In Italy, in Mantua and its surroundings, in the 16th century. Although newly in love, the Duke of Mantua extols infidelity. His court jester, Rigoletto, mocks the elderly Monterone, who has come to demand the return of his daughter, whom the Duke has seduced. Monterone casts a curse on Rigoletto. The hitman Sparafucile offers his services to the jester, as a man is lurking around the young woman he is protecting. Rigoletto reflects on his dual role as jester and tormented father, for this young woman—whom the courtiers believe he is hiding a romantic affair with—is in fact his own daughter, Gilda. “Rigoletto” is an Italian opera in three acts and four scenes by Giuseppe Verdi, with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on Victor Hugo’s 1832 play “Le roi s’amuse.” It premiered on March 11, 1851, at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice. From the “Tutto Verdi” box set of 27 Verdi operas. Recorded live at the Teatro Regio in Parma on October 16, 20, and 22, 2008.

In a Tyrolean village in the first half of the 17th century. Luisa, Miller’s daughter, and Carlo, a young man she met in the village, are deeply in love. When Wurm, a courtier who is also in love with Luisa, asks Miller for his daughter’s hand in marriage, Miller replies that he cannot give his daughter away against her will. Offended, Wurm then reveals Carlo’s true identity: he is Rodolfo, the son of Count Walter. ‘Luisa Miller’ is an opera in three acts, the fourteenth by Giuseppe Verdi, then aged 36. It premiered at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples on 8 December 1849. Taken from the ‘Tutto Verdi’ box set of 27 Verdi operas. Recorded live at the Teatro Regio in Parma on 20 and 22 October 2007.