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𝘙𝘪𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘰 closed San Francisco Opera’s first season in 1923. Composed by Italian Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901), 𝘙𝘪𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘰’s story was adapted by Italian librettist Francesco Maria Piave (1810–76) from French Romantic novelist and poet Victor-Marie Hugo’s (1802–85) play 𝘓𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘪 𝘴’𝘢𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘦. Considered a 19th–century operatic masterpiece, the dramatic plot of 𝘙𝘪𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘰 is centered around a prophetic curse that ends in tragedy. During the 2012 San Francisco Opera production, Rigoletto’s master, The Duke of Mantua, was played by Mexican tenor Arturo Chacón-Cruz (b. 1977), winner of the 2005 Operalia, an annual competition that was founded by Spanish opera singer and conductor Plácido Domingo (b. 1941). Italian baritone Marco Vratogna (b. 1973), who studied at the Conservatorio Giacomo Puccini in his hometown of La Spezia, sang the title role and wore the Rigoletto costume on exhibition—complete with jester’s scepters that represent the lead character’s alter egos. Learn more about San Francisco Opera’s history in our exhibition “San Francisco Opera: A Centennial Celebration” on display, post-security, in Harvey Milk Terminal 1. https://bit.ly/SFOperaCentennial
This image was posted on July 25, 2023.