Lisette Oropesa (Gilda) in LA Opera’s 2018 production of Rigoletto. The energy and drive, as well as the abundance of melody have made Rigoletto one of the top ten most-performed operas of all time. (As mentioned, he does pause to insert a bel canto aria, a nod to the past, but it reflects Gilda’s ecstasy in the story as much as it reflects her vocal prowess.) Verdi’s powers would continue to grow, leading to Aida, Otello and Falstaff, but his output would slow down. The score by Giuseppe Verdi made him famous and ushered in a period where he was at the height of his prolific powers ( Il Trovatore and La Traviata would soon follow.) There is burst of creativity in this so-called “middle period” where Verdi breaks away from Italian opera conventions and becomes a true dramatist. Together, they give us some of the most splendid moments of the evening. Here she gets a thumbs-up for the impossibly difficult bel canto “Caro, nome,” but her greatest moments are in the several duets she shares with Mr. Lisette Oropesa (as Rigoletto’s daughter Gilda), was stunning as Eurydice in John Neumier’s Orpheus & Eurydice this last March. Rodriguez elevates every moment where he is present. In fact, he has to portray almost all of these emotions in the course of one aria, “Cortigiani, vil razza dannata!” It takes a world-class performer to do that.Īrturo Chacon-Cruz (The Duke of Mantua) and Liv Redpath (Countess Ceprano) in LA Opera’s 2018 production of Rigoletto. In both singing and acting, he masterfully plays all the agonizing transitions of the character: from snarky to angry to pathetic and, ultimately, to tragic. Rodriguez is thunder itself for all three acts. The stage effect of thunder is important to the final act of the opera, but the voice of Mr. ![]() Rodriguez is so brilliant in the role, in fact, that his performance overwhelms the rest of the production - which is good - but isn’t quite as great as he is. (Maria Ewing in Salome, is just one example.) Well, another “star is born” as Juan Jesus Rodriguez made his first appearance in the City of Angels in the title role of Rigoletto, as the cursed court jester. No pun intended, but LA Opera has had a few of those quakes. Sometimes when a singer makes his or her opera company debut, the results are earth-shaking. ![]() Verdi's tragedy in jest Review Loren Lester May 16, 2018
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