The Duke of Mantua is an avid devourer of women who simply takes what he wants… and with violence. His jester, Rigoletto, is infamous both for his cunning and lack of pity; the other courtiers resolve to take vengeance on him. Their spies tell them that the jester lives with a beautiful young woman, whom they take to be his lover. She is kidnapped and taken to the count as his next victim. Rigoletto, whose eyes have been bound, aids in the kidnapping, believing the girl to be his neighbour’s daughter or wife. The courtiers are unaware that the girl is in reality Rigoletto’s daughter, and that they are delivering to the count the young beauty whose love he has already won while in disguise. The jester vows revenge and hires a killer. However, the corpse which is presented to him is not that of the count …
Opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. In Italien with German surtitles.
Running time 2 hours 30 minutes
Premiere 21 Jun 2008
Musical Director: Rani Calderón
Staging: Nikolaus Lehnhoff
Set Design: Raimund Bauer
Costume Design: Bettina Walter
Lighting Design: Paul Pyant
Choreography: Denise Sayers
Choir: Pablo Assante
Duca di Mantova: Giorgio Berrugi
Rigoletto: Markus Marquardt
Gilda: Elena Gorshunova
Sparafucile: Scott Conner
Maddalena: Gala El Hadidi
Giovanna: Angela Liebold
Monterone: Matthias Henneberg
Marullo: Ilhun Jung
Borsa Matteo: Simeon Esper
Il Conte Ceprano: Sangmin Lee
La Contessa Ceprano: Birgit Fandrey
Paggio: Christel Lötzsch
Gerichtsdiener: Friedrich Darge
Men of the Saxon State Opera Choir
Dancer
Supernumeraries
Staatskapelle Dresden
With generous support of the Foundation for Support of the Semperoper
