Through a voice, darkly.

Byline: Paul Denison The Register-Guard

In Giuseppe Verdi's "Rigoletto," the three principal singers and the chorus each face special challenges.

The title role requires a baritone who has a ``very dark, thick, hefty weight to his voice,'' but who can also sing almost into the tenor range, Eugene Opera artistic director Robert Ashens says.

``This is such a substantial and weighty piece that you couldn't have a twentysomething sing it, or even a thirtysomething person, unless he had considerable stage experience and strong vocal technique,'' says Ashens, who will conduct Hult Center performances of "Rigoletto" this coming Friday and Sunday, March 13.

The soprano has to sing acrobatically in the upper register. She must be "very clean, very accurate," Ashens says, but also must have enough acting ability "to make this flighty singing seem realistic."

The tenor has the blessing and the curse of singing some of the most famous songs.

"He has to be on his mark, because the audience will know if he's not," Ashens says.

The all-male chorus has to sing three- and four-part music that is ``not lightweight, like `H.M.S. Pinafore,' but heavy and dark and quite impactful.''

For the Eugene Opera production, Ashens has cast baritone Scott Bearden as Rigoletto. Bearden has sung the role several times before, including with Opera San Jose, where he was a resident artist for two seasons.

Soprano Megan Monaghan will play Gilda, a role she also sang a year ago. And tenor Joseph LeBlanc will portray the Duke of Mantua. LeBlanc has performed in Europe but this will be his first substantial role as a professional.

The cast also includes bass-baritone Bryan Glenn Davis, who plays two roles: Count Monterone, who curses both Rigoletto and the duke, and Sparafucile, the assassin. Mezzo-soprano Darla Wigginton plays Maddalena, the assassin's sister.

Although Verdi wrote "Rigoletto" in bel canto style, Ashens says, the composer was at the time (1851) becoming "more and more involved with real emotions," making his characters more three-dimensional both musically and dramatically.

Brenda Nuckton, stage director for the Eugene Opera production, sees "Rigoletto" as "a really story-driven opera" and says her focus is on bringing out the human elements, "how the relationships among the characters drive the plot forward, why they do what they do."

At the heart of the story is a hunchbacked court jester (Rigoletto) determined to protect his daughter (Gilda) from his boss, the womanizing Duke of Mantua, and from enemies he has made at court with his quick wit and sharp tongue.

When some mean-spirited courtiers kidnap Gilda and deliver her to the duke, who does with her as he pleases, Rigoletto hires an assassin (Sparafucile) to kill the duke. But the assassin's sister (Maddalena) has fallen for the duke, and so has Gilda. This does not lead to a happy ending.

One of the most famous elements of "Rigoletto" comes in the last act. In what Nuckton describes as a "tough love" scene, Rigoletto tries to persuade his daughter that the duke is not worthy of her love. The duke and Maddalena join in - singing lines almost directly quoted, Ashens notes, from "Le Roi s'amuse," the 1832 Victor Hugo play upon which "Rigoletto" is based.

Meanwhile, an off-stage all-male chorus provides the soundtrack of a physical storm to match the emotional storm, with flute and piccolo as lightning and bass drum as thunder.

Needless to say, this quartet-and-storm scene is a show-stopper.

"I always go out for pizza during the applause," Ashens quips.

PREVIEW

Rigoletto

What: Eugene Opera staging of the Giuseppe Verdi work

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2:30 p.m. March 13

Where: Hult Center, Seventh Avenue and Willamette Street

How much: $15 to $55, through the Hult Center box office, 682-5000

CAPTION(S):

Kevin Clark / The Register-Guard In ``Rigoletto,'' Scott Bearden (left) is the baritone who will sing the title role, a jester who tries to arrange the assassination of his boss, the duke, played by Joseph LeBlanc. Megan Monaghan sings the role of Rigoletto's daughter, Gilda. The Associated Press