With dramatic settings ranging from the seat of power to the foot of the gallows, Un ballo in maschera combines political intrigue, forbidden love and assassination in one of Verdi’s most fascinating works. Directed by Mario Martone and with atmospheric settings by Sergio Tramonti, the staging brings out the innate theatricality and drama of Verdi’s ‘most operatic of all operas’.

For the second work of this Italian summer, The Royal Opera presents one of its audience favourites. Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera returns in a splendid production that has all the glamour and historical flavour of its 19th-century setting and all the richness of melody and emotion of one of Verdi’s most popular operas. Bringing their flair from film into the theatre, director Mario Martone and set designer Sergio Tramonti evoke the world of power and passion in which Amelia will betray her politician husband Renato, who in turn betrays Riccardo, Governor of Boston and Amelia’s lover.

The climax at the masked ball of the title is a potent mixture of high emotion, tense drama and visual coup de théâtre. Verdi’s classic score will be under the expert baton of Maurizio Benini – he has conducted Verdi’s Luisa Miller, Rigoletto and La traviata for The Royal Opera – and a cast of internationally acclaimed singers led by Ramón Vargas, Angela Marambio and Dalibor Jenis. Bringing a frisson of the supernatural to the drama is the fortune teller Ulrica, who sees portents of the disaster to come, while the infatuated young page Oscar’s youthful and sparkling coloratura singing provides a pointed contrast to the intense and serious emotions that slowly unfold to tragic consequences. A popular work with strong stage images and a cast second to none make this revival a real summer treat.

Dates
Opened: 26th June 2009
Closed: 17th July 2009

Run Time: Three hours 15 minutes | 2 Intervals
Performed in Italian with English