For dramatic intensity, Rigoletto – compact, tuneful, melodramatic – is even better.
Verdi, one of opera's greats, had a long career. For many his Egyptian Aida is an ideal first opera. For dramatic intensity, Rigoletto – compact, tuneful, melodramatic – is even better. The hunchback prompts pity when he tries to protect his daughter. It's never been the same since ENO's 1982 "Mafioso" staging had the Duke singing La Donna e Mobile at a jukebox in a diner.