way to Verona, where he will join her. He himself also goes out.

A storm now gathers. There are flashes of lightning; distant rumblings of thunder. The wind moans. (Indicated by the chorus, a bouche fermée, behind the scenes.) The Duke has gone to his room, after whispering a few words to Maddalena. He lays down his hat and sword, throws himself on the bed, sings a few snatches of "Donna è mobile," and in a short time falls asleep. Maddalena below, stands by the table. Sparafucile finishes the contents of the bottle left by the Duke. Both remain silent for awhile. Maddalena, fascinated by the Duke, begins to plead for his life. The storm is now at its height. Lightning plays vividly across the sky, thunder crashes, wind howls, rain falls in torrents. Through this uproar of the elements, to which night adds its terrors, comes Gilda, drawn as by a magnet to the spot where she knows her false lover to be. Through the crevices in the wall of the house she can hear Maddalena pleading with Sparafucile to spare the Dukes life.

Kill the hunchback," she counsels, " when he comes with the balance of the money." But there is honour even among assassins as among thieves. The bravo will not betray a customer. Maddalena pleads yet more urgently. Well -- Sparafucile will give the handsome youth one desperate chance for life: Should any other man arrive at the inn before midnight, that man will he kill and put in the sack to be thrown into the river, in place of Maddalenas temporary favourite. A clock strikes the half-hour. Gilda is in male attire. She determines to save the Dukes life -- to sacrifice hers for his. She knocks. There is a moment of surprised suspense within. Then everything is made ready. Maddalena opens the door, and runs forward to close the outer one. Gilda enters. For a moment one senses her form in the darkness. A half-stifled outcry. Then all is buried in silence and gloom. The storm is abating. The rain has ceased; the lightning become fitful, the thunder distant and intermittent. Rigoletto returns. "At last the hour of my vengeance is nigh." A bell tolls midnight.

He knocks at the door. Sparafucile brings out the sack, receives the balance of his money, and retires into the house. "This sack his winding sheet!" exclaims the hunchback, as he gloats over it. The night has cleared. He must hurry and throw it into the river. Out of the second story of the house and on to the wall steps the figure of a man and proceeds along the wall toward the city. Rigoletto starts to drag the sack with the body toward the stream.

Lightly upon the night fall the notes of a familiar voice singing: Donna è mobile TOSCA to perform stripped-down 'Rigoletto' | CJOnline.com TOSCA to perform stripped-down 'Rigoletto' Admission free to concert version of Verdi masterpiece Posted: Saturday, August 04, 2007 By Bill Blankenship Although they will lack a full orchestra, a huge chorus and an elaborate set, members of the Topeka Opera Society and Concert Association will still wield the power of Giuseppe Verdi's music during Sunday's presentation of a concert version of "Rigoletto." Photos Mike Burley / The Capital-Journal In conjunction with the Friends of Washburn Music, TOSCA will perform a concert-style production of the Verdi masterpiece at 2:30 p.m. in White Concert Hall at Washburn University. Admission is free. "Rigoletto" is based on Victor Hugo's play, "Le roi s'amuse." As adapted by librettist Francesco Maria Piave, the opera tells the story of the hunchbacked Rigoletto, who is the court jester of the womanizing Duke of Mantua.

Rigoletto, a widower, also is devoted to his daughter Gilda, whom he protects from undesirable suitors. When Rigoletto angers courtiers with his jibes, they get revenge by abducting Gilda, whom the duke seduces. Rigoletto hires Sparafucile, an assassin, to kill the duke, but the killer's sister, Maddalena, falls in love with the duke, as has Gilda. Maddalena asks Sparafucile to kill someone else and substitute his body for that of the duke's, and he agrees if another victim can be found before midnight. Gilda, whom her father has disguised as a man for her protection, decides to sacrifice herself to save the duke's life. Her body is put in a sack and delivered to Rigoletto. He is ready to gloat over his revenge until he hears the duke singing in the distance, opens the sack and discovers his dying daughter. To the piano accompaniment of Pat Gibson, Dr. Lee Snook, baritone, will sing the role of Rigoletto; soprano Deb Johnson will sing Gilda; A.

