Rigoletto at Lyric Opera

Chicago Stage Review - Highly Recommended

"...In the role of Gilda, Russian soprano Albina Shagimuratova (in her Chicago debut) tiptoes through Verdi's bird-like Caro nome with a gloriously effortless coloratura, and soars through the expansive passages of her duets with breathtaking full-throated ease. The Lyric Opera Chorus, under guest chorus master Ian Robertson, performs with renewed vigor as they imbue the colorful crowd scenes with teeming life while exciting young conductor Evan Rogister leads the Lyric Orchestra in a performance of extraordinary synergy and spirit. Beautifully rendered revolving sets allow for a seamless flow of action, as Rigoletto moves from the closed world of the nobility to hard-edged world of the outsider and back again. In every detail, Lyric's Rigoletto honors the artistic legacy of this grandest of Grand Operas. It is an experience you should not miss."

Chicago On the Aisle - Recommended

"...Verdi's "Rigoletto" is about a man's tormented soul, and about his sheltered daughter, a young woman utterly innocent of the world - and the inexorable calamity that befalls them both. In all that, in the voices of baritone Andrzej Dobber and soprano Albina Shagimuratova and their moving rapport as protective father and enraptured daughter, the Lyric Opera of Chicago offers a "Rigoletto" deeply rewarding at its heart."

Stage and Cinema - Somewhat Recommended

"...As Rigoletto, Dobber hardly demands attention, his tenor voice sounds hollow and the chemistry between he and Shagimuratova resonates just as weakly. (Željko Lučić assumes the role of Rigoletto March 14-30.) Though Shagimuratova has a strong, almost burly, soprano she was a bit miscast for the role. During her aria "Caro nome," when she's happily falling in love for the first time, the weight of her voice feels incongruent with her characters' lightness and naivete. That being said, she provides a haunting depth to her and Dobber's heart-breaking duets: "Tutte le feste al tiempio," "Piangi fanciulla," and "V'ho ingannato" - "Lassù... in cielo." The extraordinarily talented Shagimuratova simply cannot sing both sides of this character."

ChicagoCritic - Recommended

"...As Rigoletto, Polish baritone Andrzej Dobber sang with great tonal beauty throughout while starkly conveying by turns all of the jester's sense of terror, fury, and helplessness. (Dobber will be replaced by Željko Lučić for all performances beginning March 14.) Russian soprano Albina Shagimuratova was a most sympathetic and sweetly-singing Gilda, an emblem of guileless love taken to a tragic extreme. Filianoti crooned a bit as the Duke, which worked rather well for this inveterate womanizer; yet he projected such unaffected tenderness in his Act I duet with Gilda that her undying, hapless trust in him seemed nearly justifiable. Also noteworthy was bass Andrea Silvestrelli's arresting portrayal of the sinister assassin Sparafucile."