Ponnelle, Jean-Pierre, Furlanetto, Ferruccio, Gruberova, Edita, Pavarotti, Luciano, Ponnelle, Jean-Pierre, Wixell, Ingvar	...	(Director)
Victor Hugo, Francesco Maria Piave	...	(Writer)
Ingvar Wixell	...	Rigoletto
Edita Gruberova	...	Gilda
Luciano Pavarotti	...	Il Duca di Mantova
Ferruccio Furlanetto	...	Sparafucile
Victoria Vergara	...	Maddalena
Fedora Barbieri	...	Giovanna
Bernd Weikl	...	Marullo
Roland Bracht	...	Ceprano
Louis Otey	...	Marullo
Rémy Corazza	...	Borsa
Kathleen Kuhlmann	...	Contessa di Ceprano

Summary: This extraordinarily powerful 1983 production may be the best-sung performance by Luciano Pavarotti on DVD, but when acting values are counted in, Ingvar Wixell manages to outshine the tenor star. Verdi gave the Duke two of Italian opera's most brilliant arias ("Questa o quella" and "La donna e mobile"), but he gave the deformed jester Rigoletto a depth and complexity of character that is reflected in music of great variety and enormous emotional impact: the cruel mockery of the opening scene, the self-doubts inspired by his dialogue with Sparafucile, the paternal anxieties and final despair at his daughter's sad fate, and the burning, self-destructive thirst for revenge. All these motives work their way into music of great dramatic richness, variety, and intensity. Wixell rises to its challenges, not only in the title role but in a cameo appearance as Rigoletto's nemesis Monterone. Location filming provides an atmosphere unavailable in staged productions. --Joe McLellan