The show opens with a man in pain, who we can imagine is physically and psychologically exhausted, holding a cardboard box. He sits down to take out the jester’s outfit from this box. Behind him the decor is revealed, a huge cardboard box in which all the characters of Rigoletto, opera in three acts and four scenes by Giuseppe Verdi.
The music, generous and inspired, can take flight. We will understand later who this tormented and helpless man is.
For his premiere at the head of the Paris National Opera Orchestra, the conductor of Venezuelan origin Domingo Hindoyan received loud applause throughout the 2 hours and 45 minutes of the show during the premiere, Sunday 1is December.
What is “Rigoletto” about? There are several levels of reading. Verdi’s Italian opera, with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, is inspired by Victor Hugo’s play The king is having funwritten in 1832, was created on March 11, 1851 at the Fenice theater in Venice. Victor Hugo’s play, which attacked the decadence of the elites, was censored upon its creation. The main character of the drama and opera, the king’s jester (Triboulet), really existed, influenced by Nicolas Ferrial (1479-1536). He exercised his talents under Louis XII and Francis I who banished him for making fun of a courtesan. Verdi questions the complex father-daughter relationships. The Italian composer, who had lost his own daughter at a young age, explored this theme in several operas.
What is the story of Rigoletto? A buffoon, both contemptuous and a tout, he helps his master, the Duke of Mantua, in his amorous adventures. And if necessary he works to keep away nuisances or cheating husbands. Jester is, however, a complex being. Under his mask, the man hates the courtiers and the powerful. He has only one love: his daughter Gilda. He is afraid for her and overprotects her. But how can we stop him from loving? And what to do and how far to go to defend it?
In Claus Guth’s production, dating from April 2016, Verdi’s theatricality finds its full meaning. The show is on stage and in the pit. The lightness of certain tunes contrasts harmoniously with the dramatic passages. The public did not shy away from its pleasure, reserving long ovations for the performances of the artists: the baritone Roman Burdenko in the title role, the moving soprano Rosa Feola as Gilda, Goderdzi Janelidze disturbing as Sparafucile and Liparit Avetisyan as a carefree duke accumulating the conquests. Or the choirs of the Paris opera which fully occupy their place.
Rigoletto, a deep and human opera with celestial and ethereal music. Fascinating.
Titre : Rigoletto
Melodrama in three acts (1851)
According to Victor Hugo, The king is having fun
Musique : Giuseppe Verdi
Booklet: Francesco Maria Piave
Direction musicale : Sunday Hindoyan
Staging: Claus Guth
Choir Leader: Alessandro Di Stefano
Distribution : Roman Burdenko, Rosa Feola, Liparit Avetisyan et Goderdzi Janelidze
Duration : 2h45 with 1 intermission
Language : Italy
Surtitles: French / English
Dates : until December 24 then from May 10 to June 12
Lieu : Opéra Bastille, Place de la Bastille, 75012
