The Great Giuseppe Verdi Evening

About this event

The evening opens with a guided concert: host Cornelia Haslbauer takes you through Giuseppe Verdi’s life, illustrated by arias, duets, and scenes from his best-loved operas, performed by several soloists. After the interval comes the second part, the opera Rigoletto presented as an "Opernschauspiel" in German – a hybrid of spoken theatre and sung music. The title role, the hunchbacked court jester Rigoletto, is acted by a member of the ensemble, while the sung roles are taken by opera soloists. The story follows Rigoletto’s biting mockery of the court, a curse that haunts him, and the secret love his daughter Gilda develops for the disguised Duke, leading to the inevitable tragedy. Hans-Dieter Maienschein, who has lived with this piece for years at the theatre, directs the production in a clear, evocative style, with musical direction by Ulla Hartmann. The cast of actors is joined by singers Anja Stader (Gilda), Katja Löffler (Maddalena), Lukas Eder (Sparafucile), and Seongbin Kang (the Duke). The whole performance lasts about three hours including the break and unfolds in the cosy setting of the Papageno Musiktheater.