Verdi: Rigoletto / David McVicar, Royal Opera House

Verdi's brilliant Rigoletto is an opera not to be missed ... and so is the magnificent baritione Paolo Gavanelli as the title character in this David McVicar production. The sound of his voice is truly awesome, and I find it a pity that this is the only opera DVD on which he appears. His acting is captivating as well.Christine Schafer is wonderful as Rigoletto's daughter Gilda. Together, they display a splendid chemistry.The duke is performed admirably by the ever capable Marcello Alvarez.Normally, I'm not a big fan of Kultur releases ... in fact, I had to check and see if my copy was from Kultur, or the Opus Arte release also available through amazon (for 2 or 3 times the $). The video seems fine, although the audio is at times a little uneven (and this was also pointed out by another reviewer concerning the Opus Arte release as well).However, Paolo Gavanelli's breathtaking baritone and Ms. Schafer's ever reliable and inspiring effort make this a favorite among the 30 or so operas in my collection.

Marcello Alvarez is about as harsh and unlistenable a bellowing tenor as you will find. Grates on the nerves like the cheap, ugly "chicken wire" fence that provides the visual focus for the production. Stark, drab, black/white "scenery" and costumes underscore the overdoing of Rigoletto as monster insect [canes attached to both arms as he "crab-walks" about the stage]. Gavanelli seems to have a good voice, but once you have heard Sherrill Milnes in the part, with his beautifully expressive voice, giving us a Rigoletto as flawed, but touchingly vulnerable, you will probably be unsatisfied with crude black/white versions. Is the director on an absurdly tight budget, or is he afraid that current morality might miss the point that the Duke and company are immoral?

If you have as good a cast as they did in this production and all the principals performed quite well, why the nudity in the opening scene? Keep that stuff for "Salome" where it is fully justified if done as well as Maria Ewing did at the ROH or Catherine Malfitano at the Deutsche Oper.

What I expected. Like the setting and direction... Showed off a tough time and place to live.I have seen better looking Madellanas.

This is a DVD reproduction from an original VHS recording of the opera therefore the sharpness of the images is not as good as a digital recording; but the superb acting makes up for any of the technical shortcomings

Wonderfully creative production. The mood is somber, but sensual. The singing is strong. If you want to listen to Rigoletto, select another production. But, if you want to listen AND watch, this version is spellbinding.

I bought this back when it was new, watched it and enjoyed it and put it on the shelf. Recently, I've been trying to introduce somebody to opera, and we watched it again, so it's fresh in my mind. I'm not bothered by nudity and simulated sex in a stage production as long as they're justified, and in the libretto of the opera Monterone refers to the Duke's parties as "vostr’orgie" or "your orgies," so it's not at all inappropriate, even if it wouldn't have been allowed in Verdi's day. If you're sensitive to these things, then this gritty staging of Rigoletto probably isn't for you.The singing is good and the vocal acting is excellent. Alvarez doesn't bring the same vocal sureness to the role as somebody like Pavarotti, but his voice is pleasant enough at this point of his career and he hits all of the high notes without trouble (no high D at the end of "Possente amor," which might be for the best, though there is a D-flat with Gilda at the end of the Act I duet). He's not the most attractive Duke, but he's believably a lech, which I mean as a compliment here. He's all about power and decadence and who cares about anything else?Paolo Gavanelli isn't a singer we hear about much, and apart from a recording of Verdi's Alzira under Fabio Luisi, he isn't in my opera library at all. He has a tendency to bark sometimes or pull back into a mixed voice for softer notes, but he's extremely expressive. At the time of this recording, he was doing Rigoletto in all the major houses, and with this kind of commitment to the role, it's easy to see why, even if he doesn't have the beautiful voice like MacNeil, Merrill, or Milnes. I would hate to have to sing in some of the contorted positions he gets into on the floor, but he does it very well for the most part, and when the chips are down, the top A-flats are perfectly secure.Christine Schäfer is, in a word, ravishing. She has a youthful appearance and demeanor, and a lighter voice much more suggestive of Gilda's character than some of the greats. Will I ever give up Sutherland's Gilda? Absolutely not, but by contrast she sounds rather more matronly, even if her trills and high notes are of top quality. Schäfer sings and acts adolescent and genuinely confused, terrified, and enamored as appropriate. She has a voice of exceptional purity, and it is not surprising that most of her other repertoire is Bach, Mozart, and 20th century music. She was a favorite of Pierre Boulez and did the treacherous Herzgewächse under his direction, which goes up to an effortless high F, as well as Pierrot Lunaire. She also sings an appropriate boyish Cherubino, but her Gilda is feminine (at least up to Act III where her hair is shorn off) and sensitive.Eric Halfvarson as Sparafucile is as good as it gets in that part, if not quite as imposing as Talvela or Vinco. I had never heard of Graciela Araya, but she's excellent as Maddalena, and apparently she enjoyed a lot of success as Carmen.Bottom line is that it's a weird production with a lot to recommend it musically and dramatically. Some of the costumes look like they'd be more at home in a leather bar than an opera house, but I still enjoy it a great deal.

Update: I am changing my ratings to five stars to help counter the reviewer who gave this two Stars because their VHS tape was broken. it is really a 4-star DVD because of the below mentioned bad things.Bad: Orchestra gets a bit loud at times, but they play very well together. Also, it is the darkest and raunchiest version I have seen. Strict traditionalists will run for the hills.Good: The cast is great. Alvarez is very entertaining as the vile Duke, and Gavanelli was a repulsive jester. Some of his singing brought me to tears. Schafer is a fine Gilda. Caro nome is excellent, as is the great quartet. Overall a worthy addition.

One always rates any performance of Rigoletto against that done by Pavarotti, Sutherland and Milne back in 1971, it simply cannot be helped. Even so, this version does not disappoint.Although it seemed to start a little on the weak side, you could hear the performers coming into their voices as the show progressed sounding stronger and more pronounced. Why they don't mike everyone is still frustrating but you forgive this as the you are entertained with a noteworthy presentation.Marcelo Alvarez's gave not his best performance but he pulls it off quite effectively. As Verdi is such a demanding composer it is a true pleasure to hear a soprano like Schafer pick up the gauntlet and hold her own . Gavanelli as Rigoletto is outstanding. Be prepared for some stellar acting on his part. The quartet is done to near perfection.The set design was very good and the debauchery of the court was depicted well. As this is my favorite opera, and as previously mentioned I judge it against the greatest performance ever I came away with goosebumps and tears.Worth the money and worth the time.

Be aware that despite its quality, this production of one of Verdi's most celebrated operas depicts the first orgie scene very explicitely, including full front nudity.