Opera in three acts by

Giuseppe Verdi

Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave

Based on Victor Hugo's drama "The King Amuses Himself"

First performance: 11 March 1851, Venice, Teatro La Fenice

First performance in Bulgaria: 13 December 1920, Sofia, Conductor - Moisei Zlatin, Director - Ivan Ivantsov

First performance in Ruse: 21 April 1952, Conductor - Konstantin Iliev, Director - Mikhail Hadjimishev, Artist - Ani Hadjimisheva, Choirmaster - Ilia Iliev

Main characters:

Duke of Mantua - tenor
Rigoletto, Duke's brother-in-law - baritone
Gilda, daughter of Rigoletto - soprano
Sparafucile, assassin - bass
Madalena, sister of Sparafucile - contralto
Giovanna, guardian of Gilda - mezzo-soprano
Count Monterone - baritone
Marullo, nobleman - baritone
Matteo Borsa - courtier, tenor
Count Ciprano - bass
Grafina Ceprano, his wife - mezzo-soprano
The Duchess's page - soprano
Bailiff - bass

Place and time of action: Mantua and surroundings, 16th century.

First act

First scene

Celebration in a hall of the Duke of Mantua's palace. Known for his daring love affairs, the Duke tells his friends about his encounter in the church with an unknown beauty. The constant witness to the presumptuous ruler's audacity is his brother-in-law, the hunchbacked Rigoletto. In his merciless jokes, he always finds a way to make a mockery of each of the courtiers. Now Count Ceprano, whose wife the Duke is courting tonight more than ever, is also in his sights. The Duke's cronies have long hated the jester and wish to avenge his spiteful mockery. So when they learn from the courtier Marulo that Rigoletto is hiding a young mistress behind the walls of his home, they decide that very night to kidnap her. The jester pours another mocking grotesque on the old Count of Monterone, whose daughter the Duke has dishonoured. In his righteous anger, Monterone curses them both.

Second scene

Tormented by dark forebodings, left oppressed under the influence of Monterone's dreaded curse, Rigoletto walks home alone into the dark night. Suddenly, the malevolent shadow of the assassin Sparafucile emerges from the depths of darkness, generously offering his services. Rigoletto refuses him, but now knows where to find him. The jester has approached his home. Behind its inaccessible walls he hides his most precious treasure - his daughter Gilda. Here he is a different man. With tender affection, the father tells his daughter about her late mother. Rigoletto has to go out for a while, and again he urgently reminds the maid Giovanna to keep a watchful eye on his daughter and not to open the door to anyone. But Giovanna, bribed by the Duke, has already facilitated his meeting with Gilda. When the anxious father leaves, Giovanna surreptitiously lets the Duke, disguised as a student, into the garden. He sees with pity how, left alone, the girl dreams with amorous trepidation of meeting again the handsome young man she saw in church. Suddenly the Duke stands before her and, introducing himself as the poor student Gualtiero Malde, swears eternal love to Gilda.

Meanwhile, the courtiers, who have decided to kidnap the jester's secret mistress and "present" her to their master at the palace, are already standing outside Rigoletto's home, but unexpectedly encounter Rigoletto himself. However, they manage to fool him into believing that they are here to kidnap the wife of Count Ciprano, whose home is nearby. In order to deceive him, since they themselves are masked, they exhort him to help them, blindfold him and assign him to support the ladder they are carrying. During this time they carry out their treacherous deed. It is only when he hears Gilda's cries for help from afar that Rigoletto realizes he has been tricked and remembers with horror the curse of Monterone.

Second act

Hall in the Duke of Mantua's palace.

The Duke is inconsolable. He has decided to return to the maiden, but has learned that she has been kidnapped by several masked men. Deep in his heart he feels that this is the only woman who has found a place there. When the courtiers come to him and tell him of their midnight adventure, the Duke realizes that the maiden he has fallen in love with is in the palace and quickly goes to her.

Rigoletto bursts into the hall. He is desperately looking for his daughter. He is greeted by the malicious jeers of her captors. In vain he convinces the nobles that Gilda is his daughter and begs them to return her to him. In his impotence he curses them.

At that moment Jilda comes running up. With tears in her eyes she tells of the Duke's deception and of her love for him. Rigoletto vows to avenge the culprit for the dishonour that has befallen him and his daughter. Gilda begs her father to forgive the Duke with whom she is in love, but Rigoletto is implacable. He believes that the curse of the humiliated father will fall on the seducer.

Third act

A deserted bank of the Mincio River.

This is the home of Sparafucile and his sister, the street dancer Maddalena. She has seduced the young Duke and now, disguised as an officer, he is here, glass of wine in hand, singing his carefree song about the fickleness of the female heart.

Outside in the dark night Rigoletto has brought his daughter to prove to her what the Duke's true nature is. But that's not the only reason the jester is here. He has already managed to talk Sparafucile into killing the lecherous duke. Rigoletto sends his daughter off to Verona disguised in men's clothes and, left alone, gives the assassin an advance for the priceless favor. When he delivers the dead body to the Duke, Sparafucile will receive the remaining sum.

Suddenly a storm breaks, the night sky is cut by lightning. Sparafucile prepares to commit the murder. Maddalena has taken a liking to the handsome young man and begs her brother to spare him. He agrees, but must fulfill the bargain and hand over someone else's body. Suddenly returning, Gilda overhears their emotional conversation and decides to sacrifice herself for the life of her beloved. Posing as a traveler seeking shelter in the storm, she boldly walks in on the two killers.

It is already midnight. Sparafucile hands Rigoletto the sack containing the promised sacrifice and receives the rest of his money. The jester triumphs for his revenge. All he has to do is throw the sack into the river. But that moment from the distance he hears the voice of the Duke singing his carefree song. Horrified, Rigoletto unties the sack and sees his daughter Gilda. With her last strength, she tells her father that she is dying for the one she loves.

Struck by the shitty curse, Rigoletto falls inconsolable on Gilda's breathless body.