A tragedy of Shakespearean dimensions is brought to life by some of opera’s most passionate and memorable music in the COC’s fall production of Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi. The story of the tragic jester, Rigoletto, who vows to avenge his cruelly seduced daughter but ends up losing everything he loves, comes alive in a new production by the innovative team of COC Music Director Johannes Debus, American director Christopher Alden and award-winning Canadian designer Michael Levine. Sung in Italian with English SURTITLES™, Rigoletto runs for 12 performances at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts on Sept. 29, 30 and Oct. 2, 5, 8, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 20, 22, 2011.
Synopsis
About the Production
Musical Excerpts
About the Cast and Creative Team
Hawaiian baritone Quinn Kelsey makes his COC debut as Rigoletto. The San Francisco Chronicle praised his voice as "a rare and welcome gift, an enormous vocal sound that he deploys with the lightness of an acrobat." Kelsey shares the role with Lester Lynch, an American baritone whose voice the New York Times praised as "magnificently forceful."
Russian soprano Ekaterina Sadovnikova makes her COC debut as Gilda, a role she recently sang in an impressive debut at Royal Opera House Covent Garden. She shares the role with Ensemble Studio member Simone Osborne, a young Canadian soprano who charmed audiences in February as Pamina in The Magic Flute.
Tenors Dimitri Pittas, described as "a huge talent, with a ringing, easy tenor voice" by Opera News, and David Lomeli, a first-prize winner of the prestigious Operalia competition, share the role of the Duke.
The COC's acclaimed Music Director, Johannes Debus, will conduct. The Toronto Star described his interpretation of Aida in 2010 as "stirring" and "richly textured," with concertonet.com praising it as "a full-bodied Verdian treat."
One of the world's foremost opera directors, Christoper Alden, has created a production that sets the opera in the male-dominated environment of a Victorian-era gaming room. He comments that the production is meant to "to lure the audience into a sumptuous, glamorous world."
The sets and costumes are designed by Michael Levine, whose previous COC collaborations include some of our most renowned and internationally acclaimed productions (Bluebeard’s Castle/Erwartung, Oedipus Rex and Symphony of Psalms, the Ring Cycle)
Costume sketches by Michael Levine
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Preliminary sketch of Rigoletto by Michael Levine, set and costume designer for Rigoletto.
Preliminary sketch of Gilda.
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