We saw Giuseppe Verdi's opera, Rigoletto, at the Hungarian State Opera House in Budapest.
The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave and the opera had a triumphant premiere in Venice in 1851.
The tragic story revolves around the licentious Duke of Mantua, his hunch-backed court jester Rigoletto and Rigoletto's beautiful daughter Gilda.
The opera's original title, La maledizione (The Curse), refers to the curse placed on both the Duke and Rigoletto
by a courtier whose daughter had been seduced by the Duke with Rigoletto's encouragement.
The curse comes to fruition when Gilda likewise falls in love with the Duke and eventually sacrifices her life to save him from the assassins hired by her father.
The Hungarian State Opera House (Magyar Állami Operaház) was designed by Miklós Ybl, a major figure of 19th-century Hungarian architecture.
Construction began in 1875, and the new house opened to the public in 1884.
It is a richly-decorated building and is considered one of the architect's masterpieces.
It was built in neo-Renaissance style, with elements of Baroque.
The auditorium holds 1,261 people.
We had a lovely early dinner at the elegant Cafe Callas next door to the theatre.
I had a salmon steak and cheese cake. Margaret had chicken.
Rigoletto was quite good and was performed in a traditional setting.
There were English (and Hungarian) sub-titles on an electronic board above the stage.
Margaret loved it.
It was the most appealing of the 4 operas that we saw on this tour.
