Rigoletto

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Last Thursday evening, Rigoletto gave me a taste of an art form different from all of the types our Arts in NYC class has exposed us to. The opera combines song, dance,   acting, scenery, costumes, etc. to provide a rich experience, foreshadowed by an air of excitement one felt upon entering the crowded and wonderfully decorated theatre. Looking around, I noticed that my age group was the minority. The older audience was noticeably well dressed, with middle-aged wives ready to “Shhh” noisy teens, and a proud opera singer behind me preparing to shout his “Bravo!” as soon as he got the chance.

This was my first experience at an Opera, and at first I had trouble keeping up with the performance while reading the translation on the chair in front of me, and appreciating the orchestra. It was helpful that I had read the Libretto and discussed the plot in class because otherwise I would’ve become too engrossed in one of those to get the whole picture. As the story unfolded though, the feeling of having to pick something to pay attention to dissolved and I began to absorb it all at once.

The story of Rigoletto is a timeless one. The passion of intertwining love affairs, several betrayals, and murder are all themes that are relatable to todays society. They make for a captivating plot when accented with moments of humor and solo pieces such as La donna è mobile. My favorite parts of the opera were when Rigoletto and his daughter had the stage alone, and the subtitles were suspended for just a few moments. Only when the words were taken away was my full attention on just them; I didn’t understand the words being exchanged but I could feel the raw emotion between them, the love between father and daughter.

I don’t know the norms for the Opera but I found it peculiar that an announcement would play during an intermission to inform the audience that Rigoletto was sick. I hadn’t noticed him delivering a sub-par performance, actually I thought he was doing an excellent job with the singing and projection. Even after being made aware of his illness, I didn’t notice the coughing that those around me said they did. It made me appreciate it more to know that the actor was putting in such an effort to put on a seemingly effortless performance; when he was being blindfolded and tricked, I felt personally hurt and sad that he was unknowingly helping in kidnapping his daughter.

I believe that Rigoletto was a great introduction to the opera because although i’m not running to Lincoln Center to see another one, I have an ignited sense of interest for the Opera and want to return. If this piece from 1851 is still appealing to the youth of today, i’m curious and interested about what more modern operas will be like.