Music by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Francesco Piave
Based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo
First performed at Teatro la Fenice, Venice, Italy, March 11, 1851
Sung in Italian with English Supertitles
THE CAST
(In order of appearance)
| CHARACTER | ORIGINAL CAST | SAN DIEGO CAST |
| The Duke of Mantua, tenor | Raffaille Mirate | Roberto Aronica (Italy)* |
| Borsa, a courtier, tenor | Angelo Zuliani | Joseph Hu (Taiwan) |
| Countess Ceprano, mezzo-soprano | Luigia Morselli | Crystal Jarrell (USA)*+ |
| Rigoletto, the court jester, baritone | Felice Varesi | Lado Atanelli (Georgia) |
| Marullo, a courtier, baritone | Francesco De Kunnerth | Malcolm MacKenzie (USA) |
| Count Ceprano | Andrea Bellini | Samuel Spade (USA)*+ |
| Count Monterone, baritone | Feliciano Ponz | Arutjun Kotchinian (Armenia) |
| Sparafucile, an assassin, bass | Paolo Damini | L’Ubica Vargicova (Slovakia)* |
| Gilda, Rigoletto's daughter, soprano | Teresa Brambilla | Martha Jane Howe (USA) |
| Giovanna, Gilda's duenna, mezzo-soprano | Laura Saini | Kirstin Chavez (USA) |
| Maddalena, Sparafucile's sister, mezzo-soprano | Annetta Casaloni | Suzanna Guzmán (USA) |
| A Page, mezzo-soprano | TBD | |
| Conductor | Edoardo Muller (Italy) | |
| Director | Lotfi Mansouri (Iran) | |
| *
San Diego Opera début |
||
PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
| Gilda = JEEL-dah | Maledizione = mah-leh-dee-tsee-OH-neh |
| Monterone = mohn-teh-ROH-neh | Sparafucile = spah-rah-foo-CHEE-leh |
| Piave = pee-AH-veh | Rigoletto = ree-goh-LEHT-toh |
| Ceprano = cheh-PRAH-noh | Tóth = TOHTH |
| Mantua = MAHN-too-ah | Giuseppe Verdi = jeu-SEHP-peh VEHR-dee |