As the court jester to the Duke of Mantua, Rigoletto is no less scrupulous than his absolutist master, who seduces women at will and has men killed on a whim. Rigoletto seeks to protect his daughter Gilda from this world, but the Duke has already set his sights on the innocent young woman. When Gilda gives herself to the seducer driven by love and idealism, Rigoletto’s carefully constructed wall of protection collapses, and he himself is made a fool: his belief that he could strictly separate the corruption of court society from his private happiness proves to be a fatal illusion.

With the aria “La donna è mobile,” RIGOLETTO secured Verdi’s international fame. Following the triumphant success of ist premiere in Venice in 1851, the work conquered opera houses around the world. Katharina Thalbach’s production now returns to Offenbachplatz.