Rigoletto showcases great new voices at Wexford Festival Opera

By Pia Maltri, 24 October 2017

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Reviewed at Clayton Whites Hotel, Wexford on 22 October 2017

Verdi, Rigoletto

Wexford Festival Opera

Roberto Recchia, Director

Charles Rice, Rigoletto

Giuliana Gianfaldoni, Gilda

Aidan Coburn, The Duke of Mantua

Veta Pilipenko, Maddalena

Toni Nežić, Sparafucile

Thomas D Hopkinson, Monterone

Vivien Conacher, Giovanna

Simon Gilkes, Borsa

Steven Griffin, Marullo

Malachy Frame, Count Ceprano

Giorgio D'Alonzo, Piano

Delius’ The Magic Fountain disappoints at Wexford

Eleanor Knight, 19th October

Frederick Delius' gigantic score is worth a listen but Christopher Luscombe doesn’t circumvent the problems of directing this opera in 2025.

**111

Handel’s Deidamia a triumph for Wexford Festival Opera

Eleanor Knight, 18th October

A rare opportunity to see Handel’s final operatic work, Deidamia, conducted – and staged – by George Petrou at Wexford Festival Opera.

*****

Spanish Civil War Trouvère opens Wexford Festival Opera

Eleanor Knight, 17th October

The 74th Wexford Opera Festival opens with the French revision of Il trovatore that Verdi reforged for the Paris Opera.

***11

Orpha Phelan delivers farcical Donizetti at the Wexford Festival Opera

Andrew Larkin, 20th October

Superlative singing, hilarious antics and an energetic production make Donizetti's Le Convenience ed inconvenience an exhilarating success.

****1

Stanford's hilarious The Critic proves a Wexford knockout

Andrew Larkin, 19th October

Conor Hanratty's humorous production is a triumph from beginning to end, a must see at this year's Wexford Festival.

*****

Mascagni's Le maschere struggles to take flight in Wexford opener

Andrew Larkin, 18th October

Excellent singing, an amusing production and lively staging showcases Mascagni's Le maschere in the best possible light at Wexford Festival Opera.

***11

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Pia Maltri

Pia first fell head over heels for opera when she was a teenager by listening to recordings of some of the great voices of the past: Maria Callas, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Mirella Freni, Alfredo Kraus. She holds a degree in Italian Literature and she lives in Rome.