Wayne Potter, tenor, will portray the duke; bass Todd Staerkel will sing Sparafucile; and the role of Maddalena will be sung by Dr. Ann Marie Snook, who also will narrate the concert. Although not a fully staged production, the audience will hear the arias, duets and ensemble numbers for which "Rigoletto" has become an audience favorite. The arias include "La donna e mobile" and "Caro nome." The Act III, Scene I quartet, "Bella figlia dell'amore," is regarded as one of the greatest ensemble numbers of 19th-century opera. TOSCA and the Friends of Washburn Music will be co-hosts of a post-performance reception in the lobby. Bill Blankenship can be reached at (785) 295-1284 or bill.blankenship@cjonline.com .

Related Searches Verdi's Rigoletto by Michael Steen · OverDrive: eBooks, audiobooks and videos for libraries Music Nonfiction From the première of Rigoletto at Venice's La Fenice in 1851, the Duke's La donna è mobile caught on with the public and has done much to ensure the ongoing popularity of Verdi's 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 Rigoletto's 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 Duke's Questa o quella, Gilda's Caro nome, Rigoletto's Piangi!

piangi fanciulla and the glorious ensemble Bella figlia dell'amore.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. Adobe EPUB eBook 1.3 MB Michael Steen (Author) Michael Steen, author of the acclaimed The Lives and Times of the Great Composers, provides a compendium of self-standing short guides to 25 of the world's greatest and most popular operas. Rigoletto - iSnare Free Encyclopedia Rigoletto This article is about the opera. For the children's film, see Rigoletto (film) .

For the film based on the original opera, see Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto Story . Rigoletto Set design by Philippe Chaperon. Librettist Rigoletto ( pronounced [riɡoˈletto] ) is an opera in three acts [1] by Giuseppe Verdi . The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo . Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had control over northern Italian theatres at the time, the opera had a triumphant premiere at La Fenice in Venice on 11 March 1851. It is considered by many to be the first of the operatic masterpieces of Verdi's middle-to-late career. Its tragic story revolves around the licentious Duke of Mantua, his hunch-backed court jester Rigoletto and Rigoletto's beautiful daughter Gilda. The opera's original title, La maledizione (The Curse), refers to the curse placed on both the Duke and Rigoletto by a courtier whose daughter had been seduced by the Duke with Rigoletto's encouragement.

The curse comes to fruition when Gilda likewise falls in love with the Duke and eventually sacrifices her life to save him from the assassins hired by her father. Contents Francesco Maria Piave , the librettist of Rigoletto Verdi was commissioned to write a new opera by the La Fenice opera house in Venice in 1850. By this time he was already a well-known composer and had a degree of freedom in choosing the works he would prefer to set to music. He then asked Francesco Maria Piave (with whom he had already created Ernani , I due Foscari , Macbeth , Il Corsaro and Stiffelio ) to examine the play Kean by Alexandre Dumas, père , but he felt he needed a more energetic subject to work on. [2] Verdi soon stumbled upon Victor Hugo's five-act play Le roi s'amuse .

He later explained that "The subject is grand, immense, and there is a character that is one of the greatest creations that the theatre can boast of, in any country and in all history." [3] It was a highly controversial subject, and Hugo himself had already had trouble with censorship in France , which had banned productions after its first performance nearly twenty years earlier (it would not be performed again until 1882). As Austria at that time directly controlled much of Northern Italy , it came before the Austrian Board of Censors. Hugo's play depicted a king ( Francis I of France ) as an immoral and cynical womanizer, something that was not accepted in Europe during the Restoration period . [4] From the beginning, Verdi was aware of the risks, as was Piave. In a letter which Verdi wrote to Piave: "Use four legs, run through the town and find me an influential person who can obtain the permission for making Le Roi s'amuse." [3] Correspondence between a prudent Piave and an already committed Verdi followed, but the two underestimated the power and the intentions of Austrians and remained at risk.

Even the friendly Guglielmo Brenna, secretary of La Fenice, who had promised them that they would not have problems with the censors, was wrong. At the beginning of the summer of 1850, rumours started to spread that Austrian censorship was going to forbid the production. The censors considered the Hugo work to verge on lèse majesté and would never permit such a scandalous work to be performed in Venice. In August, Verdi and Piave prudently retired to Busseto , Verdi's hometown, to continue the composition and prepare a defensive scheme. They wrote to the theatre, assuring them that the censor's doubts about the morality of the work were not justified but since very little time was left, very little could be done.

