Rigoletto
By Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
(To be sung in Italian)

Rigoletto was the first of Verdi’s “middle period” which produced his most popular works. Its combination of melodic richness and dramatic effectiveness has proved irresistible. It is entirely memorable and has, from the very first performance, always achieved great popularity.

Plot at a Glance
Rigoletto, a hunchback, is court jester to the Duke of Mantua. The Duke, a notorious libertine, continually seduces innocent young girls, aided and abetted by Rigoletto, who mocks the hapless guardians in their distress. One of these, Monterone, lays a curse on him and this portent follows the jester throughout the melodrama. 

Rigoletto, on the other hand, carefully guards his own daughter, Gilda, but she too has caught the eye of the Duke and the avenging courtiers, thinking she is Rigoletto’s mistress, assist in abducting her. She eventually returns and tells her father that she is in love with the Duke despite his betrayal of her.

Rigoletto, incensed, is sworn to vengeance and arranges for Sparafucile, the local sword for hire, to assassinate his master, but in the end it is Gilda who make the ultimate sacrifice in order to save her heartless lover. The opera concludes with a heart-rending scene where she bids farewell to her father and dies in his arms.