Verdi's Rigoletto: Unforgettable tunes, tragedy, and a new concept in opera

05/13/25 • 70 min

Verdi considered this character worthy of a Shakespearean tragedy, and he delivers just that! John Banther and Linda Carducci explore Verdi's masterpiece and show you what to listen for, intricacies of the characters and plot, the banned origin story, and so much more.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Classical Breakdown - Verdi's Rigoletto: Unforgettable tunes, tragedy, and a new concept in opera

Transcript

Jon Banther00:00:00.810

I'm Jon Banther, and this is Classical Breakdown. From WETA Classical in Washington, we're your guide to classical music. In this episode, I'm joined by WETA Classical's, Linda Carducci, and we're exploring one of Giuseppe Verdi's most enduring operas, Rigoletto. We explore Verdi's masterpiece from start to finish, all the characters, the plot, things in the score, what to listen for, and e