Lyric Opera 2024-2025 Issue 1 - Rigoletto

25 | Lyric Opera of Chicago Over 12 seasons, 16 prominent baritones have taken on the title role in Verdi’s Rigoletto at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Many will still be well remembered by aficionados, while others have proven less immortal. Still, all carry a piece of the company’s rich history with this work, which dates back to its premiere here in 1955. Of all Verdi’s baritone roles, Rigoletto ’s protagonist is surely the most vocally, theatrically, and emotionally demanding. The role requires a sizable, warm- toned, wide-ranging instrument, capable of extraordinarily varied expressiveness. The singing must excel not only at full power but also in some of the most intimately scaled passages Verdi ever gave a singer. Any Rigoletto needs tremendous acting skill, as well as exceptional physical stamina. Here we take a look back at the portrayals by five titans—four Italians and an American—who graced the Lyric stage during the company’s first four decades. Rigolettos at Lyric More than a dozen baritones have taken the demanding lead role here. Allow us to re-introduce five of the giants who graced the Lyric stage in the company’s first 40 years. by Roger Pines Ettore Bastianini with Gianna D’Angelo in Lyric’s 1962 production of Rigoletto . Nancy Sorensen