Rigoletto: Melodramma in tre atti

Black Dog Opera Library

by Giuseppe Verdi

104pages. 17x12x1cm. Broché.

Genres: Music, Classics, Plays, Theatre

104 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1851

About the author

Fullest artistic form of operas of Giuseppe Verdi, Italian composer, included La Traviata in 1853, Aïda in 1871, and Otello in 1887; people credit him with raising the genre.

Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi, mainly a Romantic, most influenced the 19th century. Houses frequently perform his works throughout the world, and some themes transcended the boundaries of the genre and long took root in popular culture:
* "La donna è mobile" from Rigoletto
* "Va, pensiero" (The Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves) from Nabucco , and
* "Libiamo ne' lieti calici" (The Drinking Song).

Masterworks of Giuseppe Verdi used a generally diatonic rather than a chromatic musical idiom, and people sometimes criticized tendency toward melodrama, which dominates the standard repertoire a century and a half.

Reviews

[Illiterate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A melodramatic tragedy with strong characters, emotional heft, political resonance, and a great score.

[Recensioni in tre parole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tormentato. Oscuro. Straziante.

[Andrey]

saw this earlier this month, not that great tbh, just a bit of a drag lol

[Amandine]

Review: italiano / français

Un pò difficile a leggere per me, forse perché è in verso e meno "naturale" che della prosa che ho già letto. Non mi piace tanto questo libretto: manca la musica (preferisco vedere e sentire un'opera che leggerlo) e, perché la difficoltà di lettura, gli emozioni (all'eccezione della fine con la morta di Gilda, non ho niente sentito, ne gioia o rido, ne tristezza). Non so veramente quale nota mettere perché non mi piace la lettura, ma so che mi piacerebbe molto la rappresentazione.

Un peu difficile à lire pour moi, peut-être parce qu'écrit en vers et donc moins "naturel" que de la prose. Je n'ai pas tellement aimé ce livret: il y manquait la musique (je préfère voir et entendre un opéra, plutôt que le lire) et, à cause de ma difficulté de lecture, les émotions (à l'exception de la fin avec la mort de Gilda, je n'ai rien ressenti, ni joie ou rire, ni tristesse). Je ne sais pas vraiment quelle note mettre puisque je n'apprécie pas la lecture, mais je sais que j'aimerais la représentation.

[Agnes ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 stars for this particular edition, as the unnecessarily loose translation bothered me immensely. However, if one doesn't care about this aspect, the additional information about the opera, composer and the actual music is very interesting and educational.

My sister and I went to Rigoletto in the Arena Verona and it was wonderful, absolutely magical - extraordinary and special - as one gets to listen to beautiful music while the sun sets slowly in the background...
In summary, if you ever are in Verona during the summer, an opera in the Arena is an absolute must!

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The libretto is sweet and short, read it in preparation of going to see the opera. The drama! Poor Gilda, her wasted little heart brought her ruin, and poor Rigoletto, making such a regrettable mistake! The Duke is my favourite, unfortunately, I love his theme, and he is an amazing catalyst for the tragedy of the story!

[Mikaela S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

[12:15pm-1:15pm] I picked up this opera series from a thrift store for the aesthetic, but it was truly an amazing read. Understanding the background and historical setting opened the definition of “classic” to a whole new level.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mia professoressa direbbe che sarei mato. Lol.
Quest’opera è una degli supremi di Verdi🤩

[Paco · Rating 5 out of 5]

This guy does not miss.

[Javier Fernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wicked twist. There's no last laugh for the jester. The horrific jokes on him.

[Two Readers in Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

The libretto is available in translation in the public domain: http://www.murashev.com/opera/Rigolet...

One of my favorite operas -- I keep discovering new things every time I re-read the libretto and see the different interpretation of the roles. I would like to read "Le roi s'amuse" as a point of comparison.

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12Dec15 - Read in preparation for y first visit to the Metropolitan Opera house! Željko Lučić , Piotr Beczała, Soprano Nadine Sierra in a Rat Pack inspired Regietheater that really hit home for me. Fell in love with opera!

Jan 2016 - Reread libretto for Royal Opera House production on DVD, and 2013 Met Opera production on DVD (Željko Lučić, Diana Damrau, and tenor Piotr Beczała).

24Aug20 - Metopera.org pandemic stream of 2013 production: Željko Lučić, Diana Damrau, and tenor Piotr Beczała as the Duke

30Dec20 - Metopera.org pandemic free stream, Pavarotti week. "tarring as the Duke of Mantua, a role he sang 19 times at the Met, tenor Luciano Pavarotti headlines a 1981 performance of Verdi’s Rigoletto. The historic telecast also stars baritone Louis Quilico as the brooding title jester and soprano Christiane Eda-Pierre as his daughter, Gilda. Stream John Dexter’s powerful staging tonight, December 30, starting at 7:30PM ET."

[Jason Loeffler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much The Count of Monte Cristo meets Les Miserables - and a very good score to boot. So far, in terms of opera, it's this or Tosca. Take your pick.

[Abie Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite operas.

[Maan Kawas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Che meraviglia!! Mi piace molto! The story is powerful and the libretto is wonderful! Verdi's 'Rigoletto' is one of my favorite operas.