Verdi: Rigoletto

Riccardo Chailly leads Luciano Pavarotti in an historical Rigoletto. Filmed on location in 1981 in Italian Renaissance landmarks including the Castello di San Giorgio in Mantua, the Piazza Duomo in Cremona, and the Teatro Farnese in Parma, Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's authentic rendering captures all the tenderness and tragedy of Verdi's heart-breaking drama. Riccardo Chailly conducts the Wiener Philharmoniker and a stellar cast featuring Luciano Pavarotti, Edita Gruberova and Ingvar Wixell. Luciano Pavarotti sings the role of the Duke of Mantua, a part in which he is unsurpassed; Edita Gruberova, internationally acclaimed as one of the greatest coloratura sopranos of our time, sings the role of Gilda; and Ingvar Wixell, a superlative baritone, sings a captivating Rigoletto.

'Not to be missed.' The New York Times