A riveting Rigoletto revival at the Royal Opera House

George Petean (Rigoletto)

George Petean (Rigoletto) and chorus

George Petean (Rigoletto) and Aida Garifullina (Gilda)

Iván Ayón-Rivas (Duke of Mantua)

By Dominic Lowe, 26 March 2026

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“George Petean... a performance that blended fury with a deep pensive melancholy”

Reviewed at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 25 March 2026

Verdi, Rigoletto

The Royal Opera

Sir Mark Elder, Conductor

Oliver Mears, Director

Simon Lima Holdsworth, Set Designer

Ilona Karas, Costume Designer

Fabiana Piccioli, Lighting Designer

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden

Royal Opera Chorus

George Petean, Rigoletto

Aida Garifullina, Gilda

Iván Ayón-Rivas, The Duke of Mantua

William Thomas, Sparafucile

Anne Marie Stanley, Maddalena

Jingwen Cai, Giovanna

Thomas D Hopkinson, Count Ceprano

TBC, Countess Ceprano

Emmanuel Fonoti-Fuimaono, Borsa

Blaise Malaba, Monterone

Sam Hird, Marullo

Anna Morrissey, Choreography

Peter Grimes drops anchor again at The Royal Opera

Christopher Woodley, 5th May

Allan Clayton and Sir Bryn Terfel lead a strong cast in a revival of Deborah Warner's dark staging of Britten's signature work at Covent Garden.

****1

Two funerals and a bedding at the Linbury Theatre

Eleanor Knight, 1st May

Tales of love and loss as operas by Elena Langer, Charlotte Bray and Elizabeth Maconchy form a varied triple bill in this showcase for The Royal Opera’s Jette Parker Artists.

****1

The Turn of the Screw at RBO Linbury: Darkness and denial

Eleanor Knight, 26th March

Natalie Abrahami’s mesmerising new production of Britten’s ghostly tale of sexual abuse is very dark indeed.

*****

Siegfried at the RBO: Kosky and Pappano surprise and delight

David Karlin, 17th March

A revelatory orchestral performance and a cast led by Andreas Schager, Christopher Maltman and Elisabeth Strid make this a Siegfried for the record books.

*****

Terfel’s craggy Boris Godunov returns to Covent Garden

Mark Pullinger, 29th January

The second revival of Richard Jones' staging of Mussorgsky's original 1869 version of Boris Godunov once again stars the Welsh knight.

****1

Ermonela Jaho returns in triumph to The Royal Opera’s Traviata

Mark Valencia, 8th January

Richard Eyre’s 32-year-old production is rarely out of The Royal Opera’s repertoire for more than a few months at a time, but this particular revival proves very special.

*****

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Dominic Lowe

Dominic Lowe recently completed a degree in Classics, and one of his great interests is the reception of Greece and Rome in opera. A regular opera-goer since his very early teens, he is particularly keen on the hidden operatic gems of the 19th century. He is largely based in the South of England.

Sir Mark Elder leads a riveting Rigoletto revival at the Royal Opera House