Taped live at the Metropolitan Opera House on December 29th, 1945, this Rigoletto has a lot going for it. Leonard Warren is towering in the title role, using his huge, colorful baritone to present a three-dimensional portrait. He’s snide, he’s cruel, but he’s also loving and tender, and eventually, a tragic figure. Jussi Björling’s Duke is not quite as carefree as we might wish but he sings beautifully and there’s still no one with such a caressing tone in all of tenordom. Bidu Sayao’s girlish Gilda is just right and the only place she disappoints a bit, strangely enough, is in her big second act aria. Norman Condon and Martha Lipton are urgent as Sparafucile and Maddalena and the rest of the cast is good enough. Cesare Sodero leads an unimaginative but singer-friendly performance. In short, a Rigoletto for fans of the three stars.
