My favorite recording of Rigoletto

Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Rigoletto, opera: Prelude
2. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1. Della mia bella incognita borghesse
3. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1. Questa o quella
4. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1. Partite? Crudele!
5. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1. Gran nuova!
6. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1. Ch'io gli parli
7. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1. Quel vecchio maledivami!
8. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1. Pari siamo! Io la lingua
9. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1. Figlia! - Mio padre!
10. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1. Ah! veglia, o donna
11. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1. Giovanna, ho dei rimorsi
12. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1. Che m'ami, deh! ripetimi
13. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1. Gualtier Maldè; Caro nome
14. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1. Riedo! perché?
15. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1. Zitti, zitti, moviamo a vendetta

Disc 2:

1. Rigoletto, opera: Act 2. Ella mi fu rapita!; Parmi veder le lagrime
2. Rigoletto, opera: Act 2. Duca, Duca!
3. Rigoletto, opera: Act 2. Possente amor mi chiama
4. Rigoletto, opera: Act 2. Povero Rigoletto!
5. Rigoletto, opera: Act 2. Cortigiani, vil razza dannata
6. Rigoletto, opera: Act 2. Mio padre! - Dio! mia Gilda!
7. Rigoletto, opera: Act 2. Tutte le feste al tempio
8. Rigoletto, opera: Act 2. Schiudete!
9. Rigoletto, opera: Act 2. Sì, vendetta, tremenda vendetta
10. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3. E l'ami? - Sempre
11. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3. La donna è mobile
12. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3. E là il vostr'uomo
13. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3. Un dì, se ben rammentomi
14. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3. Venti scudi hai tu detto?
15. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3. Ah, più non ragiono!
16. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3. Ancor c'è mezz'ora
17. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3. Della vendetta alfin
18. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3. Chi è mai?
19. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3. V'ho ingannato, colpevole fui
20. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3. Lassù in cielo

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18865 in Music
• Released on: 2005-11-10
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Enhanced, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .27 pounds

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Customer Reviews

The perfect Rigoletto.
There are so many recordings of this PERFECT opera. There's the Gobbi/Callas/Di Stefano, the Milnes/Sutherland/Pavarotti, the Cappuccilli/Cotrubas/Domingo, the Merrill/Peters/Bjorling, there are so many, but almost all of them have a weak link. The Gobbi/Callas/Di Stefano has a miscast Callas as Gilda and all three struggle with their roles vocally. The Milnes/Sutherland/Pavarotti has the old sounding Sutherland who completely ruins the set for me. The Merrill/Peters/Bjorling has Peters being overdramatic and ridiculous. The Cappuccilli/Cotrubas/Domingo comes close, but lacks vocal flair and energy.

This set, in my VERY humble opinion, is the best. Not only do you get Merrill, who is fabulous on pretty much anything he does, but you get Anna Moffo and Alfredo Kraus, along with a solid supporting cast and wonderful, dramatic conducting by Solti.

Many people I know have issues with Anna Moffo, who recently died. Now that she's gone and I'm done mourning, and trust me, I did, I have been making a point to toot her horn to everyone I know. Yes, she had her vocal problems towards the end of her career, but there ARE legitimate reasons for that. Anna Moffo is STUPENDOUS on this recording and brings a legitimate sensitivity and dramatic art to this character. Not only that, but she sings it BEAUTIFULLY and is consistent throughout.

Alfredo Kraus is PERFECT. He's romantic, charming, and has KILLER high notes. Robert Merrill is perfect in this role, maybe not as fresh sounding as he was on the earlier recording with Roberta Peters and Jussi Bjorling, and of course, more mannerisms, but who cares. He's one of the greatest Verdi Baritones of the century.

This Rigoletto is so well cast that it'd be a mistake to go for any of the other sets. Also, this set is SO cheap and is great for first timers to the opera and those who want to try out another recording. This was my first and favorite. I did listen to MANY others just to make sure I wasn't missing out on anything...and I wasn't.

my favorite all-round Rigoletto
This version of Rigoletto is by far my favorite - it combines
plenty of vocal beauty, characterful singing and dramatic
tension. Robert Merrill has the perfect voice for the title-
role - dark, powerful, biting - and conveys the old jester's
bitterness and heartbreak superbly. Anna Moffo is a lovely and
touching Gilda - she brings considerable warmth and tenderness
to the role and sings an exquisite "Caro nome". Alfredo Kraus
is an electrifying Duca - charming and manipulative all at on-
ce - he is here caught in his youthful prime and sings with
splendid aplomb. Rosalind Elias and Ezio Flagello offer strong
support. Georg Solti is perhaps a bit hard-driven but the end
result is undeniably exciting. A very welcome reissue of a
great opera sung by great singers.

Perhaps the most balanced Rigoletto
There are many good recordings of Verdi's Masterpiece and the remastered RCA classic is certainly one of them (I liked the previous cover more though). The DG D. Fisher-Diskau/Bergonzi/Scotto also stands out mainly because of its Duke who shines. To me, Bergonzi with his perfect phrasing is the ideal Duke. However, we must keep in mind that the opera is called Rigoletto and not "the Duke". This Solti set sounds ideally balanced.

Robert Merrill as povero Rigoletto captures both drama and music of the role. He has a powerful, rich voice ideal for such Verdi roles. Although I mentioned my preference to Bergonzi, Alfredo Kraus is not less memorable. I especially admire his "posente amor", truly remarkable. As Gilda we hear a young, fresh Anna Moffo in one of her best moments. Exquisite singing and a convincing portrait of the young girl make her one of my first choices for Gilda. Let me not forget the rest of the cast, Elias and Flagello do a fine job too.

Superb Maestro Solti completes this thrilling account of Rigoletto. Perhaps too poweful at times but still sensitive enough to honour Verdi.

A must even if you have other versions.