Christopher Maltman, Markus Brück, Benjamin Bernheim, Saimir Pirgu, Olga Peretyatko & Rinat Shaham Lead ‘Rigoletto’ at Gran Teatre del Liceu

(Credit: Antoni Bofill) The Gran Teatre del Liceu has announced the upcoming performances of Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” The opera will star Benjamin Bernheim, Saimir Pirgu and Josep Bros in the role of Duca di Mantua; Olga Peretyatko and Aigul Khismatullina as Gilda; Grigory Shkarupa and Liang Li in the role of Sparafucile; Rinat Shaham and Nino Surguladze as Maddalena; and Christopher {…}

Oct 8, 2021

‘Rigoletto al Circo Massimo’ to be Premiere at Rome Film Festival

The Rome Film Festival is set to present three evenings dedicated to the opera. On Oct. 20, the festival will showcase the documentary “Rigoletto al Circo Massimo” by Indigo Film, Rai Cinema, and MIC-Direzione Generale Cinema. This represents esteemed opera director Damiano Michieletto’s cinema debut. The film features the musical direction of Daniele Gatti and a cast that includes Roberto {…}

Sep 17, 2021

Royal Opera House 2021-22 Review: Rigoletto

(Credit: (c) ROH 2021. Ellie Kurttz) Antonio Pappano has been at the Royal Opera House for nearly two decades, yet has never conducted “Rigoletto,” a capstone of the repertory. This would be his first performance of the work – and the opening shot of the 2021-22 season at the Royal Opera. Another first for Oliver Mears, artistic director of the {…}

Sep 6, 2021

Royal Opera House Announces Cast Change for ‘Rigoletto’

(Credit: Frances Marshall) The Royal Opera House has announced a cast change for its upcoming production of “Rigoletto.” In the role of Sparafucile, Brindley Sherratt will replace Andrea Mastroni in all September performances. The British bass made his Royal Opera debut in 2001 as in “L’anima del filosofo” and has since performed in the company’s “Die Zauberflöte,” “Eugene Onegin,” “Rigoletto,” {…}

Aug 30, 2021

Bregenz Festival 2021 Review: Rigoletto

The Bregenzer Festspiele, the annual open-air summer opera festival which takes place in Bregenz, Austria, revived its spectacular production of “Rigoletto” this July, a performance which originally premiered in the summer of 2019. After being closed for one season due to the pandemic, the festival has reopened, now requiring attendants to provide proof of negative COVID tests or vaccine certificates {…}

Aug 5, 2021

Page to Opera Stage: Hugo’s & Verdi’s Dangerous Fools in ‘Le roi s’amuse’ & ‘Rigoletto’

“Page to Opera Stage” looks at stories – real-life or fiction, old and new – that have inspired operas, and the ways these narratives have been edited and dramatized to fit a new medium. In this instalment, we look at one more theatrical play – this one loosely based on reality – that was later adapted to a (more heavily {…}

Aug 2, 2021

Željko Lučić Signs with New Management for North & South America

(Credit: Bettina Stöss) Famed baritone Željko Lučić, has signed with Mirshak Artists Management for his engagements in North and South America. In North America, the famed baritone is set to appear at the Metropolitan Opera this upcoming season as Baron Scarpia in Puccini’s “Tosca.” Outside of those performances, he is slated to appear in performance at La Coruña, Spain for {…}

Jul 26, 2021

Met Opera’s ‘Rigoletto’ Undergoes Cast Change

The Metropolitan Opera’s new “Rigoletto” has undergone a cast change. Ludovic Tézier, who was originally announced as the baritone tasked with taking on the title role from May 28 through June 11 in the production’s second run, has been replaced by Quinn Kelsey, who will now sing all performances. He will join Kristina Mkhitaryan and Stephen Costello. Karl Marek Chichon {…}

Jul 19, 2021

Q & A: Stage Director Femi Elufowoju Jr on His Debut as the First Black Opera Director at a Major UK House

(Credit: Tyler Fayose) Femi Elufowoju Jr is a practitioner of many crafts. He’s a screen actor with 15 credits, a stage director who has been at the helm for myriads of productions, and a film director. But there was a missing piece. Elufowoju Jr is a music lover and comprehends the enormous power it can have over an audience. The {…}

Jul 17, 2021

Opera Quiz: How Well Do You Know Verdi’s ‘Rigoletto?’

As we did with the last quiz, we’re going to have some fun with some of opera’s major repertory staples. This week we look at Verdi’s seminal “Rigoletto.” The quiz will not only test your knowledge of its musical passages, story points, as well as some other miscellaneous information. My hope is that this quiz will provide some new and {…}

Jul 13, 2021

Andriana Chuchmann, Santiago Ballerini, Craig Verm, Reginald Smith Jr., Karin Wolverton Headline Opera San Antonio’s 2021-22 Season

San Antonio Opera has unveiled its plans for the 2021-22 season, which will feature two operas. First up is a production of “Don Giovanni.” The opera will star Craig Verm in the title role alongside Michael Samuel as Leporello and Mark Diamond as Massetto. Raquel González will be Donna Anna with Karin Wolverton as Donna Elvira and Kresley Figueroa as {…}