Rigoletto is a tragic opera in three acts by the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi . The libretto (text), in Italian, by the Italian writer Francesco Maria Piave, was based on the play Le Roi s’amuse (The King Amuses Himself) by the French author Victor Hugo . Rigoletto was first performed at the Teatro la Fenice in Venice, Italy, on March 11, 1851, and has become one of the most popular works in the entire opera repertoire.
Loading the player...Rigoletto (Questa o quella)
The opera tells a story of treachery and revenge in the court of an Italian nobleman, the Duke of Mantua, in the 1500’s. The chief characters include the Duke of Mantua, a womanizing rogue; Rigoletto, a hunchback who is the duke’s court jester and favorite; and Gilda, Rigoletto’s daughter.
In the opening scene, Rigoletto mocks two noblemen at the Mantuan court, Count Ceprano and Count Monterone. Ceprano’s wife and Monterone’s daughter have both become recent sexual conquests of the philandering duke. Monterone angrily confronts the duke and is arrested. He curses Rigoletto, who is taunting him. Meanwhile, the courtiers, jealous of Rigoletto’s privileged position at court and angered by his ceaseless mockery, have been planning to kidnap Gilda, who they think is his mistress.
Outside his house, Rigoletto is confronted by Sparafucile, an innkeeper and professional assassin. Sparafucile offers the jester his services, should he ever need to rid himself of an enemy. Entering the house, Rigoletto lovingly greets Gilda and then orders her not to go out alone. She does not tell him about a student she has seen at church and is unaware that he is the duke in disguise. After Rigoletto leaves, the duke suddenly surprises Gilda by appearing in the courtyard. The two express their love for each other, after which the duke—having identified himself as Gualtier Malde, a poor student—departs, leaving Gilda to passionately reflect on his name. She then retires for the night. When Rigoletto returns, the courtiers, who have followed him to his house, trick him into helping them kidnap his own daughter and carry her off to the duke’s palace. The desperate Rigoletto, hurrying to the palace to search for Gilda, is mocked by the courtiers. At that moment, Gilda rushes out weeping. Having been seduced and abandoned by the duke, she now throws herself into her father’s arms. Rigoletto swears vengeance.
The final act takes place at Sparafucile’s inn outside the town. Rigoletto has arranged for the duke to be murdered there. He and Gilda have come to the inn independently, and so has the duke. The duke flirts with Sparafucile’s seductive sister Maddalena, who persuades her brother not to kill him. Instead, Sparafucile agrees that any stranger who turns up at the inn before midnight shall be the victim. Overhearing this, Gilda—who still loves the duke—decides to sacrifice her own life to save his. Dressed in man’s clothing, she knocks on the door of the inn. When Rigoletto reappears, Sparafucile gives him a sack containing a body. As Rigoletto is about to throw it into the river, he hears the duke singing. Horror-struck, he tears open the sack and discovers his daughter. Count Monterone’s curse has been fulfilled.
For Rigoletto, Verdi composed some of his most glorious melodies. In Act I, Gilda sings the beautiful aria “Caro nome” (“Dear name”), in which she expresses her love for the duke. Act II is highlighted by Rigoletto’s powerfully dramatic aria, in which he rages against the courtiers, “Cortigiani, vil razza dannata” (“Courtiers, vile and damned race”). In Act III, the duke sings one of the most celebrated tenor arias ever written, “La donna e mobile” (“Woman is fickle”). The aria is an ironic comment by the faithless duke on how changeable women are in their affections. The emotional and melodic quartet, “Bella figlia dell’ amore” (“Beautiful daughter of love”), sung by Rigoletto and Gilda outside the inn and the duke and Maddalena inside, is performed later in Act III.
