La donna è mobile

Rigoletto is an opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi, based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It premiered on 11 March 1851 in Venice and has become a staple in today's opera repertoire.

Rigoletto is a jester at the court of the Duke of Mantua, a womanizer with low moral standards who has laid his eyes on a mysterious beauty, not knowing that she is in fact Rigoletto's daughter Gilda. Gilda, in turn, doesn't know that the man she met is the Duke, but believes him to be a poor student.

This famous aria from Act 3 is sung by the Duke with a sense of bravado and confidence to express his belief that women are fickle and unreliable. It is a lighthearted and playful piece, but it foreshadows the danger and tragedy that will soon unfold.

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