Enrico Caruso in The Met’s Rigoletto, 1903, photo by Aimé Dupont
This new, Las Vegas-set Met Opera production of Verdi‘s 1851 opera Rigoletto is a far cry from earlier Met productions, including the 1903 season-opener where celebrated Italian tenor Enrico Caruso made his house debut as the Duke of Mantua. It was an important debut, so the Met archives have a whole article devoted to it, with lots of fun anecdotes and primary documents.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzk5YLH4oxo&w=350&h=300]Did you know there have been 9 different productions of Rigoletto at the Met? Just one of the fun (if you’re me, at least) things you can learn on The Met’s online archives, which I am learning to love. New productions are very well-documented, with plenty of production and rehearsal photos.
Met Rigoletto 2012, photo by Ken Howard, copyright Metropolitan Opera
PBS will show the Met Opera‘s new production of Rigoletto tomorrow at 9 pm, with a repeat airing on Sunday at 12:30 in New York. Check your local listings.
will be watching!