Are you a fan of opera? Do you watch them often? Rigoletto is one of the most famous opera act by Giuseppe Verdi that will be familiar to all people who are familiar with the creative and dynamic world of opera. In 1832, Victor Hugo’s Le roi s’amuse was used to play Verdi’s Opera Rigoletto and has used Italian libretto written by Fancesco Maria Piave. Even though the opera has to face some censorship issues, it was a huge success at La Fenice in Venice.
Rigoletto is considered to be the operatic masterpiece that Verdi has come up with in his career. It is a tragic story that revolves around the Duke of Mantua, his court joker Rigoletto who is a hunch-back, and his daughter Gilda. The story centers on a curse that was placed on the duke and Rigoletto by a courtier as the duke seduces the daughter of the latter after being encouraged by Rigoletto. The curse comes in the form of Rigoletto’s daughter Gilda falling in love with the duke and sacrificing her life to save the duke from the assassins her father had hired to kill him.
Rigoletto was Verdi’s first major triumph after the premiere of Macbeth in Florence. Even though it has to face some issues during its initial phase, it soon entered the repertory of Italian Theatres and was performed in all major theatres of Italy. Later by 1852, it began to be played across all the major cities in the world and Rigoletto has become one of the iconic symbols of Italian opera.
Leo Nucci- The Rigoletto of two centuries
Leo Nucci has devoted his entire life to performing some Baritone magic, especially performing the opera of Verdi. But undeniably Nucci is known for his iconic title role Rigoletto of Verdi and has recorded it numerous times in his entire range. From his various performances, we could see that Nucci is undoubtedly the champion of Verdi’s protagonist Rigoletto and he played it during the later twenties and also in the 21st century.
In the performance of Rigoletto which was played by Nucci in 2019, we could see how he embodied this flawed protagonist of Verdi. After seeing his latest performance, one could easily understand why he is considered the legendary Italian baritone who continues to motivate many singers across the globe.
The staging which premiered in Bilbao in 2006 was used for the performance and has added some modern elements to it. Even though you might be disappointed with the few changes that seem insufficient at times, Leo Nucci has again worked his vocal miracle. The way the 77-year-old Nucci sings and moves on the stage has left the entire stage in awe. Even though his lowest register has reduced over time, he has kept himself in good vocal shape and brought the entire emotions of Rigoletto to the stage.
Thus after seeing his performance, no one can argue who is the best Rigoletto of the century.