Loved it! Great performances by all.

I watched this on Live on HD in South Africa and usually love all The Met does, but this was a very big let-down. Rigoletto was OK, Gilda and Sparafucile were terrific, but the Duke sounded like an endless and all-too-mezzo fortissimo brass trumpet - absolutely no subtlety or variation in timbre or expression in his voice at any time. The production itself was dire - cliched, dark and pointless; nothing was made of the alleged Weimar connection. Still, fingers crossed for Ariadne, Don Carlos and Lucia - can't wait!

I was all excited to listen to some of the most beautiful music and watch a Verdi opera, but came away somewhat disappointed. Using a ten for the ultimate score I would subtract a one because it was so dark, even during the supposed party scenes. Now we have nine, but I have to subtract another one for the Fascist costuming which was also dark and black and unattractive. Now we have eight minus another one because Verdi would have cried at the munipulation of the intended plot. What? Gilda parading out among the Duke's court in a sheet and handling the dagger before her death. And what? A zipper to tie the corpse's death sack. How convenient. Oh my! Rosa Fiola was outstanding and I give her a ten.

This is the reason that Opera is dying. Because a few unimaginative people think that younger generations will be excited by a topless stripper or a tenor snorting coke and grabbing the Mezzo Soprano's ass. It's pathetic and sad. On top of that are the cheap shaky sets that are supposed to dazzle and look like low-rent Vegas (but not in a cool way). All of this distracts from the beauty of the music and makes you feel sorry for the cast. And one more essential thing: When attempting to modernize a story like Rigoletto, that isn't exactly a shining moment for the treatment of women, WHY on EARTH would the team that produced this made the kidnapping scene seem like a mob of secret society heading to a gang rape? And then follow it with Gilda not seeming especially upset at her attackers. It's Me Too time at the opera. If I hadn't seen La Traviata the week before I would have never gone to the MET again. Get it together or the MET will not survive another generation.