Opéra de Montréal, with the support of the Italian Cultural Institute of Montreal, will present “Rigoletto“. Giuseppe Verdi’s performance will make its debut at the Place des Arts theatre on Saturday September 15th with performances on the 18th, 20th and 22nd. To purchase tickets: http://www.operademontreal.com/en/tickets/tickets
The “Rigoletto” that will take place under the direction of the Italian Maestro, Carlo Montanaro, is a three-act opera by Giuseppe Verdi on a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, taken from the drama of Victor Hugo Le Roi s’amuse. With Il trovatore (1853) and La traviata (1853) he formed Verdi’s so-called “popular trilogy”.
Centered on the dramatic and original figure of a court jester, Rigoletto was initially the subject of Austrian censorship. The same fate had happened in 1832 to the original drama Le Roi s’amuse, blocked by censorship and revived only 50 years after the first. In the drama of Hugo, which neither the public nor critics liked, the dissoluteness of the French court was described in no uncertain terms, with the libertinism of Francis I, King of France at the centre. In the work, a compromise was reached to have the action carried out by the court of Mantua, which at that time no longer existed, transforming the King of France into the Duke of Mantua.
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) was one of the greatest composers of the Italian nineteenth century, indelibly linked to the events of his historical period. It comes to mind in particular for his Va, pensiero, composition which expresses more than any other the character of the artist but also the history of Italy at the time.
For more information: http://www.operademontreal.com/en/shows/rigoletto