"dies, he realises the curse had come to pass – the distraught Rigoletto cries out in pain. Rigoletto (1982 film) Rigoletto in a 1982 Italian opera film directed by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle and starring Ingvar Wixell, Edita Gruberová and Luciano Pavarotti. The film is based upon an opera of the same name by Giuseppe Verdi to a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. As court jester for the Duke of Mantua (Luciano Pavarotti), hunch-back Rigoletto (Ingvar Wixell) is tasked with amusing the Duke at the expense of courtiers much to their annoyance. Recently the Duke, who lives a life of pleasure bedding"
"the Duke becoming a Frank Sinatra-type character and Rigoletto becoming Don Rickles. In March 2014, Lindy Hume, artistic director of Australia's Opera Queensland staged the opera set in the party-going world of disgraced former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. ""Scene 1: Mantua. A magnificent hall in the ducal palace. Doors at the back open into other rooms, splendidly lit up. A crowd of lords and ladies in grand costumes are seen walking about in the rear rooms; page boys come and go. The festivities are at their height. Music is heard from offstage. The Duke and Borsa enter from a"
"Rigoletto Rigoletto () is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play ""Le roi s'amuse"" by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had control over northern Italian theatres at the time, the opera had a triumphant premiere at La Fenice in Venice on 11 March 1851. It is widely considered to be the first of the operatic masterpieces of Verdi's middle-to-late career. Its tragic story revolves around the licentious Duke of Mantua, his hunch-backed court jester Rigoletto, and Rigoletto's beautiful daughter Gilda."
"and the Duke of Mantua in Verdi's ""Rigoletto"" (1852). Baucardé achieved particular success as the Duke, both in Turin and elsewhere. Verdi then cast Baucardé as the first Manrico in ""Il trovatore"", although he had previously wanted Raffaele Mirate for the role. The premiere at the Teatro Apollo in Rome on 19 January 1853 was a great success not only for Verdi, but also for Baucardé. His popular acclaim in the role increased when he substituted a high C for the original G in the finale of ""Di quella pira"" during a later performance of ""Trovatore"" in Florence. He went"
"and the country as a whole. Mantua is noted for its significant role in the history of opera; the city is also known for its architectural treasures and artifacts, elegant palaces, and the medieval and Renaissance cityscape. It is the place where the composer Monteverdi premiered his opera ""L'Orfeo"" and where Romeo was banished in Shakespeare's play ""Romeo and Juliet"". It is the nearest town to the birthplace of the Roman poet Virgil, who was commemorated by a statue at the lakeside park ""Piazza Virgiliana"". Mantua is surrounded on three sides by artificial lakes, created during the 12th century, as"
"Giovanni Malipiero Giovanni Malipiero (April 20, 1906 – April 10, 1970) was an operatic tenor who enjoyed a prominent career on stage and on radio in his native Italy during the 1930s and 1940s. Malipiero was born in Padua, Italy, where he also studied singing. Lonigo, near Vicenza, was the scene of his professional debut in 1930, as the Duke of Mantua in Verdi's ""Rigoletto"". The following year he sang the same role at the Teatro Ponchielli in Cremona. This performance marked the true start of his career as a leading artist. The fine quality of Malipiero's lyric voice soon"
"tragedy. The theme of Orpheus, the demi-god of music, was understandably popular and attracted Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643) who wrote his first opera, ""La Favola d'Orfeo"" (The Fable of Orpheus), in 1607 for the court of Mantua. Monteverdi insisted on a strong relationship between the words and music. When ""Orfeo"" was performed in Mantua, an orchestra of 38 instruments, numerous choruses and recitatives were used to make a lively drama. It was a far more ambitious version than those previously performed — more opulent, more varied in recitatives, more exotic in scenery — with stronger musical climaxes which allowed the full"
"Il ballo delle ingrate Il ballo delle ingrate (""The Ballet of the Ungrateful Ladies"") is a semi-dramatic ballet by the Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi set to a libretto by Ottavio Rinuccini. It was first performed in Mantua on Wednesday, 4 June 1608 as part of the wedding celebrations for Francesco Gonzaga (the son of Monteverdi's patron Duke Vincenzo of Mantua) and Margaret of Savoy. Both Vincenzo and Francesco Gonzaga took part in the dancing. Monteverdi also composed the opera ""L'Arianna"" (to another libretto by Rinuccini) and the music for the prologue to Guarini's play ""L'idropica"" for the occasion. ""Il ballo"
