"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."
"""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,"
"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"
"Source: Recordings of ""La cena della beffe"" on operadis-opera-discography.org.uk La cena delle beffe La cena delle beffe (""The Jesters' Supper"") is an opera in four acts composed by Umberto Giordano to an Italian libretto by Sem Benelli adapted from his 1909 play of the same name. The opera premiered on 20 December 1924 at La Scala. Milan. The story, set in Florence at the time of Lorenzo de' Medici, recounts the rivalry between Giannetto Malespini and Neri Chiaramantesi for the affections of the beautiful Ginevra and Giannetto's thirst for revenge over a cruel joke played on him by Neri and"
"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"
"Les vêpres siciliennes Les vêpres siciliennes (""The Sicilian Vespers"") is a grand opera in five acts by the Italian romantic composer Giuseppe Verdi set to a French libretto by Eugène Scribe and Charles Duveyrier from their work ""Le duc d'Albe"", which was written in 1838. ""Les vêpres"" followed immediately after Verdi's three great mid-career masterpieces, ""Rigoletto"", ""Il trovatore"" and ""La traviata"" of 1850 to 1853 and was first performed at the Paris Opéra on 13 June 1855. Today the opera is performed both in the original French and sometimes in its post-1861 Italian version as I vespri siciliani . The"
"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"
"ended the main Gonzaga line; the dukedom was inherited by a distant relative, Charles of Nevers, and Mantua was subsequently engulfed in a series of conflicts, which by 1630 had reduced much of the city to ruins. Monteverdi's last known letter to Striggio is dated 8 July 1628; Striggio died in Venice on 8 June 1630, while heading a mission requesting aid against the armies that were encircling Mantua. Between 1630 and 1643 Monteverdi wrote four operas for performance in Venice. All were staged in Monteverdi's lifetime, but only ""Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria"" and ""L'incoronazione di Poppea"" survive. ""Proserpina"
"I vespri siciliani I vespri siciliani (; ""The Sicilian Vespers"") is a five-act Italian opera originally written in French for the Paris Opéra by the Italian romantic composer Giuseppe Verdi and translated into Italian shortly after its premiere in June 1855. Under its original title, ""Les vêpres siciliennes"", the libretto was prepared by Eugène Scribe and Charles Duveyrier from their work ""Le duc d'Albe"", which was written in 1838 and offered to Halévy and Donizetti before Verdi agreed to set it to music in 1854. The story is loosely based on a historical event, the Sicilian Vespers of 1282, using"
"La cena delle beffe La cena delle beffe (""The Jesters' Supper"") is an opera in four acts composed by Umberto Giordano to an Italian libretto by Sem Benelli adapted from his 1909 play of the same name. The opera premiered on 20 December 1924 at La Scala. Milan. The story, set in Florence at the time of Lorenzo de' Medici, recounts the rivalry between Giannetto Malespini and Neri Chiaramantesi for the affections of the beautiful Ginevra and Giannetto's thirst for revenge over a cruel joke played on him by Neri and his brother Gabriello. Giannetto's revenge ""joke"" ultimately leads Neri"
"""I due Foscari"", are symptomatic of the taste for belcanto and Italian romantic melodrama: Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, and Verdi etc. They are still in the repertory, and Verdi is by far the most performed composer. The first operas by non Italian composers which were put on in the Liceu were Ferdinand Hérold's ""Zampa"" (1848), Carl Maria von Weber's ""Der Freischütz"" (1849), Giacomo Meyerbeer's ""Robert le diable"", Auber's ""La muette de Portici"" (1852) and ""Fra Diavolo"" (1853). All of these were sung in Italian as was the custom of the time. The first performances of ""Il trovatore"" (1854) and ""La traviata"""
"30 years. It is still performed only rarely. Archibaldo, the blind king, conquered the kingdom of Altura forty years before the opera begins. After forty years, the Alturan people openly object to the reign of the Germanic Archibaldo. Archibaldo recounts his memories of the thrill of conquest, and his reminiscence equates the invasion of Italy to the winning of a beautiful woman. The story unfolds as we learn that Archibaldo's son Manfredo has been married to the native Alturan princess Fiora. But Fiora is having an affair with another Alturan prince, Avito. Although Archibaldo suspects Fiora of infidelity, he falls"
