Vladas Vysniauskas great as Il Duce di Mantova in Rigoletto with The Lithuanian National Opera, Vilnius, December 17th 09. Foto: Martynas Aleksa

I do hope that he Lihuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre in Vilnius soon will get money to make a new production of Giuseppe Verdis wonderful opera Rigoletto, as the one who has been running since November 2003 is the worst I have ever seen. The operahouse has had more than ten different Rigolettos during their time, but this hopeless production made by Gintaras Varnas is not good
. It is not because of the regi, that works well, but the set by Jurate Paulekaite and costumes by Juozas Statkevicius is giving the worst look.

I attended Rigoletto again December 17th and found a good tenor as the Count of Mantova, that I have not heard in Rigoletto earlier, Vaidas Vysniauskas, he had it all, a beautiful Italian sound, good stage appearance, that was great. Rigoletto played by Dainius Stumbras was good. But looking absolutely misunderstod and hopeless in his costumes. The soprano as Gilda, Irene Zelenkauskaite, had the problem, as all the others in first act, that the stage, when she is inside Rigolettos house, is a bit away from the front of the stage, and to mee it looked like she was afraid not to be heard, therefore she was screaming during all her parts in first act. Which did that, for exempel the beautiful aria Caro Nome was a complete disaster. She had nearly all the difficult high tunes, but by screaming there were no beautyful sound, no feelings, no pianissimo, some times bad intonation and it didnt look like she was feeling well in this production. – Later on in second and third act it was better, because she was not so far away, but then she has allready lost the confidence from the audience.

Rigoletto poster. Lithuanian National Opera, Vilnius. Foto: Michael Rashkovsky

The best part was the opening of second act where Vaidas Vysniakuskas brilliantly and very beautiful was singing first his long recitativ and aria, followed by the virtuos aria. That was a big success for him. And for that the staircase functioned well. Then the difficulityes came again with the staging. The Male Choir was first class. The choir director, Ceslovas Radziunas, has done a brilliant job preparing them, no problem at all. But letting them looking first like white pingvins, then later on like black pingvins,creasy. Why did the management notstop that. The general manager, Gintautas Kevišas, have informed me that he want to provocate by renewing productions, and of course that is his right to do so, but when a theatre shall provocate the audience, please do it with style, and to the best for the performance, not to the worst. This kind of a Rigoletto is waist of money.

I liked the idea of the video projection by Andrius Jakucionis, but I wouldlike to see these ideas used in another connection.

If the house should share some money, I propose to take away the 7 female and 6 male dancers in the opening. The audience dont understand why they are standing miming there, and the small orchestra of four persons for the on stage music, just coming in playing a bit and then going out again. This could have eenplayed by a quartet of the musicians in the orchestra, and if the should be on stage, why not put them in costumes too.

But however, every bad and ourfull looking production can be saved if it is outstanding singers. Unfortunately in rigoletto the is only one big femael role, the soprano who sings Gilda. Has she ben singing wonderfully from the beginning, and not screaming, it all could have been saved, as the audience would have been enjoying her together with the good tenor and the good barytone, and not to forget te excellent male choir
. By a screaming parodic Gilda it is all lost. This is not representative for such a good operahouse as this one in Vilnius. If the meaning was to make a parody of a Rigoletto, they succeeded. But i dont think that was what the management wanted.

But a few days later, December 19th, I enjoyed Irene Zelenkauskaite again in Wienna Blood, as I have heard her several times, in that role, she is wonderful, good looking, good playing, good singing. But not good as Gilda.