Rigoletto

Power and powerlessness, revenge and a family curse

The lubricious Duke of Mantua entertains himself at the people’s expense – raping and taking what he pleases. Rigoletto, the court jester, survives in the palace by encouraging the reign of terror. At a big party, a man turns up whose daughter has been abducted by the duke. Rigoletto mocks him, upon which the man puts a curse on Rigoletto. This scares Rigoletto. When not dressed as a jester, Rigoletto is quite a different person indeed. At home, he is an overprotective father to his daughter Gilda, who longs to get out and start living …
 
Premiering in Venice in 1851, Rigoletto is one of Verdi’s darkest and most dramatic operas. The story line in Sofia Jupither’s version circles around men with power and vulnerable women in a world where fear dominates. Jupither is a director of theatre and TV and her brutal interpretation of Salome starring Nina Stemme at the Royal Swedish Opera in 2013, won wide critical acclaim.