Special Posting: An opera concert from the past

Thomas Daly
Music 109
9/28/03

The Rigoletto Concert

This concert was an experience that I have never seen before. There were a couple of things I didn’t like about it. One if them was trying to insist that my mother not play at the casino before we went, but she still insisted on playing. I was afraid that this might cause her to fall asleep right in the middle of the concert. I shouldn’t have talked because before the concert I worked myself to death on my psychology notes. This really tired me out, and I had to take a shower to refresh myself. So I was the one that could have fallen asleep. Fortunately, during the concert, I was awake throughout the entire show. Another thing that didn’t appeal to me was that it was hard to see the subtitle screen at times. Despite that, most of my attention was on the characters, and the music. I also learned was how the subtitles are displayed during a live opera. These were two of the things that I liked about the concert. In the scene were Rigoletto goes to his house, the soprano that played Gilda had a beautiful voice. The trills that she sang were beautiful. In addition, she put in the music one of the main ingredients that I want in my music. The beauty of a soprano. My mother did not care for the mezzo-soprano that played Giovanna, but I did. I thought she had a beautiful voice too. Another thing that I liked about the concert, was that I was finally able to see the second act that I missed while watching it on video. This act was something that I have never seen before. It went back to the duke’s palace, and it used the same sets from the first scene of the first act. The best thing that I liked about this concert was that I learned why Rigoletto hires Sparafucile to kill the duke in the third act. It was so he can get even with him for kidnaping his daughter. The best special aspect that I liked was when the character that played the duke finished his aria, he took the cup that he was holding, and threw it across the stage. I got a little kick out of that.

This opera presented to me things that I have never seen in a live opera or on video, and I’m hoping to see live operas like this one in the future. Maybe the next one I go to see will have other new experiences awaiting me.