Rigoletto – Cortigiani

The title role of Verdi’s Rigoletto is the greatest role ever written for a baritone. That’s saying a lot, given that the composer wrote more great parts for the baritone than any other composer of opera. Of his 26 operas, five have the baritone’s name as their title. All the rest of the composer’s operas have major baritone parts that are among the most challenging and important in the genre.

Rigoletto is the story of a man brought down not by a flaw but by a virtue – his love for his daughter. The opera’s most demanding and dramatic scene is when Rigoletto realizes that his daughter has been kidnapped by the Duke of Mantua’s courtiers and then given over to him. Rigoletto first demands and then pleads for her release. They thought she was Rigoletto’s mistress and are horrified when they find that she was his daughter, but it’s too late for them to rectify their error, especially to a man they hold in contempt.

‘Cortigiani, vil razza dannata’ is an aria (an inadequate noun for a scene of such overwhelming dramatic impact) that makes extraordinary vocal and histrionic demands on the singer. It takes a great baritone to fully express the dramatic power Verdi put into this inspired writing. Most baritones run out of operatic gas before it’s over.

Here are a dozen recordings of Cortigiani sung by 12 baritones active in the previous century. These are followed by a video of one of the leading baritones of today performing the scene. Below the video is the text in Italian and English. They are not presented in chronological order, but according to my arbitrary preference.

The first is by Leonard Warren, the greatest Verdi baritone I ever heard in performance. It’s taken from a 1956 Met performance. Note both the power and subtlety of his singing.

Next is Warren’s younger contemporary Robert Merrill. Merril had a distinctive sound unlike that of any other baritone I know of. His only flaw was occasional difficulty with the very high notes Verdi wrote for his baritones.

Lawrence Tibbet was the first in a succession of great American baritones. In addition to being a regular at the Met, he appeared in films and on radio.

Cornell MacNeil in his prime, the first half of his career, was a singer capable of volcanic explosions and high notes of extraordinary intensity.

The remainder of the baritones are Europeans. Matteo Managuerra was French, though of Italian ancestry. He was a regular at both the Met and in Chicago where I heard him several times. His performances were always at the highest level.

Giuseppe Taddei was active in the post World War II era. His career was noted for its length. He sang with effectiveness until he was in his late sixties.

Domenico Viglione Borghese was a baritone active in the first part of the 20th century. Those who heard him said he had the biggest baritone voice they had ever heard. After his singing days were over he had a successful second career as a character actor in the movies.

Tito Gobbi was one of the 20th century’s greatest singing actors. Though his voice was not the magnificent organ of some of his coevals it had a distinctive sound and he used it with the greatest skill and expression. He was an outstanding artist.

Ettore Bastianini is one of opera’s saddest stories. He had a bright baritone that was effective and well focused. He died at age 44 from throat cancer. He sang Rigoletto at the Met only one time out of the 89 performances he gave with the company.

Renato Bruson was one of the world’s leading baritones during the last third of the 20th century. He appeared in all of the major houses, though only 19 times at the Met. I don’t know what limited his New York appearances. He was particularly known for his portrayal of Rigoletto.

Renato Cappuccilli sang everywhere, but only one time at the Met. I heard him several times in Chicago. He was known as a Verdi baritone. He appeared in 18 of Verdi’s operas.

Leo Nucci has had one of the longest careers of any singer within living memory. Only Placido Domingo can boast similar durability. Now 82 Nucci sang Rigoletto in 2016 at La Scala. He is said to have performed the role 500 times.

The video below as promised above shows Quinn Kelsey’s interpretation of the great scene. You can judge for yourself whether he meets the standard of past perfomers who excelled in the role.