"Germont. Graziani had not been well — one performance was cancelled because of his indisposition. Later in his career, in other Verdi roles, Graziani was more successful. Graziani returned to the Théâtre-Italien for the 1854–1855 season to sing Manrico in Verdi's ""Il trovatore"", with the contralto Adelaide Borghi-Mamo as Azucena. Verdi, who was in Paris at the time working on the Opéra's production of ""Les vêpres siciliennes"", was somehow persuaded by the Italien's director Calzado to not only sanction the production, but to help supervise, without a fee. The performances, which introduced the opera to Paris beginning on 23 December"
"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"
"(1871), with three late masterpieces: his Requiem (1874), and the operas ""Otello"" (1887) and ""Falstaff"" (1893). His operas remain extremely popular, especially the three peaks of his 'middle period': ""Rigoletto, Il trovatore"" and ""La traviata"", and the 2013 bicentenary of his birth was widely celebrated in broadcasts and performances. Verdi, the first child of Carlo Giuseppe Verdi (1785–1867) and Luigia Uttini (1787–1851), was born at their home in Le Roncole, a village near Busseto, then in the Département Taro and within the borders of the First French Empire following the annexation of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza in 1808."
"L'Orfeo L'Orfeo (SV 318) (), sometimes called La favola d'Orfeo , is a late Renaissance/early Baroque ""favola in musica"", or opera, by Claudio Monteverdi, with a libretto by Alessandro Striggio. It is based on the Greek legend of Orpheus, and tells the story of his descent to Hades and his fruitless attempt to bring his dead bride Eurydice back to the living world. It was written in 1607 for a court performance during the annual Carnival at Mantua. While Jacopo Peri's ""Dafne"" is generally recognised as the first work in the opera genre, and the earliest surviving opera is Peri's"
"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"
"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"
"Falstaff (opera) Falstaff () is a comic opera in three acts by the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. The libretto was adapted by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeare's ""The Merry Wives of Windsor"" and scenes from ""Henry IV"", parts 1 and 2. The work premiered on 9 February 1893 at La Scala, Milan. Verdi wrote ""Falstaff"", which was the last of his 28 operas, as he was approaching the age of 80. It was his second comedy, and his third work based on a Shakespeare play, following ""Macbeth"" and ""Otello"". The plot revolves around the thwarted, sometimes farcical, efforts of the fat"
"most tender and moving of Monteverdi's surviving operas, one which although it might disappoint initially, will on subsequent hearings reveal a vocal style of extraordinary eloquence. Monteverdi was an established court composer in the service of Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga in Mantua when he wrote his first operas, ""L'Orfeo"" and ""L'Arianna"", in the years 1606–08. After falling out with Vincenzo's successor, Duke Francesco Gonzaga, Monteverdi moved to Venice in 1613 and became director of music at St Mark's Basilica, a position he held for the rest of his life. Alongside his steady output of madrigals and church music, Monteverdi continued to"
"a comedy. Verdi disagreed and said that he longed to write another light-hearted opera, but nobody would give him the chance. He had included moments of comedy even in his tragic operas, for example in ""Un ballo in maschera"" and ""La forza del destino"". For a comic subject Verdi considered Cervantes's ""Don Quixote"" and plays by Goldoni, Molière and Labiche, but found none of them wholly suitable. The singer Victor Maurel sent him a French libretto based on Shakespeare's ""The Taming of the Shrew"". Verdi liked it, but replied that ""to deal with it properly you need a Rossini or"
"faded from public view until the mid-20th century revivals. Influenced by his friendship in the 1840s with Andrea Maffei, a poet and man of letters who had suggested both Schiller's ""Die Räuber"" (""The Robbers"") and Shakespeare's play ""Macbeth"" as suitable subjects for operas, Giuseppe Verdi received a commission from Florence's Teatro della Pergola, but no particular opera was specified. He only started working on ""Macbeth"" in September 1846, the driving reason for that choice being the availability of a particular singer, the baritone Felice Varesi who would sing the title role. With Varesi under contract, Verdi could focus on the"
