"We was wit' you, at Rigoletto's!" (by Laura Orem)

Today marks the anniversary of the first ever performance of Guiseppe Verdi's Rigoletto, which premiered in Venice in 1851. By all accounts, it was an instant smash, and the next morning, Venetians were heard singing "La donna e' mobile" as they poled their gondolas along the canals.

Rigoletto is based on a Victor Hugo novel, La roi s'amuse. The original Hugo work was problematic, as its main character is a debauched and profligate King Francis I of France; Verdi had to shift the action to Italy and change the protagonist to the Duke of Mantua in order to avoid the censors. The opera is also most satisfactorily melodramatic and bloodthirsty, involving curses, assassins, illicit assignations, and murder. The Duke's aria has become almost a cliche - say "opera," and pretty much anyone can sing the melody for a few bars. But beyond this, it is an energetic and athletic piece of music, and for the Venetians, for whom it was brand-new, it was wonderfully exciting. After all, things become cliches for a reason - because they have a universal appeal in their particular moment.

Here are two versions of the Duke's aria, by the two greatest tenors of the 20th century. I'll leave it up to you to decide who is better. Or if either is. Are rubies better than diamonds? Is cheesecake better than cannolis? Or...you get the idea.

Here's the whole lyric, in case you feel like singing along:

La donna è mobile
Qual piuma al vento,
Muta d'accento — e di pensiero.
Sempre un amabile,
Leggiadro viso,
In pianto o in riso, — è menzognero.
È sempre misero
Chi a lei s'affida,
Chi le confida — mal cauto il cuore!
Pur mai non sentesi
Felice appieno
Chi su quel seno — non liba amore!

Woman is flighty
Like a feather in the wind,
She changes her voice — and her mind.
Always sweet,
Pretty face,
In tears or in laughter, — she is always lying.
Always miserable
Is he who trusts her,
He who confides in her — his unwary heart!
Yet one never feels
Fully happy
Who on that bosom — does not drink love!

(P.S. One hundred bonus points to the person who can identify from whence the title quote is taken.)

Comments

[Chester]

Some like It Hot, of course!

[Laura Orem]

Bravo! You win the kewpie doll!