"It's no good unless it breaks your heart", as Anthony Minghella would say.
The world's most famous La donna e mobile and the timeless hits Caro nome and Questa o quella were score features in Verdi's tragic tale Rigoletto. Rich in melody and filled with great arias, this is one of my favorite operas having seen it maybe three times.
It may have pleased the veteran opera lovers that the set and stage production were done in the tradition of classical opera. At the pre-show quick lunch we had at Avery Fisher Hall, I engaged in a chat with an elegant lady in her 80's, who takes the train from the suburbs of New Jersey to attend the opera.
Here I am complaining about my short ride from Queens, and here's this lady impeccably dressed in a light outfit for this winter weather, traveling a few good miles on a commuter train from her suburban home. She was waiting for her niece who she hopes will love Rigoletto as much as she does. Introduced to her at age 13 by her parents, she has been an avid goer since. We talked about how unfortunate it is that the Amato Opera in the Bowery is closing for its final season. She was visibly excited as she spoke about how she frequented The Hippodrome in her younger days, adding that I may not have been around at the time yet. We shook hands, parted ways, she said she hopes to see me at Lucia di Lammermoor performance and I said to myself, "When I grow up I want to be like her".
Meeting people from all walks of life is part of the fun in going to this performances. All it took was a gentle pat on my arm when she asked me to watch her plate while she walked to the counter to freshen her cup with hot coffee. It took off from there and I can't tell you how priceless that conversation was. These things do matter.
This being her first exposure to the opera I was also joined by my niece Nelsie. Susan, a former co-worker met us at the lobby of the Met. She took the place of Judy who's out there in the slopes of Colorado skiing.
With its roster of the best cast, the chorus playing a big role, the Met once again did a sensational production. It would please Minghella that this was not a stunning but a heartbreaking performance.
