Rigoletto

Rigoletto, among Verdi's most popular operas, is the one that made him immortal. On its opening night, on March 11, 1851, listeners fell in love with Verdi and his music, and they would never turn their back on him ever again. He would become Italy's beloved composer. Unlike previous operas he composed, whose text was poor and failed to compete with Verdi's music, this is the first opera where the libretto is of a high level and that presents true drama. The opera was formed on the basis of Victor Hugo's play, "Le Roi s'amuse" (1832).

The opera's plot is not quite inspiring. Gilda is the secret daughter of the hunchback Rigoletto, the court jester of the corrupt Duke of Mantua. She has a secret wooer, the Duke himself, interested in another conquest, so to speak. When the duke's assistant plays a prank and kidnaps Gilda, Rigoletto hires an assassin to kill the Duke. But Gilda, confused by love, is shot instead of him, and dies. The Duke remains intact.