REVIEW: Verdi's Rigoletto - Liverpool Empire Theatre

Award winning producer Ellen Kent along with Opera and ballet international bring two stunning operas to the Liverpool Empire this weekend. Friday night kicked things off with Verdi's Rigoletto as it's three acts took centre stage. A masterpiece of Italian opera composer Verdi, the captivating tale which tells of Rigoletto, the Duke of Mantua's jester and his experience of heartache. When his daughter Gilda, the love of his life who he fiercely protects becomes romantically involved with  the Duke and is ultimately abducted and seduced by him, he  hires a hit-man (Sparafucile) to assassinate the Duke. Throughout the masterpiece, tragedy prevails as well as lust and betrayal. 

The audience feels empathy for the hunch-backed court jester Rigoletto as they watch him plot his revenge on the Duke in his unsuccessful attempt to prevent the love affair between him and his beloved daughter. Originally performed in Venice in 1851 and based on Victor Hugo's notorious play Le Roi s'amuse, sung in Italian with English surtitles, the performance was captivating from the outset. With drama throughout and exceptional vocals from the entire cast the opera proved a welcome respite from a bitterly cold March evening. Back in the 1800's the opera was almost banned because it exposed the promiscuous behaviour of the powers-that-be of the time. There were several scenes of nudity during the performance in reenactment of this type of conduct It was done tastefully however and reinforced the point of the immoral goings as portrayed by the story.

Critically acclaimed soprano Alyona Kistenyova was exceptional in her role as Gilda as was Iurie Gisca as Rigoletto. The full orchestra were magnificent and hearing two of the most celebrated arias firsthand was truly memorable - La Donna è Mobile and Questa o Quella. I look for part two of an opera weekend on Saturday evening for the productions performance of Madama Butterfly.

PR Rating- four star vocal perfection.