The Atlanta Opera To Present Verdi's Masterpiece of Italian Opera: RIGOLETTO As Part of Its Mainstage Season This November

The Atlanta Opera presents its first mainstage event of the new season with a new co-production of Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto on Nov 4 -7, 2023 at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. One of the composer's most celebrated operas, Rigoletto tells a poignant tale of love, betrayal, and revenge.

Set against a backdrop of 1930s Italy and featuring a sinister carnival atmosphere, this production follows the tragic story of Rigoletto, the unfortunate, sycophant clown to the licentious Duke of Mantua. Rigoletto's life takes a tumultuous turn when a curse he inadvertently invokes begins to unravel his life. New to the Atlanta stage, this production was created by The Atlanta Opera's Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director Tomer Zvulun, and an internationally acclaimed creative team.

The red carpet rolls out for the mainstage production of an opera in three acts, Rigoletto; created by Giuseppe Verdi in 1851, with an Italian libretto written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the banned French play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. Deliberately writing to shock the sensibilities of the time, Verdi was forced to rework the original libretto to get past Italian censors. An instant favorite of operagoers, Rigoletto features some of opera's most famous arias including “La Donna e Mobile” (Women are fickle) and “Caro Nome” (Sweet name).

Set in Mussolini's prewar Italy, this co-production of Rigoletto, developed in 2019 with Houston Grand Opera and The Dallas Opera, explodes with the conflict between unrelenting power, narcissism, and self-interest, and unselfish love exploring the relationships between men and women, fathers and daughters, and political intrigue. Texas Classical Review praised the 2019 debut at Houston Grand Opera: “By updating Rigoletto to the 1920s or '30s, stage director Tomer Zvulun gives a gangsterish twist to Giuseppe Verdi's tale of men behaving badly.” 

“Verdi's iconic clown character, Rigoletto, is doomed from the very first scene to a cursed fate,” says Zvulun. “Our production highlights his decline. Particularly the psychological one. We leaned into the aesthetic of German painters Otto Dix and George Grosz and their cinematic successors Fellini and Buñuel to present the abstraction, grittiness, and surrealism that are essential to our story.”

“We are excited to bring this production to Atlanta after its successful runs in Houston and Dallas,” continues Zvulun. “Rigoletto is the perfect vehicle for exceptional singers. When we last did it in Atlanta in 2015, it featured a young singer, Nadine Sierra, who went on to become one of opera's greatest stars. Almost a decade later, we are so pleased to bring the formidable powerhouse voices of George Gagnidze, who is making his Atlanta debut, and Atlanta favorite Jasmine Habersham as Gilda. It will be exciting to witness conductor Roberto Kalb, a rising force in the world of opera, interacting with our wonderful orchestra for the first time.”

Artistic Team:

• Conductor: Roberto Kalb

• Director: Tomer Zvulun

• Scenic Designer: Erhard Rom

• Costume Designer: Jessica Jahn

• Lighting Designer:  Thomas C. Hase

• Cast: George Gagnidze (Rigoletto); Won Whi Choi (Duke of Mantua); Jasmine Habersham (Gilda); Patrick Guetti (Sparafucile)

Rigoletto will be sung in Italian with English supertitles.

This production was created for the stage by an all-star team of creative designers. Under the direction of Tomer Zvulun, Rigoletto is set in a gritty kaleidoscope of a 1930s carnival brought to life by the award-winning scenic designer Erhard Rom, the inspired costume designer Jessica Jahn, and dynamically set by lighting designer Thomas C. Hase. Roberto Kalb, newly appointed music director of the Detroit Opera and seen leading performances around the world, is on the podium for this production.

Called “fiery” by Classical Voice, Georgian baritone George Gagnidze comes to The Atlanta Opera for the first time in his massive international career to perform the title role, which he has performed at The Met, San Francisco Opera, The Dallas Opera, along with 100s of other roles and productions around the world.

Won Whi Choi, internationally recognized for his lustrous and ringing voice, makes his Atlanta Opera debut as the lascivious Duke of Mantua. In 2020, Choi made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Alfredo in La Traviata to rave reviews. He was lauded by The New York Observer for his “big, virile sound that rocketed fearlessly up to a high C, so secure that he dared to run across the stage while holding the note…”. Last season's engagements included the Duke in Rigoletto for the New York City Opera, the title role in Les Contes d'Hoffmann for Opera Tampa, and Don Jose in Carmen for the Minnesota Opera.

Gilda, who is Rigoletto's daughter and has passion stirring in her young heart, will be sung by rising American soprano and Macon, Georgia native Jasmine Habersham. An Atlanta Opera favorite since 2016, she was most recently seen as Cleopatra in Handel's Julius Caesar (2021).  Outside of Atlanta, she had spotlight roles with the Glimmerglass Festival last summer, performed in Minnesota Opera's Edward Tulane, and made her role debut as Susanna in Mozart's Marriage of Figaro with the Madison Opera.   

Celebrated bass Patrick Guetti, named a “standout whose sound was warm and rich” by Anne Midgette in The Washington Post, will sing the role of the assassin Sparafucile.

The Atlanta Opera extends its gratitude to its sponsors, patrons, and supporters who make productions like "Rigoletto" possible. Their commitment to the arts enriches the cultural landscape of the city and enables the Opera to continue presenting world-class performances to diverse audiences. Season sponsorship is provided by the Coca-Cola Company. Free tickets to veterans are available through the support of the Home Depot Foundation. Additional support is provided by the City of Atlanta Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs and by the National Endowment for the Arts; by the Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly; and by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners.