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Rigoletto

by Giuseppe Verdi

with the City of London Sinfonia

Opera in three acts. Libretto by Francesco Piave after tragedy Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. First performed 11 March 1851, Teatro La Fenice, Venice. Sung in Italian with English surtitles.

Performance dates

July 20, 22, 24*, 26, 28, 30* and 1, 3, 5 August (*Concessions available)
Performances begin at 7.30pm

Artistic Personnel

Conductor – Peter Robinson
Director – John La Bouchardière
Set Designer – Jamie Vartan
Costume Designer – Donatella Barbiere
Lighting designer – Colin Grenfell

Cast

Rigoletto – Olafur Sigurdarson
Gilda – Gail Pearson
Duke of Mantua – Paul O'Neill
Sparafucile – Paul Reeves
Maddalena – Heather Shipp
Count Monterone – Nicholas Folwell
Marullo – David Stout
Matteo Borsa – Aled Hall
Count Ceprano – David Soar
Countess Ceprano – Lisa Crosato
Giovanna – Nicola Smedley
Court Usher – Henry Grant Kerswell

The Opera

New production

With the City of London Sinfonia and the Opera Holland Park chorus

Following on from critically acclaimed productions of Macbeth, Luisa Miller and Stiffelio, Opera Holland Park presents one of Verdi's true masterpieces, Rigoletto. The tale focuses on Rigoletto, the hunchbacked court jester to the Duke of Mantua; his official jocular persona is sharply contrasted with his tragic and obsessive protection of his daughter Gilda. When Gilda falls victim to the Duke's seduction, the hunchback decides to have his revenge, but Gilda's selflessness leaves her father with the wrong corpse on his hands. Brimming with popular arias such as 'La donna è mobile' and 'Questa o quella', Rigoletto is sure to provide one of the highlights of the 2006 Opera Holland Park season.