Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto Story in the Opera, Essay Example

About the Composer

Guiseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi is a well-known Italian composer of opera who was noted for his works presented in open houses. His journey towards becoming a popular composer consisted of persistent learning and discovery; elements that played a great role on how he was able to handle the different challenges of the changing tides of creating opera music. Among his most noted works included the grand opera Aida and Rigolletto. Over the years, Verdi was noted for reworking some of his olden creations to fit the popular culture of modern opera presentations. He simply wanted to make sure that his creations are able to transcend from generation to generation hence sending of his message to his audience repeatedly. The later years of his life has been devoted to teaching new comers in the field of opera creation and composition as he passed on his knowledge to protégés such as the young composer Arrigo Boito who co-created with him the revision of the Otello, an opera based from the famous play of William Shakespeare. This is perhaps the reason why the style of composition that Verdi used continued to remain effective even after his death; he was even regarded as somewhat one of the most influential individuals who lead the creation of modern opera compositions into becoming more in depth and artistic in nature.

Historical Background of the Opera

Rigoletto, as mentioned earlier, is one of the famous creations of Guiseppe Verdi as an opera composer. The libretto of this opera has been written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play created by Victor Hugo entitled Le roi s’amuse. Performed in 1851, this play marked the mid-late career of Verdi as a composer.

The creation of this opera was first commissioned to Verdi in 1850. Wanting to reinvent himself every time he makes any particular opera, he knew that he needed something more energetic to consider as part of his creation during the time. Stumbling upon Le roi s’amuse, Verdi examined Hugo’s work with excitement and enthusiasm noting that this play has specific powerful positions and messages in it. Considering that the subject of the story is strong enough to retain its influence for ages, the interst of Verdi over the creation of an opera based on the play grew even stronger. Due to the controversy of the message of the plot of the story, ‘censorship has been among the primary problems that Verdi had to face [as well did Hugo when he first released it in France].

The controversy included the King of France being involved in immoral affairs because of being branded as a womanizer who never thinks of his cohabitation with women of whoever he wishes to live with. This was a highly unacceptable culture in France and was considered as a form of defacing the nation’s king. Since Verdi was to show his opera creation of the same story in Austria, although he knew there were risks, he expected that it would be less convening than that of the evident matter that happened in France. To his dismay, the Austrian censorship did not permit of such matter to be pursued hence banning the opera act from being presented to the public. This is the reason why the play was late on called The Malediction or the Curse so as to cover the controversy that the story itself carries.

Pulling from another opera creation entitled II Ducca Di Vendome, Verdi recreated the original plot of Hugo’s play and changed the libretto. This however meant removing the primary characters of the story and losing the powerful impact of its message. Hence, so as not to ruin the authenticated message of the story, Verdi tried to recreate scenes and settings into a specific downgrading without hurting both the role and the value of the characters included in the play.

Musical Style Description

Composed with the recreation of two primary plays collaborated together, the musical creation for this opera was more subtle, less noisy from the former works of Verdi. Noted for light accompaniment, each act in the opera specifically transcends to different levels of emotional value based on the accompaniment of musical creation that they carry. Utilizing different genres of singers and musicians, this opera provided a more refined definition of Verdi’s transformational works. The duke, Gilda and Maddalena [the main characters] were accompanied by powerful musical arrangements and written songs that all had powerful emotional bearing to the story. There was even a brilliant quartet that was used to define the critical parts of the opera’s plot. All these elements put together created a powerful ensemble that puts emotions and the effective creation of plots in the most emotionally rendering presentation for the viewing public.

Scene Creation (Act 1)

Costumes and Settings

The primary characters for this part of the presentation include the duke [Rigoletto], Gilda [the duke’s daughter], Count Ceprano, Count Monterone and their wives. Since the act consists of the introduction of the characterization of the duke as womanizer, the wives of the Counts are expected to be beautiful, adorned by good clothing and are specifically attractive. The costumes are then to be elegant and set as a major representation of royalties specifically made with velvet tailored linings that represent a form of elitism on the part of each actor. To set Gilda apart from all the women who are to act in this part of the opera, her dress would be a bit lighter in tone suggesting her freedom from her father’s interests compared to that of the two women who he would likely have an affair with.

Production Process

Text and Music 

 The text and musical value for this act is dependent on the subtlety of the arrangement based on the scenes being portrayed on stage. The beginning which starts as the part where the duke is represented as an arrogant and cynical womanizer could invoke the utilization of provocative musical arrangement which would transcend to a more exciting [probably more upbeat] arrangement when the Counts [the husbands of the women the duke has an affair with] find out about the situation.

Change of musical scoring is however expected at the turn of events when Gilda is supposed to be introduced as the daughter of the duke; creating a more subtle presentation of her innocence while not forgetting her charming allure is more fitting to this particular part of the act.

Visual

The setting’s visual shall be presented between light to deemed definition depending on the situations being depicted in each scene. Observably, the illicit relations of the duke with the women he gets involved with shall be presented with dimmed lighting in contrast with the presentation of Gilda who shall be represented with a lighter background and a lot livelier backdrop to define her sense of difference from the other women included in the act.

Purpose and Message of the Scene

It is the primary aim of this act to define the duke as a man and as a father. Specifically endowed by his desires to be with a woman he wants and not necessarily loves hurts his reputation. Nevertheless, the exceptional protection he desires to give to his daughter is an evident presentation of how he values women who are actually a part of his life, women who are able to change his being into a more subtle personality that is able to withdraw from immorality and the desires of the flesh.

References

Holden, Amanda (Ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001.

De Van, Gilles (trans. Gilda Roberts), Verdi’s Theater: Creating Drama Through Music. Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press, 1998.