Rigoletto Festival dAixenProvence

In celebration of Verdis 200th birthday in 2013 the Festival dAixenProvence produced the composers colorful masterpiece Rigoletto for the first time in its history Verdi expert Gianandrea Noseda conducted the London Symphony Orchestra in a production that marked the return of the Canadian stage director Robert Carsen to the festival following a 17 year hiatus Carsen sets his interpretation of this classic opera in the cutthroat world of the circus Based on Victor Hugos play Le roi samuse Verdis opera in three acts Rigoletto premiered in 1851 Similar to the play that inspired it the opera faced censorship because of its controversial subject of libertinism at court The operas tragic story revolves around the licentious Duke of Mantua his hunchbacked court jester Rigoletto and the jesters beautiful daughter Gilda