Opera Rigoletto
The Astrakhan State Opera and Ballet Theater enriches its repertoire with the fourth opera by Giuseppe Verdi.
“Rigoletto is a frequent and very welcome guest on the stages of the leading opera houses of the world. There must be some trend in it, as the operas by G. Verdi have not only an intensive development of the plot with atmospheric and intriguing orchestrating, but also an internal struggle, and motivation for the personages’ actions. Verdi’s overtures do not exist on their own, as single works, but present inseparable parts of the plot, which anticipate further events, dramaturgy and immersing the audience in the atmosphere of reflection and empathy. As a stage director, I hear the very first chord of the orchestra in the overture to the opera Rigoletto saying, ‘I invite you, listen! I will tell you a sad story!’
I do agree with the words of Evgeny Kolobov, ‘Verdi is one of the most mysterious composers of the universe. An inexhaustible emotional and semantic depth is hidden behind the seeming simplicity of his music. This must be the very secret of the entire classical heritage - be it Verdi, Michelangelo, Pushkin, Shakespeare ...’. It is known that after the premiere of Rigoletto Verdi said, ‘I am pleased with myself and I think I will never write any better work.’ To some extent he was right, despite the fact that later he composed Aida, Don Carlos, Falstaff, Otello, Un ballo in maschera, La forza del destino,’ said the Conductor Director Valery Voronin.
The opera Rigoletto is also interesting as Verdi turned the canons upside down. As a rule, the tenor is a positive juvenile lead, and a baritone is a villain-rival. Here it's the opposite. The tenor is a juvenile lead, but not a positive personage, and the baritone is a tragic character.
The production team will uncover the full depth of the tragic image of the protagonist, and will place all the necessary semantic accents in the characteristics of the other personages, thus presenting the audience with a production that reflects life issues that are still relevant today.
Minimum age: 12+
