Verdi's Rigoletto premieres at La Fenice

Background. La Fenice commissioned Verdi in 1850 to compose a new opera. The source material was Victor Hugo's Le roi s'amuse. The working title was La Maledizione. Austrian censors initially denied consent, calling the opera repugnant. A compromise was reached in January 1851, involving renaming characters and moving the action. The libretto was developed by Francesco Maria Piave.

Premiere. The opera premiered on 11 March 1851 in a sold-out La Fenice. It was performed as the first part of a double bill with Giacomo Panizza's ballet Faust. Despite initial problems with Austrian censors, the premiere was triumphant. The Gazzetta ufficiale di Venezia later deplored the libretto's inspiration, criticizing the search for beauty in the deformed.

Reception. Verdi completed the composition on 5 February 1851, shortly before the premiere. Critics noted the work's departure from conventional forms, with only one double aria and no concerted act finales. Budden describes Rigoletto as closing the door on a period of Italian opera, marking a new personal style for Verdi.