"at the Busseto Academy. In 2006, he debuted as Duca di Mantova in ""Rigoletto"" (Verdi) in Busseto, singing alongside Leo Nucci. From then on he has been invited to perform by La Scala in Milan (""Pagliacci"", ""Don Pasquale""), the Fenice in Venice (""L’elisir d’amore"", ""Rigoletto""), the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro (""Stabat Mater""), the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome (""Guillaume Tell""), the Verdi Theatre in Trieste (""Don Pasquale"", ""Les pêcheurs de perles"", ""Maria Stuarda""), the Carlo Felice Theatre in Genoa (""Don Pasquale""), the Comunale Theatre in Bologna (""I Puritani""), the Verdi Theatre in Salerno (""Lucia di Lammermoor"", ""I"
"Nicola Monti Nicola Monti (November 21, 1920 – March 1, 1993) was an Italian opera singer, one of the leading tenori di grazia of the 1950s. Born in Milan, Italy, Monti studied voice from an early age, and made his debut in concert in Florence in 1941, and that same year sang his first major role, the Duke of Mantua, in Cagliari. His career was interrupted by the war, but he resumed his studies in 1950 by entering the ""Scuola di Canta"" of the Teatro alla Scala. In 1951, he made his official operatic debut at the Teatro San Carlo"
"""Tutto Verdi"" series; and the Teatro Regio di Parma gave it in October 2007 as part of their on-going ""Festival Verdi"". In 2010 the Berliner Operngruppe under Felix Krieger presented the work in a concert performance in Berlin. In its celebration of the Verdi bicentennial, it was staged by La Scala in April/May 2013. Before the action takes place, a battle has been fought between Oberto, Count of San Boniface, and the Salinguerra, led by Ezzelino da Romano. Oberto has lost and has retreated to Mantua. Meanwhile, his daughter Leonora has been seduced and abandoned by Riccardo, Count of Salinguerra,"
"Mantua. ""L'Arianna"" and ""Andromeda"" were completed and performed; the others were all abandoned incomplete. ""L'Arianna"" was composed as a festive piece for the wedding of the heir to the duchy, Francesco Gonzaga, to Margherita of Savoy, in May 1608. Monteverdi received the commission following ""L'Orfeo""s successful premiere at the court in February 1607. The libretto for ""L'Arianna"" was by Rinuccini, whose literary skills had earlier impressed Duke Vincenzo I of Mantua after a performance of ""Euridice"". The composition of ""L'Arianna"" became a fraught affair for Monteverdi, being only one of three works that the duke required from him for the"
"play is set in an ahistorical version of northern Italy during the High Renaissance. The Duke of Mantua, ruled by a Gonzaga, is threatened militarily by the ruler of Florence, Duke Lorenzo (suggesting one of the Medicis). The opening scene, however, deals with love rather than war: a love-sick gentleman who calls himself Hortensio is hanging around the Mantuan court, wherever he can catch sight of the princess Matilda. He is the ""bashful lover"" of the title. Hortensio has bribed Ascanio, the princess's page, to inform him of her movements — and Ascanio is open about this to his mistress,"
"His successful debut at Covent Garden occurred on 14 May 1902, as the Duke of Mantua in Verdi's ""Rigoletto"". Covent Garden's highest-paid diva, the Australian soprano Nellie Melba, partnered him as Gilda. They would sing together often during the early 1900s. In her memoirs, Melba praised Caruso's voice but considered him to be a less sophisticated musician and interpretive artist than Jean de Reszke—the Met's biggest tenor drawcard prior to Caruso. In 1903, Caruso made his debut with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. The gap between his London and New York engagements had been filled by a series"
"Ducal Palace, Mantua in late February 1608. It had originally been intended to form part of the wedding celebrations of Prince Francesco Gonzaga of Mantua and Margherita of Savoy, but the arrival of the bride was delayed and the staging was brought forward (Monteverdi's opera ""L'Arianna"" was also written for the marriage but not performed until May). A private performance of ""Dafne"" was given in Florence at the house of Don Giovanni de' Medici on 9 February 1611. The Medici were the patrons of the Florentine Gagliano and the laurel (into which the heroine of the opera is transformed) was"
"Tito Manlio Tito Manlio (; RV 738) is an opera in three acts by Antonio Vivaldi, to a libretto by Matteo Noris. It was written in celebration of the marriage of Philip of Hesse-Darmstadt (1671–1736), the governor of Mantua, which he had announced at Christmas. Vivaldi quickly composed the opera within five days. Whereas the wedding eventually did not take place at all, the opera was successfully premiered at the Teatro Arciducale in Mantua during the carnival season of 1719. The opera is about the story of Titus Manlius Torquatus, consul of Rome and the conflict between him and the"
