Overview

To elevate a jester to a tragic stature comparable to a Macbeth or a Lear is no easy feat. The dramatic essence of Shakespeare runs in the veins of this Rigoletto, although the story is based on the controversial Le roi s’amuse by Victor Hugo. While the play was prohibited in France for more than fifty years, Verdi himself fought with the censors who initially prevented the publication of his opera. Multi-faceted, perhaps more than any other opera by Verdi - tender, cruel, interspersed with remarkable strokes of black humour -, Rigoletto is also a heart-wrenching study about the love between a parent and a child. Given the helplessness of a woman in the face of a group of men, Teatro Real’s production, which is directed by Miguel del Arco, also considers society's concept of masculinity. Nicola Luisotti conducts some of the great voices of our day, including Javier Camarena, Ludovic Tézier, Marina Viotti and Adela Zaharia.

Top Cast

Javier Camarena

Duke of Mantua

Ludovic Tézier

Rigoletto

A

Adela Zaharia

Gilda

P

Peixin Chen

Sparafucile

Marina Viotti

Maddalena

C

Cassandre Berthon

Giovanna

J

Jordan Shanahan

Count Monterone

C

César San Martín

Marullo

F

Fabián Lara

Matteo Borsa

T

Tomeu Bibiloni

Count Ceprano

S

Sandra Pastrana

Countess Ceprano

Nicola Luisotti

Conductor