"The gravitational pull of 'Rigoletto’s' moral calamity was no match for Bernheim’s Duke, who, operating on another plane afforded him by wealth and position, ignored any force that tried to contain him."
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"Critic's Pick!...If shifting the opera’s setting from Renaissance Italy to 1920s Berlin was not entirely convincing, this was still a detailed, dramatic staging, full of insights into the characters. The chorus and orchestra excelled under the conducting of Daniele Rustioni, who led a lean, transparent performance that balanced urgency and lyricism."
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"There may be a constant low-grade panic coursing through the house, but it wasn’t evident onstage, where Michael Yeargan’s slow-twirling set (slipping from gaudy castle to dank house to dive), a chorus of thuggish courtiers, Donald Holder’s nimble lighting, and that perpetually awkward stage business involving a burlap sack all clicked smoothly along. Conductor Daniele Rustioni kept the orchestra sounding effervescent and fleet, honoring that unquenchably Verdian mixture of nastiness and entertainment. Sher and Rustioni made it clear they understand that, despite all the humiliation the title character endures and the ranging vindictiveness it triggers, Rigoletto is a tragedy that brings audiences joy."
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“Rigoletto” is a barn-burner—you have to gallop along with the sexism, violence and sentimentality in order for it to work. In this production, despite some gripping theatrical and vocal moments, the all-consuming sense of tragedy was missing."
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"While I was a fan of the "Rat Pack" production that preceded it--I know many weren't--I was ready to see what the Tony-Award winning director had up his sleeve. What followed was disappointing, despite some creditable singing and smooth, involved orchestral playing under Daniele Rustioni, with much blame I thought, going to Sher."
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"What’s left to say, but that vocally this was some of the finest casts that the Met has assembled for a production this season. And it’s definitely worth checking out."
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"There’s a strong case to be made that Rigoletto is a proto-Brecht drama, and certainly the actual features of the Weimar Republic could be a compelling setting for the opera. It’s a shame such an excellent cast is fronting a new production that comes off as an empty bill of goods."
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