I recently had the honor (and great fun!) to sing my first full production of Rigoletto! After covering the role years ago at Pensacola Opera, I have waited patiently for my turn to sing Verdi’s hunchback. I couldn’t have been more pleased to work with a great group of artists at Salt Marsh Opera and look forward to my next opportunity to sing this amazing role.
Check out what Connecticut’s The Day had to say about my performance! Or you can find more reviews here.
But it was the vocal power and characterizations by Loyd, in the title role, coupled with the emotional turbulence and dramatic hammer blows of Verdi’s great score, that carried the night.
Physically compelling in his characterization of the hunchback court jester Rigoletto, Loyd mined dramatic material at every turn, whether cowering, raging or pouring affection on Gilda. His seething musing on his fate, to be mocked daily by those who stand straight and tall, “Pari siamo,” came across as a Shakespearean soliloquy writ larger than life.
Rigoletto is one of opera’s most complex characters, a man of fear and resentment, yet also nobility and love. These elements are revealed in his duets with Gilda (Verdi’s baritone/soprano, father/daughter duets are among his finest). The complexity of the character was portrayed in all of its subtleties.
Connecticut’s The Day