Met Opera 2018-19 Preview: Nadine Sierra, Vittorio Grigolo, Rosa Feola Star In Verdi’s ‘Rigoeltto
By David SalazarVerdi’s “Rigoletto” returns to the Metropolitan Opera on Feb. 12 with a cast that includes a number of major superstars, as well as a major debutante.
Here is a look at the cast for the opera.
Title Character
Roberto Frontali will hit a major Met Opera milestone during the February/March run of performances – he will achieve his 100th Met Opera performance. The Italian baritone made his Met debut in 1992 and was a mainstay with the company throughout the 1990s and early 2000’s. He stopped appearing with the company after 2009, but returned in 2015 and then in 2018. This season he has already appeared in performances of “Aida.”
In the Spring, George Gagnidze takes on the role for four shows. He authored his 100th Met performance earlier this season in “Il Trittico.” He has been a Met mainstay since his debut in 2009, also in “Rigoletto,” a role he has performed 21 times at the Met.
The Daughter
Nadine Sierra returns to her signature role for another nine performances in February and March. The soprano made her Met debut as Gilda in 2015 and has appeared in it at La Scala, the Opéra National de Paris, and the Chorégies d’Orange. She will reprise the role in Berlin later this year.
Meanwhile Rosa Feola will make her hotly anticipated Met debut in April. She has sung the role of Gilda in Chicago, Napoli, Munich, and Zürich.
The Duke
Vittorio Grigolo takes on his signature Duke first. He already has six performances of this opera at the Met (he has 85 Met showcases since debuting in 2010) and has also taken on the role in Milan, Zürich, Paris, and in the filmed version in Mantua.
Tenor Bryan Hymel is set to take over the role in early March and then in April. He previously took on the role in Berlin.
Ramona Zaharia will appear as Maddalena while Stefan Kocán will be Sparafucile, a role he has taken on at the Met 38 times since his 2009 debut. Dmitry Ivashchenko will get four performances in April and May.
Nicola Luisotti conducts all the performances of the opera.
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