Rigoletto High A Cage Match: La Maledizione!

Here is a presentation of a number of baritones from the past and present hitting the optional high A from the end of Rigoletto, at the end of the Rigoletto/Gilda “V’ho ingannato“ duet. Verdi wrote the final line as Fb-Eb-Db. I don’t know who the first baritone was to take it up to an Ab and resolve on Db, nor do I know who had the idea to one-up that guy and add a high A natural (technically, it’s a B double flat), but whoever they were, they set an important precedent for all Rigolettos to come. Here they