Verdi - Rigoletto (Marcello Viotti, Leo Nucci, Inva Mula) [2002]

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This is a superb performance of Rigoletto made at the Arena di Verona. TDK has issued some excellent opera DVDs recently, featuring Eurpean performances, where opera is taken seriously. The digital video and the DTS sound option make the performance very realistic on a big screen TV. Although this is an outdoor performance, on the screen it comes across very well, and there is no sonic compromise, either. Aquiles Machado is a very good Duke; his spinto voice is perfect for the role, and his interpretation has enough con brio to fit the part. Inva Mula does the most she can with the role of Gilda, which is a "look pretty/sing pretty" character. In her opening scene with Rigoletto, she sings in a pure lyric style, but the voice becomes more of a spinto in the second and third acts, with more richness. I think that it is an artistic bit with Mula and it makes more of Gilda's character than one usually experiences. Mario Luperi (Sparafucile) and Sarah M'Punga (Maddalena) interpret their characters well, but are both vocally less than expected. Marcello Viotti conducts in the style of Toscanini and Levine: it is a brisk, but not at all rushed, interpretation. Which brings me to Leo Nucci as Rigoletto. Nucci has been around for quite a while, and some recent performances have been a bit uneven, but he steal this show with a near perfect - vocally and interpretively - rendition of the part. The depth of character he brings to his role is best dramatized when he comes "out of character" for curtain calls. By John G. Gleeson Sr.

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Performer:
Rigoletto - Leo Nucci
Gilda - Inva Mula
Duke of Mantova - Aquiles Machado
Sparafucile - Mario Luperi
Maddalena - Sarah M'Punga
Orchestra, Choir and Corps de Ballet of Arena Di Verona
Conductor – Marcello Viotti