Theater review: CCP’s ‘Rigoletto’ proves opera is very much alive in the Philippines

Thunderous applause, a standing ovation, and numerous cries of "Bravo!" greeted the ensemble of "Rigoletto" on the second and final performance of the opera at the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo on Sunday night.

The three-act opera was a creative collaboration among artists from two countries: South Korean conductor Jae Joon Lee led the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO), while Floy Quintos was the stage director. The production starred South Korean opera stalwarts Daesan No (baritone, as the hunchback court jester Rigoletto), Yun-Kyoung Yi (soprano, as Rigoletto's beautiful daughter Gilda), and Jae Wook Lee (tenor, as the debauched Duke of Mantua) as well as Filipino performers Ronan Ferrer (tenor), Nenen Espina (soprano), Jun Francis Jaranilla (bass), Thea Perez (soprano), Noel Azcona (baritone), the male members of the Coro Tomasino, and the Philippine Ballet Theater.

The story

"Rigoletto," Guiseppe Verdi's opera based on Victor Hugo's play "Le Roi s’Amuse," premiered at the Teatro la Fenice in Venice in 1851.

The opera was originally titled "La Maledizione" or "The Curse," referring to the curse placed on both the Duke of Mantua and his court jester, Rigoletto, by a nobleman whose daughter was seduced by the licentious Duke.

Rigoletto's daughter, Gilda, later meets the Duke and falls in love with him herself. But she is abducted by noblemen who hate Rigoletto because of his mockery after the Duke has seduced their wives and daughters. 

Rigoletto, who thinks the Duke abducted Gilda, rushes to save her but is beaten by the noblemen. However, he and Gilda are able to leave.

Rigoletto and Gilda arrive at a house, from which they could hear the Duke singing the most famous aria from the opera, "La donna e mobile" ("The woman is fickle").

Rigoletto realizes that the house belongs to an assassin, Sparafucile, and that the Duke is trying to seduce Sparafucile's sister, Maddalena. He pays the assassin to kill the Duke, then tells Gilda to dress in a man's clothes so that they could escape the city.

Gilda, who returns dressed as a man, learns of the plot to kill the Duke. She takes the Duke's place, and is killed by the assassin. When Rigoletto returns, he is given a body in a sack, but then hears the Duke's voice again singing "La donna e mobile" in the distance. He opens the sack to see his dying daughter instead.

The opera closes with a sullen Rigoletto mourning the death of Gilda, who sacrificed her life for the uncaring Duke.

Although the entire show was in Italian with no subtitles except for the synopsis of each act that flashed on stage before the start of each act, the lead performers and the entire ensemble wowed the audience with their sheer talent.

The performance was a reminder of the extraordinary potential of the human voice, if natural talent is aided by proper technique and education. The South Korean leads and the rest of the ensemble gracefully sang each note with precision, certainty, and confidence.

The production also did a noteworthy job of re-imagining the decadent world of Verdi's opera through dynamic lighting, flamboyant costumes, and creative stage design.

Opera's future in the PHL

For Ronan Ferrer, considered by many critics to be one of the Philippines' best tenors, the future of opera in the country is very bright, with the audience for it growing with each opera.

He added that 2014 is an exciting year for opera lovers in the country, as Giacomo Puccini's "La Bohème" and Felipe P. De Leon's "Noli Me Tangere: The Opera" will be staged before the year ends.

Ferrer also emphasized that the Philippine opera scene has never been short of talented performers and musicians.

In a separate interview iwth GMA News Online, "Rigoletto" star Daesan No said that performing in the Philippines has always been "great," and expressed his admiration for his Filipino castmates.  

Music director Jae Joon Lee also gushed about the "very talented" Filipino musicians. He said, "That's why I have kept coming back to the Philippines for 11 years since 2003." — BM, GMA News

"Rigoletto" was performed at the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo on August 22 and 24.

According to the CCP, the proceeds of the production will go toward the rehabilitation of the heritage sites in Bohol destroyed by the October 2013 earthquake and Typhoon Yolanda.