Despite the fact that about 165 years have passed since the creation of the opera, Rigoletto continues to be popular among art fans around the world.
History
Verdi's opera Rigoletto was created between 1850 and 1851. For such a short period, Giuseppe managed to write his vision of the play of Victor Hugo, which was called "The King Funs."
When the writer created his work, it was banned. French authorities felt that the story would undermine confidence in the court.
Verdi could also fall out of favor. He had to change several acting characters. In particular, the king was replaced by the duke, and the buffoon became Rigoletto. The summary as a whole has remained untouched. The composer was a fan of Victor Hugo. He tried to retell the story as he sees it.
Francesco Maria Piave, Verdi's longtime friend, set about creating a libretto for Rigoletto. A summary is described below.
It was originally planned that Rigoletto would become a handsome hero, instead of an ugly jester.
This work was first shown in Venice, in March 1851.
Adaptation
Representative of French romanticism, Victor Hugo never sought to please the authorities and showed the life of ordinary people, with all the horrors and vices of poverty. In the same way, he was not afraid to describe the royal court. Verdi's opera Rigoletto ruled out the mention of the monarch.
In his play, he not only showed
fictional characters. Hugo took real people, endowed with power, and placed in implausible situations. This impudent at that time trick could not pass the attention of dignitaries. She caused a series of scandals. "The King Amuses himself" was banned from staging. Verdi's Rigoletto opera is not so politicized.
The protagonist of the story
Hugo departs from romantic images, handsome young men at court. He creates an ugly dwarf who became an allegory for the entire political regime that existed at that time. A jester, mocking the vices of the powerful, could really exist in reality.
If he was not, then the courts of Louis the Twelfth and Francis the First are absolutely real.
Tribule has become a true legend. He was so often praised in ballads, stories were written about him, and he was mentioned in proverbs and mysteries that it is now difficult for scientists to judge which of all that was fiction and which was true. Whether it existed is also unclear.
Victor Hugo had his own view on this character. He endowed the jester with new character traits and made him the main character.
The main plot was built on the attempts of the court comedian to combine two different personalities. Under the king, he was a very impudent mocker, who tried at all costs to amuse the master. In everyday life, Tribulus seemed a kind, decent man with a big heart. He saw all the flaws of the yard life of wealthy loafers and condemned them for it.
As a result, the clown gets into one of the cruel practical jokes of his master.
Hugo agreed to staging the play, and it was shown in 1832 at a local theater. After the first viewing, the production became banned for mocking the king’s power.
But when the last monarch of France, Napoleon the Third, was removed, the play was allowed. Fifty years passed, and she returned to the theater without mention of Rigoletto. The summary of the play also caused public debate.
In the Russian Empire of that time, no one knew anything about this masterpiece of the
French writer . The play was banned as one that could jeopardize the power of the emperor.
How Verdi's opera Rigoletto was created: in abbreviation
The Italian Verdi chose this literary hit after many years for his unusual images, bold statements, relevance. He undertook to write opera at a time when the play was still forbidden.
Verdi decided that the plot was just perfect for a musical production.
It was decided to change pampered France to passionate Italy. The composer shortened the whole plot to fill the main part with music.
When the opera indicators the writer, Hugo did not like her. He noticed that Verdi removed all political tragedy and focused on the story of the jester.
While Hugo liked political hints in the play, the musician preferred the romantic story of one person.
Verdi was going to call the opera "Curse" because of the unlucky fate of Tribulus.
Censorship
The composer also had difficulties with the administration of the theater, where the opera was to be premiered for the first time. They did not like the fact that Rigoletto Verdi was not a classic handsome man, but a terrible hunchback. He replied that it was this image that seemed to him the most attractive. Giuseppe really wanted to see how an outwardly ugly man would conquer everyone with his inner beauty.
The fight against censorship also manifested itself in the fact that Verdi refused to cut the libretto, change the hunchback to a typical character, and remove the monarch Francis from the plot.
He began to look for theaters where opera could be staged. They refused him. Everyone wanted Verdi to remove allusions to the cruelty of power.
And so the king became the duke, and Tribule was called Rigoletto. The summary remained almost intact. The composer gave way to see his work on stage. He could not wait as much time as Hugo himself.
Opera "Rigoletto". Summary
It all starts with the fact that a jester with a nobleman overly bothers a certain Earl of Monterone. He is angry with the freak and curses forever.
The jester Rigoletto amuses the public by choosing objects for ridicule of the rich nobles. Those want to get even with him. At this moment, Monterone appears, sends a curse on the duke. The latter abused his daughter. Together with the count Rigoletto suffers. The summary cannot but mention that from that moment the buffoon sees in all failures a curse that has come true.
The slutty duke falls in love with his daughter Rigoletto, Gilda, not knowing her origin. Feeling tired of the young beauty, he falls in love with Maddalena, the sister of the local bandit Sparafucile.
Climax
At this time, the courtiers, who played the jester, decide to take revenge on him. They blindfold Rigoletto and convince them to steal one countess named Ceprano. Instead of a fictional woman, the jester helps them unknowingly steal Gilda. Realizing what he had done, Rigoletto asked the nobles to let the girl go, saying that she was his daughter. At this time, Gilda from the ducal bedrooms goes to meet him. The landlord himself has long been in the arms of Maddalena. With them, he confesses that he is in love with the sister of the robber. Deceived by Gilda in despair. But Rigoletto decides to persuade Sparafucile to kill the duke.
Maddalena learns of her brother’s contract and begs him not to. After long quarrels, he agrees. They decide that they will kill the first person who entered the door. Gilda, having lost hope for a happy future, overheard the conversation, comes to them.
Denouement
When Rigoletto comes to take an order, he sees a bag with a body. Then from the other room the voice of the duke is heard. He does not understand who they left him in the bag. And then Rigoletto sees his dead beautiful daughter. Father's grief is inconsolable. This is the entire opera Rigoletto, the summary of which has just been retold.
The music in the opera is constantly changing to alarming, to strengthen the upcoming drama, to show the jester's experiences about his curse.