Rigoletto - English National Opera Guide 15

"The subject cannot fail!" exulted Verdi, when recommending Victor Hugo's play Le Roi s'amuse to his librettist

But the censors made every effort to stop it, and the baritone was not easily convinced that a hunchback role would suit him

Jonathan Keates gives a vivid insight into the composition of Rigoletto - a masterpiece

Verdi long afterwards thought it his best work, and Roger Parker explains why

Peter Nichols, author of several bestselling books in Italy, picks out some of the peculiarly Italian attitudes and characters in the opera which make it timeless and incredibly modern

REVIEWS

'Brilliantly produced and superb value' ~ Sunday Times

'All these will provide the new opera-goer with food for thought' ~ Daily Telegraph

'Wholehearted recommendation of this valuable new series' ~ TLS