The opera Rigoletto composed by Giuseppe Verdi and performed at Gran Teatre del Liceu. When a sharp-tongued court jester Rigoletto is cursed for his spiteful words, he is forced to hide his unworldly daughter Gilda from his own licentious master the Duke. For Verdi’s wonderful ambivalent hunchback, paradise is the peaceful home and family that he struggles to protect. “Oh! Victor Hugo's Le Roi s’amuse deals with the greatest of themes and is perhaps the most important play of modern times. It's worthy of Shakespeare!” Verdi enthused to his librettist Francesco Maria Piave. The irresistible threesome of the court jester, his daughter and the duke came as a flash of inspiration to the composer. Monique Wagemakers' exuberant production from the Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona, with its delightful Venetian red costumes, focusses on the themes of ill-treatment, the quest for identity, and the abuse of power over the defenceless, as shown by the Duke's domination of Rigoletto and Rigoletto's domination of his daughter. Precisely the contradictions and conflicts on which the whole extraordinary score rests. Streamed on OperaVision on 11 March 2022 at 19:00 CET and available until 11 September March 2022: https://operavision.eu/en/library/performances/operas/rigoletto-gran-teatre-del-liceu CAST Duke of Mantua: Saimir Pirgu Rigoletto: Markus Brück Gilda: Aigul Khismatullina Sparafucile: Liang Li Maddalena: Nino Surguladze Giovanna: Laura Vila Count Monterone: Mattia Denti Marullo: Michal Partyka Matteo Borsa: Moisés Marín Count Ceprano: Stefano Palatchi Countess Ceprano: Sara Bañeras Page boy: Marta Polo Chorus: Chorus of Gran Teatre del Liceu Orchestra: Symphony Orchestra of Gran Teatre del Liceu Music: Giuseppe Verdi Text: Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play 'Le roi s'amuse' by Victor Hugo Conductor: Daniele Callegari Director: Monique Wagemakers Set Designer: Michael Levine Costume Designer: Sandy Powell Lighting Designer: Reinier Tweebeeke, revival: Cor van den Brink Chorus Master: Pablo Assante Dramaturg: Klaus Bertisch Stage director assistants: Silke Meier, Salva Bolta Musical director assistant: Rodrigo de Vera OperaVision is a freeview opera streaming platform, supported by the European Union's Creative Europe programme. Watch live streams as the performances themselves unfold in the opera house. Enjoy a variety of shows - including opera, operetta, musical theatre, dance, ballet and concerts. Opera connaisseur or curious newcomer, there is something for everyone on OperaVision. WEBSITE: https://operavision.eu/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/OperaVisionEU/ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/OperaVision_EU INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/OperaVision.EU/ TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@operavision