Review – Vancouver Opera – Rigoletto
Admittedly, a good friend had a role in Rigoletto tonight (presented by the Vancouver Opera). But no, having Sheila singing in the performance I attended wasn’t the only I loved the performance. It was, for sure, one of the many reasons. But I also loved the ensemble cast, the re-invention and somewhat avant-garde and risqué approach taken by the director.
A couple of disclaimers. First, I’m the son of a former opera singer (whose voice went from soprano to mezzo). Second, Rigoletto is my brother S’ favorite opera (and one of my Mom’s favorites). Third, I grew up accustomed to listening to arias at home. And fourth, I love “La Donna E Mobile” (which is one of the canzones of Giusseppe Verdi’s opera in three acts Rigoletto).
Many of my friends attended the Vancouver Opera “Bloggers Night” so I can basically let them give you their views and give you a recap of what Rigoletto is all about. However, I figured that I’d offer my own impressions.
Coming from a matriarchal culture (despite the fact that my Dad’s influence on us was definitely important), it is somewhat refreshing to see a patriarchy-focused opera. In Rigoletto, we see the amazing (sometimes overwhelmingly blinding) love that Rigoletto has for his daughter, and the lengths to which he will go to protect her. This opera is also very interesting and distinctive in that it’s homme-fatale-centric. Yes, contrary to Carmen (where the femme fatale is devious, mischievous and deceitful), in Rigoletto, the object of the daughter’s affections is also the demise of Rigoletto. By the way, Tris and I reviewed Carmen for Sexy in VanCity a couple of months ago. You should check our video review.
This performance of Rigoletto was very interesting for me in that it was also a re-invention of the classic tragedy. It combined some elements of nouveau theatre with classic opera. Admittedly, I had a great experience and I wouldn’t have traded going with JT for anything else (sorry I missed the Vancouver Bloggers Opera Night, but tonight was special to me). He was asking me whether all operas are tragedies. Sadly, the genre is pretty dramatic and yes, the vast majority end up in tragedy. Overall, it was a very fun night. I am sure I’ll be doing a bunch more opera performances this year. Kudos to the Vancouver Opera!
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Yeah, I would like to have seen it. I went see “Carmen” tough. Hope you has a really good time.