Verdi: Rigoletto

Luciano Pavarotti (Artist), Arturo la Porta (Artist), Enzo Guagni (Artist), Kostas Paskalis (Artist), Paolo Washington (Artist), Plinio Clabassi (Artist), Renata Scotto (Artist), Carlo Maria Giulini (Conductor), Giuseppe Verdi (Conductor), Firenze Community Theater Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Firenze Community Theater Orchestra
• Conductor: Carlo Maria Giulini, Giuseppe Verdi
• Audio CD (February 17, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Opera D'oro
• ASIN: B000006000
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #343,171 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #22 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Divas > Scotto, Renata

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Rigoletto, opera: Prelude

2. Rigoletto, opera: Della mia bella incognita birghese

3. Rigoletto, opera: Questa o quella

4. Rigoletto, opera: Ch'io gli parlli

5. Rigoletto, opera: Quel vecchio meledivami!

6. Rigoletto, opera: Pari siamo

7. Rigoletto, opera: Figlia!... Mil padre

8. Rigoletto, opera: Già da tre lune

9. Rigoletto, opera: Giovanna, ha dei rimorsi

10. Rigoletto, opera: E'il sol dell' anima

See all 14 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Rigoletto, opera: Ella mi fu rapita

2. Rigoletto, opera: Parmi veder le lagrime

3. Rigoletto, opera: Duca, Duca!

4. Rigoletto, opera: Povero Rigoletto

5. Rigoletto, opera: Cortigiani, vil razza dannata

6. Rigoletto, opera: Mio padre

7. Rigoletto, opera: Tutte le feste al tempio

8. Rigoletto, opera: Ah! Solo per me l'infamia

9. Rigoletto, opera: Poiché fosti invano da me maledetto

10. Rigoletto, opera: E l'ami?... Sempre

See all 12 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What a bargain!, November 11, 2001

By 

John P. (Kennett Square, PA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Verdi: Rigoletto (Audio CD)

I took a chance on this recording despite the negative reviews posted here. I found the sonics to be no worse than one typically finds on "captured" live recordings, and the lead performances to be first-rate. Even though (like all Opera D'Oro recordings) no libretto is included, consider what you do get, especially the gorgeous timbre of early Pavarotti and a powerful characterisation of the vengeful jester, one of the great abused employees of Western art. This is a bargain set well worth owning. (It must be noted that the Duke's cabaletta of sorts "Possente amor mi chiama," which occurs just before his Act II exit, is missing. It's short, but its absence will be jarring to those familiar with this opera.)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Verdi of the highest order, April 3, 2004

By 

P. Byrne - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Verdi: Rigoletto (Audio CD)

This is a Rigoletto to surpass anything, studio or live. Paskalis will NOT be appreciated by those who have come to believe that a Verdi baritone is supposed to have a uniformly big, round sound, and not much else(Milnes, Morris, etc)Paskalis is that rare baritone voice that has COLOR, shading, and exquisite soft singing, and the ability to execute each note and marking that Verdi indicates in the score. He never goes for the obvious, big effect.This is a tortured, passionate reading, in the grand tradition of the Verdi baritone. This is not a Metropolitan Opera voice, thank God, but a direct link to the great Italian school of Verdi voice training that harkens back to the golden age of singing, the last of which was Bruson.
The Gilda of Scotto is another example of what is so sorely missing from today's opera stages, a mistress of bel canto, combined with fire and passion. If you don't get this style of singing, you don't get Verdi.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A young sounding Gilda, December 17, 2008

By 

Brian Lowery (Kearneysville, WV) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Verdi: Rigoletto (Audio CD)

Too many recordings have a soprano that sounds too old to convince me that she is a young girl. Even though they may have the vocal technique to manage the trills or show emotion in their voice, they still sound too mature for me. Scotto sounds like a trusting innocent and makes for a Gilda so pure that her downfall is all the more tragic. The only other Gilda on record that sounds as young is Edita Gruberova. This recording also has Pavarotti singing the Duke, which is a plus. Paskalis is straight forward in his interpretation of the title role and should satisfy most listeners. A good buy for the price.