At the time, Piave and Verdi had titled the opera La maledizione (The Curse), and this unofficial title was used by Austrian censor De Gorzkowski in an emphatic letter written in December 1850 in which he definitively denied consent to its production, calling it "a repugnant [example of] immorality and obscene triviality." [5] La Fenice 's poster for the world premiere of Rigoletto In order not to waste all their work, Piave tried to revise the libretto and was even able to pull from it another opera, Il Duca di Vendome, in which the sovereign was with a duke and both the hunchback and the curse disappeared. Verdi was completely against this proposed solution and preferred instead to have direct negotiations with censors, arguing over each and every point of the work. [6] At this point, Brenna, La Fenice's secretary, showed the Austrians some letters and articles depicting the bad character but the great value of the artist, helping to mediate the dispute.

By January 1851 the parties were able to agree that the action of the opera would be moved from the royal court of France to a duchy of France or Italy, and some of the characters would have to be renamed. In the new version the Duke reigns over Mantua and belongs to the Gonzaga family. The House of Gonzaga had long been extinct by the mid-19th century, and the Dukedom of Mantua no longer existed, thus no one could be offended. The scene in which the sovereign retires to Gilda's bedroom would be deleted and the visit of the Duke to the Taverna (inn) was no longer intentional, but provoked by a trick. The hunchback jester (originally called Triboulet ) was renamed Rigoletto from a parody of Hugo's play, Rigoletti, ou Le dernier des fous (Rigoletti, or The last of the fools). [7] By 14 January, the opera's definitive title had become Rigoletto.

[8] Verdi finally completed the composition of the opera on 5 February 1851, a little more than a month before the premiere, although as he worked on the final stages of Act 3, Piave had already arranged for the sets to be designed. The singers were given some of their music to learn on 7 February. However, Verdi kept at least a third of the score at Busseto. He brought it with him when he arrived in Venice for the rehearsals on 19 February and would continue to refine the orchestration during the rehearsal period. [9] For the première, La Fenice had cast Felice Varesi as Rigoletto, the young tenor Raffaele Mirate as the Duke, and Teresa Brambilla as Gilda (although Verdi would have preferred Teresa De Giuli Borsi ). [10] Due to the high risk of unauthorised copying, Verdi had demanded the maximum secrecy from all his singers and musicians. Mirate had use of his score only a few evenings before the première and had to swear that he would not sing or even whistle the tune of "La donna è mobile" except during the rehearsals.

[11] Performance history Teresa Brambilla , the first Gilda 19th-century productions Rigoletto premiered on 11 March 1851 in a sold-out La Fenice as the first part of a double bill with Giacomo Panizza 's ballet Faust. Gaetano Mares conducted, and the sets were designed and executed by Giuseppe Bertoja and Francesco Bagnara . [12] The opening night was a complete triumph, especially the scena drammatica and the Duke's cynical aria , " La donna è mobile ", which was sung in the streets the next morning [13] (Verdi had maximised the aria's impact by only revealing it to the cast and orchestra a few hours before the premiere, and forbidding them to sing, whistle or even think of the melody outside of the theatre). [13] [14] Many years later, Giulia Cora Varesi, the daughter of Felice Varesi (the original Rigoletto), described her father's performance at the premiere.

Varesi was very uncomfortable with the false hump he had to wear; he was so uncertain that, even though he was quite an experienced singer, he had a panic attack when it was his turn to enter the stage. Verdi immediately realised he was paralysed and roughly pushed him on the stage, so he appeared with a clumsy tumble. The audience, thinking it was an intentional gag, was very amused. [15] Rigoletto was a great box-office success for La Fenice and Verdi's first major Italian triumph since the 1847 premiere of Macbeth in Florence. It initially had a run of 13 performances and was revived in Venice the following year, and again in 1854. Despite a rather disastrous production in Bergamo shortly after its initial run at La Fenice, the opera soon entered the repertory of Italian theatres. By 1852, it had premiered in all the major cities of Italy, although sometimes under different titles due to the vagaries of censorship (e.g. as Viscardello, Lionello, and Clara de Perth).

