Another Rigoletto? Yes. Still exciting? Absolutely.

I’ve stopped counting how many Rigolettos I’ve seen this year — and yet, each one feels like a new adventure. That’s the beauty of Verdi’s masterpiece: it’s alive. Whether through new voices, new faces, or fresh stage direction, Rigoletto always finds a way to surprise me.

And last night in Berlin was no exception.

The moment I stepped into the Deutsche Oper, I knew something was different. Before the orchestra had even played a note, the show had already begun. The stage was already inhabited — a reflection of the audience itself, figurants taking their places just as we were finding our seats. It was a brilliantly clever staging concept — a mirror between us and them, blurring the lines between spectators and spectacle.

This production made bold use of the space. The entire front row had been transformed into an ephemeral runway-like platform, placing the singers within 50 centimeters of the audience. At one moment, even someone “from the audience” suddenly stood up and started singing mid-opera — of course it was scripted, but it gave me flashbacks to the Nabucco I saw at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, where part of the audience was also part of the show. It worked wonderfully.

As for the performance…

🎤 Cast Highlights

Juan Jesús Rodríguez delivered a powerful and raw Rigoletto. I didn’t know his work before last night, but I’ll be watching for him in the future. His portrayal was moving, intense, especially in the final moments — alone, broken, on a nearly empty stage, mourning his daughter on a vast, bare canvas. It hit hard.

Hye-Young Moon was a gentle, graceful Gilda. Her high notes were light and polished, and her duets with Rigoletto were filled with true emotion. You could really feel the father-daughter connection in their musical lines.

Andrei Danilov was also a wonderful Duke, even more in this staging when he have so many things to do, beautiful voice!

And now let’s talk about Sparafucile.

Patrick Guetti practically shook the theatre with his voice. His deep, cavernous tone was unforgettable — dark, menacing, and beautifully controlled. His stage presence was intense, his physicality dominating every scene he entered. If there had been an applause meter, he would’ve broken it. The loudest and longest ovation of the night — and deservedly so.

The rest of the cast contributed strongly to the ensemble spirit, especially Geon Kim as a fierce Monterone, and Lindsay Ammann pulling double duty as Maddalena and Giovanna with noticeable flair.

🎼 The Music

Giulio Cilona, a young conductor I was hearing for the first time, led the orchestra with elegance and sensitivity. While a few passages could have used more bite and energy — Cortigiani felt a touch too tame for me — overall the pacing worked well, and his attention to the singers was notable.

Seeing Rigoletto is never just another night at the opera for me — it’s like revisiting an old VHS tape of a film I know by heart but always discover something new in. And last night in Berlin, I discovered a lot.

VIVA VERDI — forever and always.

Picture : Bettina Stöß

CAST

Rigoletto

Juan Jesús Rodríguez

Gilda

Hye-Young Moon

Monterone
Geon Kim

Ceprano

Joel Allison

Ceprano

Maria Vasilevskaya

Marullo

Stephen Marsh

Matteo Borsa
Kieran Carrel

Sparafucile

Patrick Guetti

Maddalena / Giovanna

Lindsay Ammann

Ein Gerichtsdiener

Byung Gil Kim

Eine Hofdame

Martina Baroni