"Luca Canonici Luca Canonici (born September 22, 1960) is an Italian opera singer who has had an active career singing leading tenor roles both in Europe and his native Italy. Canonici was born in Montevarchi in the Province of Arezzo. He made his debut at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma in 1985 as the Duke of Mantua in ""Rigoletto"" and went on to establish an international career performing at many leading opera houses and concert halls, including La Scala, Covent Garden, Vienna State Opera, Teatro Comunale Florence, Opernhaus Zürich, Bayerische Staatsoper, Teatro Real in Madrid, Salzburg Festival, Opéra National de"
"in Italy between 1937 and 1941. Malipiero died 10 days short of his 64th birthday, in Padua. Giovanni Malipiero Giovanni Malipiero (April 20, 1906 – April 10, 1970) was an operatic tenor who enjoyed a prominent career on stage and on radio in his native Italy during the 1930s and 1940s. Malipiero was born in Padua, Italy, where he also studied singing. Lonigo, near Vicenza, was the scene of his professional debut in 1930, as the Duke of Mantua in Verdi's ""Rigoletto"". The following year he sang the same role at the Teatro Ponchielli in Cremona. This performance marked the"
"two full-length opera releases, Franco Battiato's ""Genesi"" and Bellini's ""Beatrice di Tenda"". Several more invitations to appear at other important houses continued in the early 1990s, including the Royal Opera, London (debut in 1990, Rodolfo in ""La bohème""); the Teatro Carlo Felice (debut in 1990, Rodolfo); the Macerata Opera (debut in 1990, Rodolfo); the San Francisco Opera (debut in 1991 as Tebaldo in ""I Capuleti e i Montecchi""); the Teatro di San Carlo (debut 1991 as Gennaro in ""Lucrezia Borgia""); the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma (debut 1991 as the Duke of Mantua in ""Rigoletto""): the Hamburg State Opera (debut 1991);"
"could not have been done better ... The music, observing due propriety, serves the poetry so well that nothing more beautiful is to be heard anywhere"". After the premiere Duke Vincenzo ordered a second performance for 1 March; a third performance was planned to coincide with a proposed state visit to Mantua by the Duke of Savoy. Francesco wrote to the Duke of Tuscany on 8 March, asking if he could retain the services of the castrato Magli for a little longer. However, the visit was cancelled, as was the celebratory performance. There are suggestions that in the years following"
"the ungrateful ladies return to the Underworld, one of them sings a lament regretting she must leave the ""pure and serene air."" Il ballo delle ingrate Il ballo delle ingrate (""The Ballet of the Ungrateful Ladies"") is a semi-dramatic ballet by the Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi set to a libretto by Ottavio Rinuccini. It was first performed in Mantua on Wednesday, 4 June 1608 as part of the wedding celebrations for Francesco Gonzaga (the son of Monteverdi's patron Duke Vincenzo of Mantua) and Margaret of Savoy. Both Vincenzo and Francesco Gonzaga took part in the dancing. Monteverdi also composed the"
"region of Latium. Tito Manlio Tito Manlio (; RV 738) is an opera in three acts by Antonio Vivaldi, to a libretto by Matteo Noris. It was written in celebration of the marriage of Philip of Hesse-Darmstadt (1671–1736), the governor of Mantua, which he had announced at Christmas. Vivaldi quickly composed the opera within five days. Whereas the wedding eventually did not take place at all, the opera was successfully premiered at the Teatro Arciducale in Mantua during the carnival season of 1719. The opera is about the story of Titus Manlius Torquatus, consul of Rome and the conflict between"
"Donizetti; Brescia is hosts the impressive 1709 Teatro Grande; Cremona is regarded as the birthplace of the commonly used violin, and is home to several of the most prestigious luthiers in the world, and Mantua was one of the founding and most important cities in 16th- and 17th-century opera and classical music. Other cities such as Lecco, Lodi, Varese and Pavia also have rich musical traditions, but Milan is the hub and centre of the Lombard musical scene. It was the workplace of Giuseppe Verdi, one of the most famous and influential opera composers of the 19th century, and boasts"
"Raffaele Mirate Raffaele Mirate (3 September 1815 – November 1895) was a celebrated Italian operatic tenor who had an active career from the 1830s through the 1860s. Known for his intelligent phrasing and bright and powerful vocal timbre, he was regarded as an outstanding interpreter of the tenor roles in the early and middle period operas of Giuseppe Verdi. He notably created the role of the Duke of Mantua in the world premiere of Verdi's ""Rigoletto"" in 1851. He was also a highly regarded interpreter of bel canto roles, excelling in the operas of Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti, and Gioachino"
"in Lucca, with his wife Vittoria Contini and their daughters. At the same time, he retains his strong connection to Sardinia, where he spends holidays and performs Sardinian folk songs in popular festivals. In 2008 he appeared as the Duke of Mantua in ""Rigoletto"" at the ""Verdi Festival"" in Parma, as well as in Dresden, Hong Kong, at the Teatro Regio in Turin, in ""Simon Boccanegra"" in Athens, and in ""La bohème"" in Bari and Sassari. In 2009, he made his debut as Nemorino in ""L'elisir d'amore"" in Teatro Filarmonico di Verona and also appeared in the opera at La"
