Filmed on location in 1981 in Italian Renaissance landmarks including the Castello di San Giorgio in Mantua, the Piazza Duomo in Cremona, and the Teatro Farnese in Parma, Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's authentic rendering captures all the tenderness and tragedy of Verdi's heart-breaking drama. Riccardo Chailly conducts the Wiener Philharmoniker and a stellar cast featuring Luciano Pavarotti, Edita Gruberova and Ingvar Wixell. Luciano Pavarotti sings the role of the Duke of Mantua, a part in which he is unsurpassed; Edita Gruberova, internationally acclaimed as one of the greatest coloratura sopranos of our time, sings the role of Gilda; and Ingvar Wixell, a superlative baritone, sings a captivating Rigoletto.
