VERDI: Rigoletto (Liceu, 2004) (NTSC)

Giuseppe Verdi
RIGOLETTO

Inva Mula
Marcelo Álvarez
Carlos Álvarez

Orquestra Simfònica i Cor del Gran Teatre del Liceu
Jesús López Cobos, conductor

Graham Vick, stage director

Recorded at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona, December 2004

Picture format: NTSC 16:9
Sound format: LPCM Stereo / Dolby Digital 5.1 / DTS 5.1
Region code: All Region
Subtitles: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Catalan
Booklet notes: English, French, German
Running time: 130 mins
No. of DVDs: 1

• In their series of celebrated opera productions from the famous Opera House in Barcelona, TDK presents a staging of Rigoletto, one of Verdi's most popular operas, full of melodious arias (the most famous the Duke of Mantua's "La Donna è mobile"), expressive duets and highly dramatic orchestration.
• With the brilliant Marcelo Álvarez, who is hailed as "one of the hottest tenors on the international scene" (Opera News) singing the Duke of Mantua and baritone Carlos Álvarez, whose Rigoletto has been hailed as the perfect embodiment of Verdi's court jester, appearing in the title role, this TDK DVD production presents international stars in two of the leading roles. Inva Mula, a Verdi soprano par excellence, provides sterling support in the role of Gilda. The remarkable ensemble, orchestra and chorus of Barcelona's Liceu under the experienced baton of Jesús López Cobos prove the opera house's international standing once again.
• The highly experienced Graham Vick provides direction, choosing to accentuate the various tiers that make up the tragic plot and the drama's tremendous brutality: the repellent ugliness of Rigoletto, his humiliation at the hands of the courtiers, the Duke's arrogance, the helplessness and erotic charge behind Gilda's infatuation and, finally, the tragic and ultimate defeat of the Mantua court jester.