[16] From 1852, it also began to be performed in major cities worldwide, reaching as far afield as Alexandria and Constantinople in 1854 and both Montevideo and Havana in 1855. The UK premiere took place on 14 May 1853 at what is now the Royal Opera House , Covent Garden in London with Giovanni Matteo Mario as the Duke of Mantua and Giorgio Ronconi as Rigoletto. In the US, the opera was first seen on 19 February 1855 at New York's Academy of Music in a performance by the Max Maretzek Italian Opera Company . [17] [18] [19] 20th century and beyond In modern times, it has become a staple of the standard operatic repertoire. It appears as number 9 (with 395 performances) on the Operabase list of the most-performed operas worldwide between 2008/2009 and 2012/13 seasons, and was also the 9th most frequently performed opera in Italy during that period.

[20] Several modern productions have radically changed the original setting. These include Jonathan Miller 's 1982 production for the English National Opera , which is set amongst the Mafia in New York City's Little Italy during the 1950s; Doris Dorrie 's 2005 production for the Bavarian State Opera , where the Court of Mantua became The Planet of the Apes ; director Linda Brovsky's production for Seattle Opera, placing the story in Mussolini's fascist Italy, in 2004 (repeated in 2014); and Michael Mayer 's 2013 production for the Metropolitan Opera , which is set in a casino in 1960's Las Vegas . Different characters portray different archetypes from the Rat Pack era, with the Duke becoming a Frank Sinatra -type character and Rigoletto becoming Don Rickles . [21] In March 2014, Lindy Hume , artistic director of Australia's Opera Queensland staged the opera set in the party-going world of disgraced former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi .

[22] Roles Costumes for the Duke of Mantua and Gilda published by Casa Ricordi shortly after the 1851 premiere Role Male Chorus: the Duke's courtiers and guests Synopsis Time: the Sixteenth century [24] Act 1 Scene 1: A room in the palace of Duke of Mantua Act 1, sc. 1: Victor Hugo's Le Roi s'amuse At a ball in his palace, [25] the Duke sings of a life of pleasure with as many women as possible: "Questa o quella" ("This woman or that"). He has seen an unknown beauty in church and desires to possess her, but he also wishes to seduce the Countess of Ceprano. Rigoletto, the Duke's hunchbacked court jester, mocks the husbands of the ladies to whom the Duke is paying attention, including the Count Ceprano, and advises the Duke to get rid of him by prison or death. The Duke laughs indulgently, but Ceprano is not amused. Marullo, one of the guests at the ball, informs the courtiers that Rigoletto has a "lover", which astonishes them.

The courtiers resolve to take vengeance on Rigoletto for making fun of them. The festivities are interrupted by the arrival of the elderly Count Monterone, whose daughter the Duke had seduced. Rigoletto provokes him further by making fun of his helplessness to avenge his daughter's honor. Monterone confronts the Duke, and is immediately arrested by the Duke's guards. Before being led off to prison, Monterone curses Rigoletto for having mocked his righteous anger. The curse terrifies Rigoletto, who is superstitious and, like many people at the time, believes that an old man's curse has real power. Act 1, Scene 2 stage set by Giuseppe Bertoja for the world premiere of Rigoletto Scene 2: A street, with the courtyard of Rigoletto's house Preoccupied with the old man's curse, Rigoletto approaches his house and is accosted by the assassin Sparafucile, who walks up to him and offers his services. Rigoletto declines for the moment, but leaves open the possibility of hiring Sparafucile later, should the need arise.

Sparafucile wanders off, after repeating his own name a few times. Rigoletto contemplates the similarities between the two of them: "Pari siamo!" ("We are alike!"); Sparafucile kills men with his sword, and Rigoletto uses "a tongue of malice" to stab his victims. Rigoletto opens a door in the wall and returns home to his daughter Gilda. They greet each other warmly: "Figlia!" "Mio padre!" ("Daughter!" "My father!"). Rigoletto has been concealing his daughter from the Duke and the rest of the city, and she does not know her father's occupation. Since he has forbidden her to appear in public, she has been nowhere except to church and does not even know her own father's name. When Rigoletto has gone, the Duke appears and overhears Gilda confess to her nurse Giovanna that she feels guilty for not having told her father about a young man she had met at the church. She says that she fell in love with him, but that she would love him even more if he were a student and poor. As she declares her love, the Duke enters, overjoyed.

