An opera that engulfs the listeners' emotions.
This October, Gozo’s Teatru Astra is set to show the impressive opera masterpiece that is Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto.
Composed during his middle period, Rigoletto is the first opera of Verdi's popular trilogy which comprises also Il Trovatore and La Traviata.
The opera owes most of its popularity to the way the modesty and delicacy of the music engulfs the listeners' emotions through ineffably beautiful duets and a prodigality of melodic invention, exalting Verdi's sublime search for human truth through a colourful palette hidden behind the mask of Rigoletto, the Mantuan jester.
The loving and protective fatherly figure that is hidden behind the court jester's costume, is terrified by a curse put on him by Monterone as the latter is being led to prison after denouncing the Duke for having seduced his daughter.
Rigoletto is also secretly protecting his daughter Gilda from the dangers presented by those surrounding her. Gilda is eventually also seduced by the Duke of Mantua, as she is taken to his bedroom. Feeling dishonoured when noticing the duke getting his share of other women as well, Rigoletto gets his revenge by hiring the professional assassin Sparafucile, to kill the Duke in the middle of the night. Gilda however, smitten to the end by the Duke, secretly slips into his place and falls victim to the assassin's stabbing, with the shattered Rigoletto finding Gilda's body, thus fulfilling the final piece of Monterone's curse.
The brand-new production of Rigoletto will be staged at Teatru Astra under the artistic direction of Enrico Stinchelli, with the participation of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Teatru Astra's opera conductor, Mro Dr John Galea, on the 26th and 28th October 2023.
The talented ensemble of performers will include Simone Piazzola in the title role of the hunchback jester, Rigoletto. Piazzola’s commanding voice possesses the noble and singular recognisable timbre of a baritone of the highest standards, with a burnishing presence on stage. Rigoletto’s daughter, Gilda, will be performed by the dashing Enkeleda Kamani, a budding Albanian soprano whose recent awards and achievements put her among the top young artists of our era, having also secured roles at La Scala, Palermo, Verona, the Royal Opera House , and Florence.
The Duke of Mantua, the playboy who Rigoletto works for, will be performed by Gianluca Terranova, the Roman tenor who certainly needs no introduction. Terranova is currently one of the most sought-after lyric tenors due to his natural ease on the high register, as well as his great stage presence. Terranova is famous for playing the title role in RAI’s bibliographic film Caruso: la voce dell’amore.
Dario Russo will enter the shoes of an assassin in the role of Sparafucile. Astra’s audiences are quite acquainted with Russo, known as a sumptuous basso of a noble tone and a homogenous singing line of a consistent tone, smooth phrasing, even vibrato, and balanced dynamics and articulation. Maddalena will be played by mezzo soprano Martina Belli. Belli is no newcomer in this role, having sang it at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw to high acclaim.
Online booking for the double performance on the 26th and 28th October 2023 is available on www.teatruastra.org.mt.