Rigoletto is a jester in the court of the Duke of Mantua. He has a hunch-back and he's rather unattractive, but he's good at his job of humiliating the courtiers for the amusement of the Duke. The courtiers, of course, are not amused. The Duke is a ladies man who feels his life would be meaningless if he couldn't chase every skirt he sees. In fact, we learn as the opera begins that he's recently been noticing a young lady every Sunday on her way to church, and he's vowed to have his way with her. What nobody realizes is that the girl is the jester's beloved daughter, Gilda, and that Gilda has seen the Duke every Sunday and is smitten with him. Suddenly Count Monterone appears at court, furious that the Duke has seduced his daughter. Rigoletto ridicules Monterone, the Duke laughs, and Monterone casts an awful curse on both of them. Later, the courtiers discover that Rigoletto is secretly living with Gilda...
Ingvar Wixell
as Rigoletto / Monterone
Edita Gruberova
as Gilda
Luciano Pavarotti
as Il Duca di Mantova
Ferruccio Furlanetto
as Sparafucile
Victoria Vergara
as Maddalena
Fedora Barbieri
as Giovanna
Bernd Weikl
as Marullo (singing voice)
Roland Bracht
as Ceprano
Louis Otey
as Marullo
Rémy Corazza
as Borsa
Kathleen Kuhlmann
as Contessa di Ceprano
Maren Shipman
as Page