Gilda, alarmed, calls for Giovanna, unaware that the Duke had sent her away. Pretending to be a student, the Duke convinces Gilda of his love: "È il sol dell'anima" ("Love is the sunshine of the soul"). When she asks for his name, he hesitantly calls himself Gualtier Maldè. Hearing sounds and fearing that her father has returned, Gilda sends the Duke away after they quickly trade vows of love: "Addio, addio" ("Farewell, farewell"). Alone, Gilda meditates on her love for the Duke, whom she believes is a student: "Gualtier Maldè!... Caro nome" ("Dearest name"). Later, Rigoletto returns: "Riedo!... perché?" ("I've returned!... why?"), while the hostile courtiers outside the walled garden (believing Gilda to be the jester's mistress, unaware she is his daughter) get ready to abduct the helpless girl. They tell Rigoletto that they are actually abducting the Countess Ceprano.

He sees that they are masked and asks for a mask for himself; while they are tying the mask onto his face, they also blindfold him. Blindfolded and deceived, he holds the ladder steady while they climb up to Gilda's room: Chorus: "Zitti, zitti" ("Softly, softly"). With her father's unknowing assistance Gilda is carried away by the courtiers. Left alone, Rigoletto removes his mask and blindfold, and realizes that it was in fact Gilda who was carried away. He collapses in despair, remembering the old man's curse. Act 2 Problems playing this file? See media help . The Duke's Palace The Duke is concerned that Gilda has disappeared: "Ella mi fu rapita!" ("She was stolen from me!") and "Parmi veder le lagrime" ("I seem to see tears"). The courtiers then enter and inform him that they have captured Rigoletto's mistress: Chorus: "Scorrendo uniti" ("We went together at nightfall").

By their description, he recognizes it to be Gilda and rushes off to the room where she is held: "Possente amor mi chiama" ("Mighty love beckons me"). Pleased by the Duke's strange excitement, the courtiers now make sport with Rigoletto, who enters singing. He tries to find Gilda by pretending to be uncaring, as he fears she may fall into the hands of the Duke. Finally, he admits that he is in fact seeking his daughter and asks the courtiers to return her to him: "Cortigiani, vil razza dannata" ("Accursed race of courtiers"). Rigoletto attempts to run into the room in which Gilda is being held, but the courtiers block the way. Gilda enters. The courtiers leave the room, believing Rigoletto has gone mad. Gilda describes to her father what has happened to her in the palace: "Tutte le feste al tempio" ("On all the blessed days"). In a duet Rigoletto swears vengeance against the Duke, while Gilda pleads for her lover: "Sì! Vendetta, tremenda vendetta!" ("Yes!

Revenge, terrible revenge!"). Act 3 Enrico Caruso , Bessie Abott , Louise Homer and Antonio Scotti 's 1907 Victor Records recording Problems playing this file? See media help . A portion of Sparafucile's house is seen, with two rooms open to the view of the audience. Rigoletto and Gilda arrive outside. The Duke's voice can be heard singing " La donna è mobile " ("Woman is fickle"), laying out the infidelity and fickle nature of women. Rigoletto makes Gilda realize that it is the Duke who is in the assassin's house attempting to seduce Sparafucile's sister, Maddalena: " Bella figlia dell’amore " ("Beautiful daughter of love"). Rigoletto bargains with the assassin, who is ready to murder his guest for 20 scudi . Rigoletto orders Gilda to put on a man's clothes to prepare to leave for Verona and states that he plans to follow later. With falling darkness, a thunderstorm approaches and the Duke decides to spend the rest of the night in the house.

Sparafucile directs him to the ground floor sleeping quarters, resolving to kill him in his sleep. Gilda, who still loves the Duke despite knowing him to be unfaithful, returns dressed as a man and stands outside the house. Maddalena, who is smitten with the handsome Duke, begs Sparafucile to spare his life. Sparafucile reluctantly promises her that if by midnight another victim can be found, he will kill the other instead of the Duke. Gilda, overhearing this exchange, resolves to sacrifice herself for the Duke, and enters the house. Sparafucile stabs her and she collapses, mortally wounded. At midnight, when Rigoletto arrives with money, he receives a corpse wrapped in a sack, and rejoices in his triumph. Weighting it with stones, he is about to cast the sack into the river when he hears the voice of the Duke, sleepily singing a reprise of his "La donna è mobile" aria. Bewildered, Rigoletto opens the sack and, to his despair, discovers his dying daughter.

