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To commemorate the 200th anniversary of Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi's birth year, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present Verdi's opera "Rigoletto". Professor Lo King-man is the programme's producer and director.
"Rigoletto" is an opera in three acts by the Italian genius Giuseppe Verdi, set to a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play "Le roi s'amuse" by Victor Hugo. Premiered in Venice in 1851, the work was Verdi's first international triumph and ranks among the most frequently performed operas in the world. The protagonist of the tragic story is a hunchbacked court jester who encourages his master, the Duke of Mantua, to indulge in a licentious and lustful life until his own daughter, Gilda, falls victim to the Duke's seduction. Rigoletto's plot to have his master murdered backfires and results in Gilda's death.
Verdi imbued this work with enchanting melodies, strong dramatic situations, powerful characterisation and intense emotions. This special production by Hong Kong's Musica Viva features a team of world-renowned opera stars who have sung with the Metropolitan Opera of New York, the Chicago Lyric Opera, the Royal Opera of London and other prestigious companies worldwide. In this production they will perform with excellent young Hong Kong artists including the Hong Kong Virtuosi and the chorus of the Opera Society of Hong Kong. The production is directed by Professor Lo King-man and conducted by Lio Kuok-man.
Produced by Musica Viva, Verdi's three-act opera "Rigoletto" (performed in Italian with Chinese and English surtitles) will be staged at 7.45pm on December 13 and 14 (Friday and Saturday) and at 2.45pm on December 14 and 15 (Saturday and Sunday) at the Concert Hall of Hong Kong City Hall. Tickets priced at $600, $450, $300 and $150 are now available at all URBTIX outlets, on the Internet and by telephone credit card booking. Half-price tickets are available for senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities and their minders, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients (limited tickets for CSSA recipients available on a first-come, first-served basis). For the "Verdi & Wagner Year" package discount, please refer to the programme leaflet or the webpage for details.
For programme enquiries, please call 2268 7321; for ticketing enquiries, call 2734 9009. For telephone credit card bookings, call 2111 5999. Internet bookings are available at www.urbtix.hk. For more information, visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/program_301.html.
Ends/Friday, August 9, 2013
Issued at HKT 10:00
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