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Of all the operas composed in the mid-nineteenth century, Giuseppe Verdi’s taut tragedy, that in some ways is also a cautionary tale, Rigoletto with its colourful characters and eternal themes of vengeance, passion and lost innocence is the one that perhaps best translates to a modern telling. Relocated from Mantua, Italy to London, England and brought forward to just a hundred and fifty years ago, Rigoletto is in some ways also a cautionary tale of a comedian who goes too far with his buffoonery and his daughter, who loves not prudently, but too well.

The opera, originally named La Maledizione, but later changed to that of its central character Rigoletto, a master of bad karma, is densely packed with emotional arias and filled with curses and ironic twists. Vancouver Opera has for this production assembled a fine cast of singers who breathe life into their roles. The reward is that audiences enjoy a production is full of passion and high drama, where everyone delivers, and even the minor characters filling in.

Sarah Dufresne as Gilda and Michael Chioldi as Rigoletto Photo: Emily Cooper

American baritone Michael Chioldi turns in a masterful performance of the ambiguous and tortured Rigoletto. His movement on stage provides the sense of obsession for his daughter’s wellbeing. His Act 2 aria Cortigiani, vil razza dannata he sings when discovering his daughter has been kidnapped is full of pathos. Canadian soprano Sarah Dufresne as the enchanting Gilda demonstrated intelligence and sensitivity, especially with her lovesick aria Gualtier Maldè.
The combination of sex addiction and the social position to indulge such a fixation can be a lethal mix. Chinese tenor Yongzhao Yu as the hedonistic Duke of Mantua delivers the appropriate narcissism for a Verdi villain. His cavalier vocals on his signature aria, La donna è mobile (Woman is fickle) is delivered with gusto. I would have liked to see and hear more of mezzo-soprano Emma Parkinson as the assassin’s seductive sidekick.

The orchestra, under the baton of Maestro Jacques Lacombe demonstrated their familiarity of the work with a brilliantly accurate reading. The chorus, perhaps the bedrock of the company, was in exceptional vocal and dramatic form, sounding as if their careers might have depended on it.
James Rotondo’s well constructed set might have been a little brighter, particularly as the London Men’s Club in the first act, but I did like the portrait of Queen Victoria hanging in space.

Vancouver’s opera buffs are indeed fortunate to have such a viable company that is able to put on such excellent productions, sure, they have made cutbacks like reducing the generous coated paper programs to a single letter size page folded in two, but in many cities opera companies are really struggling.

© 2025 John Anthony Jane