Un Ballo in Maschera

Giuseppe Verdi's 1859 opera originally focused on the assassination of King Gustave III of Sweden in 1792, but the censors forbade the depiction of a royal murder onstage, so for the first performance the locale was changed to colonial Boston and the victim to the British governor, Earl Riccardo of Warwick—and that revised version is featured here in this 2008 mounting from the Teatro Real in Madrid. The plot revolves around a fairly typical romantic triangle: the earl's interest in Amelia, wife of his secretary Renato, leads Riccardo's formerly loyal aide to join a conspiracy, ending at a climactic masked ball with an attack on Riccardo, who grants clemency to Renato and testifies to Amelia's innocence before he dies. Overall, this is a very good production, sporting impressive sets and elegant costumes. Marcelo Álvarez has the ringing tones necessary for Riccardo, and although Violeta Urmana's top notes aren't always ideally full, she's an impressive Amelia; similarly, Marco Vratogna makes a strong Renato. And conductor Jesús López Cobos keeps the level of tension high, drawing robust but sensitive playing from the Madrid Symphony. Un Ballo in Maschera isn't one of Verdi's greatest operas, but even his mid-grade works are well worth hearing, and this mounting—nicely filmed with excellent sound in DTS 5.1 and LCPM stereo on DVD and PCM 5.1 and stereo on Blu-ray—equals Riccardo Chailly's staging from Leipzig (VL-2/07). DVD/Blu-ray extras include an illustrated synopsis and cast gallery. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)