RIGOLETTO (Giuseppe Verdi, libretto by Francesco M. Piave)
Fully staged opera in partnership with Connecticut Lyric Opera
Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto is a spectacular fast-paced story of seduction, love, ridicule and tragic death, with powerful music, that has often been cited as Verdi’s best! Connecticut Lyric Opera and the Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra present a fully staged production with full orchestra conducted by maestro Adrian Sylveen. In Italian with projected English supertitles.
If ever there was an opera with so many deplorable, evil characters, then it is surely Verdi’s beloved “Rigoletto”. Based on the famous Victor Hugo play, this classic masterpiece has enjoyed being Verdi’s 3rd most popular opera, and has been sitting on the top 10 list in popularity of all operas since its Venice premiere in 1851. Considered by many musicologists to be the most “psychological” of all “psychological” operas, this drama, like any good one, has EVERYTHING….kidnapping, murder, rape, people hurling curses at each other…..and EVERYONE……….a deformed hunchback court jester with a foul mouth, a sex-crazed Duke with an overactive libido, a hired assassin and his trampy sister……..all singing some of the most glorious music to ever come out of Italy or this composer. (Even children know the most popular tenor aria of all time “La donne e mobile”). Only the teenage soprano role of Gilda (Rigoletto’s daughter) has any redeeming character virtues amid all the gloom.
The CT Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra and the CT Lyric Opera will be closing down their 2015-16 season from April 22 to May 14 when they present this fabulous work in their usual venues in New Britain (Trinity-on-Main April 22), New London (Garde Theater the 24th), Hartford (Infinity Hall May 1) and Middletown (MHS Arts Center May 14.) Though Gilda and the Duke are usually sung by lighter and younger voices (not necessarily Verdi’s original intention), CLO resident house diva and divo Jurate Svedaite and Daniel Juarez will assume these parts, while baritone Jimi James (a hit in “Barber of Seville” here last season) takes on the tormented title role. As always, Artistic Director and maestro Adrian Sylveen will conduct his Virtuosi Orchestra in all four performances.
The dynamic cast includes:
Jimi James – Rigoletto
Jurate Svedaite – Gilda
Daniel Juarez – Duke of Mantua
Andrew Potter – Sparafucile
Kerry Gotschall – Maddalena
Allison Lindsay – Giovanna, Gilda’s nurse, and Countess Ceprano
Steven Fasano – Count Ceprano
Shane Tapley – Matteo Borsa
Steven Fredericks – Count Monterone
Lane Johnson – Marullo
Performance dates:
April 22, 2016, Trinity-on-Main Arts Center, New Britain
April 24, 2016, Garde Arts Center, New London
May 1, 2016, Infinity Music Hall, Hartford
May 14, 2016, MHS Arts Center, Middletown