"opera houses throughout Italy, including the Teatro Carlo Felice, the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, the Teatro di San Carlo, and the Teatro Regio di Torino. In 1919 he made his debut at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome as the Duke of Mantua in Giuseppe Verdi's ""Rigoletto"". In 1922 Broccardi performed several parts opposite Toti dal Monte at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo; including the Duke of Mantua, Giuseppe Hagenbacha in Alfredo Catalani's ""La Wally"", and Pinkerton in Puccini's ""Madama Butterfly"". In 1924 he sang the role of Osaka in Pietro Mascagni's ""Iris"" at the Teatro Municipale in Piacenza. In 1925"
"Bruno Landi Bruno Landi (25 April 1900 – 8 May 1968) was an Italian operatic tenor. Born in Volterra, Landi was a light lyric tenor """"with a clear voice, considerable extension and issue easy and very well controlled, but frequently resorted to the notes in falsetto"""" who debuted in 1925 at Campi Bisenzio in the role of the Duke of Mantua in ""Rigoletto"". In 1927 in Florence he sang in the role of Count Almaviva in Rossini's ""The Barber of Seville"". In 1931 he performed again in ""The Barber of Seville"" at the Teatro Regio of Parma, where he returned"
"their budget was spent on attracting the star singers of the day; this was the beginning of the reign of the castrato and the prima donna (leading lady). The chief composer of early Venetian opera was Monteverdi, who had moved to the republic from Mantua in 1613, with later important composers including Pier Francesco Cavalli, Antonio Sartorio, and Giovanni Legrenzi. Monteverdi wrote three works for the public theatres: ""Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria"" (1640), ""Le nozze d'Enea con Lavinia"" (1641, now lost) and, most famously, ""L'incoronazione di Poppea"" (1642). The subjects of the new operas by Monteverdi and others were"
"in Milan, and began studying with Mario Pieraccini. In 1918 he made his debut as an opera singer, under the stage name of Lionello Cecil, performing in the Storchi Theatre of Modena as Duca di Mantova (Verdi's Rigoletto). After his great success, he made a lot of operatic debuts in the other Italian opera theatres and became a leading tenor of the Italian Provincial Houses. In London, while he was on a concert tour, he married Argia Armanda Giustina Mattioni, a ballerina from Trieste, Italy. Over many years Cecil gave hundreds of performances in opera theatres all over Italy. He"
"appearances at the New German Theatre in Prague in 1908, 1910 and 1914. Also in 1914, he performed as a guest artist at the Odessa Opera, the Royal Swedish Opera, and the Teatro Corso in Bologna. For the 1914-1915 season, Salvaneschi was engaged at the Italian Opera in the Netherlands. He returned briefly to Italy in early 1915 to portray the Duke of Mantua in Giuseppe Verdi's ""Rigoletto"" at La Fenice with Mario Sammarco in the title role. Due to the difficulties in Italy during World War I, he decided to return to the Netherlands; working as a member of"
"scenic arts"". Paid for in the manner typical of the time – from the sale of boxes – in addition to a significant gift from Duke Friedrich IV, Vandelli created a design for the new theatre combining ideas from those in Piacenza, Mantua, and Milan, and it opened on 2 October 1841 with a performance of Gandini's ""Adelaide di Borgogna al Castello di Canossa"", an opera specially commissioned for the occasion. Modena has a rich and diversified cuisine, often including meats, hams and salamis. One of the most famous Modenese dishes is ""zampone"" (the fatter and heartier version) or ""cotechino"
"Francesco IV Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua Francesco IV Gonzaga (7 May 1586 – 22 December 1612), was Duke of Mantua and (as Francesco II) Duke of Montferrat between 9 February and 22 December 1612. Born in Mantua, he was the eldest son of Duke Vincenzo I and Eleonora de' Medici. In 1607, Claudio Monteverdi dedicated his opera ""L'Orfeo"" to Francesco. The title page of the opera bears the dedication ""Al serenissimo signor D. Francesco Gonzaga, Prencipe di Mantoua, & di Monferato, &c."" Francesco became Duke upon his father's death on 9 February 1612. He died at Mantua on 22 December"
"The opening scene presents Astucio, the musical director of the court, conducting an orchestra consisting of nobles, who study music to gain the Grand Duke's favour; they perform bad and finish making a quarrel, but Astucio succeeds to calm them (No. 1). The whole company proceeds to another room. Astucio's wife and ""prima donna"" Marietta comes to try a new piece of music she is going to sing this evening. But while she prepares to do this, a young man enters, Enrique. They recognize each other: they fell in love in Milan, before she fled away without saying a word."