For a moment, she revives and declares she is glad to die for her beloved: "V'ho ingannato" ("Father, I deceived you"). She dies in his arms. Rigoletto cries out in horror: "La maledizione!" ("The curse!") Instrumentation Onstage: Violins I and II, violas , and contrabasses Music Musicologist Julian Budden regards the opera as "revolutionary", just as Beethoven ' Eroica Symphony was: "the barriers between formal melody and recitative are down as never before.

In the whole opera, there is only one conventional double aria [...and there are...] no concerted act finales." [26] Verdi used that same word – "revolutionary" – in a letter to Piave, [27] and Budden also refers to a letter which Verdi wrote in 1852 in which the composer states that "I conceived Rigoletto almost without arias, without finales but only an unending string of duets." [28] Budden's conclusions about this opera and its place in Verdi's output are summed up by noting that: Just after 1850 at the age of 38 Verdi closed the door on a period of Italian opera with Rigoletto. The so-called ottocento in music is finished. Verdi will continue to draw on certain of its forms for the next few operas, but in a totally new spirit. [29] Recordings and adaptations Main article: Rigoletto discography Enrico Caruso in the role of the Duke There have been dozens of commercial recordings of Rigoletto.

The earliest ones include the 1912 performance in French with François Ruhlmann conducting the orchestra and chorus of the Opéra Comique ( Pathé ) and the 1916 performance in Italian with Lorenzo Molajoli conducting the orchestra and chorus of La Scala ( Columbia Records ). The first LP edition of Rigoletto (also the very first opera recording on LP) was released by RCA Victor in 1950 conducted by Renato Cellini and featured Leonard Warren in the title role. The opera has also been recorded in German with Wilhelm Schüchter conducting the orchestra and chorus of the Berlin State Opera in a 1953 recording for EMI Records and in English with Mark Elder conducting the orchestra and chorus of the English National Opera in a 1983 recording for EMI.

In the 21st century there have been several live performances released on DVD including a 2001 performance from London's Royal Opera House with Paolo Gavanelli as Rigoletto and Marcelo Álvarez as the Duke (BBC/Opus Arte) and a 2006 performance at the Opernhaus Zürich with Leo Nucci as Rigoletto and Piotr Beczala as The Duke (ArtHaus Musik). [30] The Duke of Mantua's arias, particularly " La donna è mobile " and "Questa o quella", have long been showcases for the tenor voice and appear on numerous recital discs. Amongst Enrico Caruso 's earliest recordings are both these arias, recorded with piano accompaniment in 1902 and again in 1908 with orchestra.

[31] Luciano Pavarotti , who has recorded the arias for several recital discs, also sings The Duke on three complete studio recordings of the opera: Decca (1972) conducted by Richard Bonynge ; Decca (1989) conducted by Riccardo Chailly and Deutsche Grammophon (1993) conducted by James Levine . [30] Rigoletto has been a popular subject for movies since the silent film era. On 15 April 1923, Lee DeForest presented 18 short films in his sound-on-film process Phonofilm , including an excerpt of Act Two of Rigoletto with Eva Leoni and Company. One of the most famous films based on the opera is the 1982 film [32] by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle starring Luciano Pavarotti as The Duke and Ingvar Wixell as Rigoletto. Some film versions, such as the 1993 children's film Rigoletto , are based on the opera's plot, but do not use Verdi's music.

Curtiss Clayton's 2003 film Rick , set in modern-day New York, has a plot based on Rigoletto, but apart from "La donna è mobile" heard in the background during a restaurant scene, does not include any other music from the opera. In the 21st century, the opera was filmed as Rigoletto Story directed by Vittorio Sgarbi with costumes by Vivienne Westwood . First screened at the Venice Biennale in 2004, it subsequently received two Grammy nominations. In September 2010, RAI Television filmed the opera on location in Mantua with the court scenes taking place in the Palazzo Te . The film faithfully followed Verdi's original specification for the action to take place over two days, and each act was performed at the time of day indicated in the libretto. Broadcast live to 148 countries, the film starred Plácido Domingo in the title role, and Vittorio Grigolo as The Duke. [33] The plot of the film Quartet revolves around the quartet " Bella figlia dell’amore ", with which the film concludes.

