Rigoletto (Verdi)

Considered one of Giuseppe Verdi's greatest accomplishments, and certainly his most touching portrayal of a father-daughter relationship, Rigoletto continues to marvel audiences worldwide with its tragic plot and its trademark Arias (La donna e' mobile, Caro nome, Cortigiani vil razza dannata).

This production from Italy's most important Festival entirely dedicated to Verdi is conducted by Massimo Zanetti, who was voted Best Young Conductor in 1997 by "Opernwelt" and also by the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" in 1998. Since then, he has enjoyed an international reputation as one of the most exciting conductors of his generation.

Maestro Leo Nucci (possibly the greatest Italian baritone working today) sings the title role, a role he has played over 400 times and one that allows him to fully showcase his extraordinary talent. In January 2008, as he sang his 400th performance in Piacenza, the audience was so blown away that Maestro Nucci had to give three encores of Rigoletto's Aria Si Vendetta, Tremenda Vendetta.

With soprano D…sir…e Rancatore as Rigoletto's daughter Gilda, new tenor sensation Francesco Demuro in the part of the Duca and the beautiful classic sets of the great Pierluigi Samaritani (who worked for the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala and ABT before his premature death in 1994) this certainly promises to be a production to remember.