Rigoletto

Overview

Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, after Victor Hugo's play Le Roi s'amuse (1832). It was first performed at La Fenice, Venice, on 11 March 1851 (Wikipedia, "Rigoletto"). The hunchbacked court jester Rigoletto serves a libertine duke, whose seduction of Rigoletto's daughter Gilda, and the curse of the wronged Count Monterone, bring about the tragedy. Famous numbers: "La donna è mobile", "Caro nome", "Bella figlia dell'amore", "Cortigiani, vil razza dannata".

Marie and this work

• 23 December 1876, San Remo. The San Remo opera opens: she and her aunt go to the prince's box. "On donnait le Rigoletto, tout le monde en Italie sait chanter, par conséquent ce n'a pas été trop mal" (068.0285).
• 6 April 1880, Paris. At the Italiens: "La Patti est adorable... Dans Rigoletto elle est encore mieux que dans Lucie" (087.0795). Adelina Patti sang Gilda.
• 20 April 1880. Again at the Italiens with Mme Gavini, Dina, Saint-Amand and Soutzo; Saint-Amand is "fou au retour" and recites verses (087.0879).
• 3 October 1880, Paris. Saint-Amand arrives and "me chante tout Rigoletto avec accompagnement" (090.0003): a whole opera sung from memory at the piano.
• 25 May 1882. In her portrait of Carolus-Duran she imagines him posing "dans Don Juan ou Rigoletto" (095.0098).
• A source footnote at 097.0128 links Hugo's Le Roi s'amuse to this libretto.

Sources

• Wikipedia, "Rigoletto".
• IMSLP, Rigoletto (Verdi, Giuseppe)).