Adaptations of the opera's music include Franz Liszt 's Rigoletto Paraphrase , a piano transcription of "Bella figlia dell’amore" (the famous quartet from Act 3) and a Fantasia on Rigoletto (Op.82) by Sigismond Thalberg which was published in Paris in the 1860s. References Notes ^ Some scores, such as the Schirmer piano-vocal score, present the opera in four acts, with the two scenes which normally constitute Act 1 appearing as separate acts. ^ Phillips-Matz (1993) p. 265 Phillips-Matz, Mary Jane (1993). Verdi: A Biography, London & New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-313204-4 Other sources Baldini, Gabriele (1970) (trans. Roger Parker, 1980), The Story of Giuseppe Verdi: Oberto to Un Ballo in Maschera. Cambridge, et al: Cambridge University Press.

ISBN 0-521-29712-5 Chusid, Martin (ed.) (1997), Verdi’s Middle Period, 1849 to 1859, Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-10658-6 , ISBN 0-226-10659-4 . De Van, Gilles (trans. Gilda Roberts) (1998), Verdi’s Theater: Creating Drama Through Music. Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-14369-4 (hardback), ISBN 0-226-14370-8 Gossett, Philip (2006), Divas and Scholar: Performing Italian Opera, Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-30482-5 Hugo, Adèle (1863). Victor Hugo (translated by Charles Edwin Wilbour). New York: Carleton Martin, George, Verdi: His Music, Life and Times (1983), New York: Dodd, Mead and Company.

ISBN 0-396-08196-7 Cobb County - Atlanta Vacations, Austell Hotels, Acworth Sports, Marietta Shopping, Kennesaw Restaurants, Smyrna, GA Golf & More | Cobb CVB Handicapped Accessible: Yes Event Description The subject of one of Verdi’s greatest operas, the hunchbacked jester Rigoletto turns his mind to vengeance when he cannot protect the person he most loves from the person he most loathes. Recently premiered at Boston Lyric Opera, this new production directed by General & Artistic Director Tomer Zvulun, was hailed by the Boston Globe as “delivering the kind of energetic performance … that had audiences rising swiftly to its feet.” In this new co-production with Boston Lyric Opera and Opera Omaha, leading Verdi baritone Todd Thomas sings the title role and rising American soprano Nadine Sierra debuts as his innocent daughter, Gilda. Tenor Scott Quinn makes his company debut as the lascivious Duke of Mantua, and Atlanta native Morris Robinson sings the role of the assassin, Sparafucile.

Joseph Rescigno conducts this productionsets by celebrated American designer John Conklin, costumes by Vita Tzykun, and lighting by Robert Wierzel. Sung in Italian with English Supertitles New co-production with Boston Lyric Opera and Opera Omaha Rigoletto • London Coliseum, London • Feb 2017 Talk about Jonathan Miller’s production of Rigoletto If you like Verdi concerts at London Coliseum, then you might also like these other London events… Gilbert & Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance” – 9th, 11th, 16th, 18th, 23rd February, 4th, 9th, 11th, 16th, 18th, 21st, 23rd and 25th March 2017Gilbert and Sullivan's swashbuckling farce "The Pirates of Penzance" is coming to the London Coliseum in February.

Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” (a new opera) – 27th February, 3rd, 8th, 10th and 14th March 2017The world premiere of Ryan Wigglesworth's "The Winter's Tale" — an opera version of Shakespeare's tale of reconciliation. Handel’s comic opera, “Partenope” – 15th, 17th, 20th, 22nd and 24th March 2017The London Coliseum will be putting on a production of Handel's comic opera, "Partenope", for one week in March. Beethoven’s “Fidelio” — by the London Philharmonic – 21st January 2017The London Philharmonic will be performing Beethoven's "Fidelio" at the Royal Festival Hall.

“Adriana Lecouvreur” — Royal Opera House – 7th, 10th, 17th, 21st, 24th, 27th February and 2nd March 2017The Royal Opera House will be putting on a production of "Adriana Lecouvreur" — a romantic drama of unrequited love. Wagner’s “Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg” – 11th, 15th, 19th, 22nd, 25th, 28th and 31st March 2017The Royal Opera House will be putting on a production of Wagner's comic opera "Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg". If you like London Coliseum, then you might also like… > Royal Festival Hall events If you like the London Coliseum then you might like these events at London’s Royal Festival Hall as well > Cadogan Hall events If you can’t find any events at the London Coliseum then maybe you can try the Cadogan Hall in London

Question: Which of Verdi's operas tells the story of the hunchbacked jester to the 'Duke of Mantua'?
Answer: 'RIGOLETTO'