"television broadcast in Europe which was shot in real locations in Mantua. He appeared as Doge Francesco Foscari in Verdi's ""I due Foscari"" in a production directed by Thaddeus Strassberger for the Los Angeles Opera in September 2012, in Valencia in early 2013, and at Covent Garden in late 2014. In March 2013, at the Metropolitan Opera, he appeared for the first time as Giorgio Germont in Verdi's ""La Traviata"". The following year, he sang Giacomo in Verdi's ""Giovanna d'Arco"" in Salzburg. Later in 2014, he debuted as the Conte di Luna in ""Il trovatore"" in Berlin. The following season,"
"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"
"and Fasolo’s dialogue ""Il carro di Madama Lucia"" (Rome, 1628), and the shared text of the first piece in both collections. In a comparison of the two cantatas Fasolo's version is ""languid and melancholy"", while Manelli's version is ""spirited and biting"". Operas, music for all of which is lost. Cantatas Francesco Manelli Francesco Manelli (Mannelli) ( 1595 – 1667) was a Roman Baroque composer, particularly of opera, and a theorbo player. He is most well known for his collaboration with fellow Roman composer Benedetto Ferrari in bringing commercial opera to Venice. The first two works, in 1637 and 1638, to"
"1854, were successful. (The next year Verdi sued the company for mounting productions of ""La traviata"" and ""Rigoletto"" with unauthorized material, but lost the case.) Graziani returned to La Scala in 1855 in Giuseppe Apolloni's ""L'ebreo"", and in 1862 performed there as Riccardo in Verdi's ""Un ballo in maschera"". Other Verdi roles at La Scala included the Duke of Mantua in ""Rigoletto"" and Enrico (Henri) in ""Giovanna de Guzman"" (the name used for the first Italian version of ""Les vêpres siciliennes""). He sang the title role in Donizetti's ""Dom Sébastien"" at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples in 1856, and"
"Duke of Mantua's arias, particularly ""La donna è mobile"" and ""Questa o quella"", have long been showcases for the tenor voice and appear on numerous recital discs. Amongst Enrico Caruso's earliest recordings are both these arias, recorded with piano accompaniment in 1902 and again in 1908 with orchestra. Luciano Pavarotti, who has recorded the arias for several recital discs, also sings the role of the Duke on three complete studio recordings of the opera: Decca (1972) conducted by Richard Bonynge; Decca (1989) conducted by Riccardo Chailly and Deutsche Grammophon (1993) conducted by James Levine. ""Rigoletto"" has been a popular subject"
"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"
"of ""Il trovatore"", recorded and issued by Sony, opened the 2000/2001 season at La Scala and the centennial of Verdi's death, the ""Anno Verdi"". The opera had not been performed at La Scala in 22 years, and controversy ensued after Muti, who was the conductor and who had personally hand-picked Licitra for the role of Manrico, forbade his tenor to sing the traditional, interpolated high C of the 3rd act cabaletta ""Di quella pira"". There was an uproar in the audience, who booed the maestro's decision. Six months later Licitra sang the part again in Verona to great acclaim. Prior"
"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"
"More than one writer, including Menotti himself, has suggested that he strongly identified with the poet in his story. The three creatures of the title are allegorical representations of stages in the poet's life, with The Unicorn representing the beauty and promise of youth, The Gorgon representing the success and haughtiness of middle age, and The Manticore representing the shy loneliness of old age. Despite its English language libretto, Menotti's work was modelled on the 16th-century Italian madrigal comedy or ""commedia harmonica"", a precursor to the opera genre and typified by Orazio Vecchi's "" L'Amfiparnaso"". Unlike conventional operas, all the"
"to write an opera for them. However, the management held him to it by threatening his librettist for failing to provide a libretto, and Verdi relented, encouraging Cammarano to develop ""a brief drama with plenty of interest, action and above all feeling – which would make it easier to set to music"" In Verdi's mind, he had the perfect subject, to be based on the novel ""L'assedio di Firenze"" (""The Siege of Florence"") by Francesco Domenico Guerrazzi, which glorified the life of the 16th Century Florentine soldier Francesco Ferruccio. This new subject was also a patriotic piece: Verdi had taken"
"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"