Opera Daily š¶ ā Rigoletto
This week's Opera Daily features the quartet from Act 3 of the Italian opera Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi
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Today weāre listening toā¦
āBella figlia dellāamoreā the quartetĀ from Act 3 of the Italian opera Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi.
Verdi'sĀ RigolettoĀ is probably the most accessible opera for beginners (nice and short, tooā2 hours total!). And yet it also never fails to move me with one beautiful moment after another and the accessibility of the story.
š§Ā Listening Example:Ā (6 minute listen):Ā Tenor Luciano Pavarotti (The Duke of Mantua), Mezzo-soprano Isola Jones (Maddalena), Soprano Joan Sutherland (Gilda), and Baritone Leo Nucci (Rigoletto) are singing the quartet āBella figlia dell'amoreā from Act 3 of the Italian opera Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus/Richard Bonynge, Recorded live, The Metropolitan Opera, New York, January, 1987
Rigoletto
Verdiās skill at depicting complex characters and their frame of mind throughout this quartet reminds me of what makes opera (and Verdi) unique.
The story of Rigoletto (Ree-go-leH-toe) revolves around the Duke of Mantua and his Court Jester, Rigoletto, whose daughter, Gilda, falls for a curse. Rigoletto has kept his daughter hidden to protect her, but Gilda has fallen in love with the Duke, who disguised himself as a poor student.
In order to show Gilda the Dukeās true nature, Rigoletto brings Gilda to see the Duke seducing Maddalena.
You are now convinced he was lying.
Hush, and leave it up to me to hasten our revenge.
It will be quick, it will be deadly, I know how to deal with him.
Gilda vows that she still loves him; meanwhile, Rigoletto has hired an assassin to kill the Duke, but Gilda, in an attempt to save the Duke, is stabbed instead. š³ Rigoletto, thinking he has the body of the Duke, finds Gilda near death, asking for forgiveness.
Want more?
Rigoletto is one of Verdi's most popular operas, along with La Traviata and Il Trovatore. These three operas, all composed in a span of just two years (1851-1853), are sometimes referred to as the āpopular trilogy.ā
During Verdi's time, the government censored Italian opera houses and wouldnāt allow for a new work in which a king was portrayed as a seducer! So Verdi and his librettist Francesco Piave reduced their bad guy from king to Duke, and they allowed them to open on March 11th, 1851.
Verdiās operas are a great example of music from theĀ Romantic PeriodĀ (1815-1910), a time when musicians loved to use music to tell expressive stories.
Verdi played a significant role in the unification of Italy. His music was frequently used as a symbol of Italian nationalism, and his name itself was used as an acronym for Vittorio Emanuele Re DāItalia (Victor Emmanuel, King of Italy), the first king of united Italy. Born alongside Italyās press for nationhood, Verdiās operas provided Italians with the music that expressed the passion for their cause and became an important part of Italyās national identity.
During the two days before Verdiās death, Milan officials covered the street outside his home with straw so the sound of horse hooves would not disturb his rest. He died on January 27, 1901.
Thank you for reading (and listening),
Michele
PS. If you missed last weekās selection, we featured Grace Bumbry, a true legend of opera.
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Eroica:Beethoven as Rigoletto:Verdi.
Enchanting.