It was gratifying (cathartic, even) to ring in the new year with an utterly electrifying performance of Rigoletto at the Metropolitan Opera
“The singing was well supported by conductor Daniele Rustioni, whose fresh, energetic take on Verdi’s score afforded such strong, creative performances from the cast.
The Met Orchestra seemed to respond enthusiastically to Rustioni’s conducting: it sounded particularly full-flavored on this evening—particularly the brass, which gleefully sneered through the caustic dissonances of the overture. The strings had a particularly raspy flavor at times—perhaps a certain hint of sul ponticello—that perfectly underscored the darkness of the dramatic material.
But it was the more soloistic work that truly stood out for me: the anguished horn calls which interpolate the first duet between Gilda and Rigoletto; the flurrying woodwind arpeggios which represent the storm in the third act; and the offstage band (partially onstage in this production), which played with a shimmering, glistening quality.”
Parterre Box, Callum John Blackmore