Wednesday night I attended the second performance of the current run of Verdi’s Rigoletto at the COC. This is a revival of the Christopher Alden production first seen in 2011 (first cast, second cast) and again in 2018. So the basic concept is the same. All the action is played out, quite publicly, in the “gaming room” of a Victorian gentlemen’s club. I think the production has grown on me over time. I felt the tweaks in 2018 were improvements and I suspect some more tweaks this time. Certainly from where i was sitting in the Orchestra the set seemed bigger than I remember. It’s huge and very painterly. It also has great acoustics.
Not much sign of spring as we move into the second half of the month but there are some things musical to enjoy while we await the return of the sun. On March 18th at 2pm in Mazzoleni Hall there is You’re Welcome Rossini with the glamorous duo of Allyson McHardy and, the not seen often enough in Toronto, Lucia Cesaroni. This one is officially sold out but there may be rushes. Ten bucks says they do the Cat duet.
operaramblings 