Verdi: Rigoletto

The character Gilda, daughter of the jester Rigoletto, is one of the most difficult Verdi roles to grasp. During the course of the opera she evolves from a naive young woman, easily seduced by a smooth talker, to a typically Romantic sacrificial heroine. Maria Callas performed this role only twice in her career: once on stage during a series of concerts in Mexico in 1952, and once on record three years later with her usual partners Giuseppe Di Stefano and Tito Gobbi. This historical version is an absolute standard of any Italian opera discography.