Giuseppe Verdi’s opera that premiered in Venice in 1851 and features the court jester Rigoletto is Rigoletto.
The opera premiered at La Fenice on 11 March 1851. Its libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave and is based on Victor Hugo’s 1832 play Le roi s’amuse. The story follows Rigoletto, a hunchbacked jester serving the Duke of Mantua, whose cynical wit contrasts with his devotion to his daughter, Gilda.
The opera’s plot centers on a curse placed on Rigoletto after he mocks the grief of Count Monterone. The curse becomes central to the tragedy involving Gilda, the Duke, and the assassin Sparafucile. Famous numbers include the Duke’s “La donna è mobile” and Gilda’s “Caro nome.”
Rigoletto is often grouped with Verdi’s middle-period masterpieces Il trovatore and La traviata, both of which premiered in 1853. A common mix-up is confusing the opera’s title with the Duke, who is the prominent tenor character but not the central title figure.