Un ballo in maschera
Un ballo in maschera is an 1859 opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The text, by Antonio Somma, was based on Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's 1833 five act opera, Gustave III, ou Le bal masqué.
The plot concerns the assassination in 1792 of King Gustav III of Sweden who was shot, as the result of a political conspiracy, while attending a masked ball, dying of his wounds thirteen days later.
It was to take over two years between the commission from Naples, planned for a production there, and its premiere performance at the Teatro Apollo in Rome on 17 February 1859. In becoming the Un ballo in maschera which we know today, Verdi's opera underwent a significant series of transformations and title changes, caused by a combination of censorship regulations in both Naples and Rome, as well as by the political situation in France in January 1858. Based on the Scribe libretto and begun as Gustavo III set in Stockholm, it became Una vendetta in domino set in Stettin, and finally Un ballo in maschera set in Boston during the colonial era. It became one of the most frustrating experiences of Verdi's career.
From the mid-20th century, it has become more common for the setting to revert to its original 18th-century Stockholm location. A re-creation of the original Gustavo III has been staged in Sweden.
Composition history
1857: From ''Gustavo III'' to ''Una vendetta in domino''
A commission by the Teatro San Carlo in Naples in early 1857 led Verdi to begin to oversee the finalization of the libretto for Re Lear with the aim of presenting the finished opera during the 1858 carnival season. When this proved to be impracticable, Verdi turned to the subject of King Gustav III's assassination as portrayed in Scribe and Auber's opera, albeit not an historically accurate narrative. That subject was well known and had been used by other composers, including Saverio Mercadante for his Il reggente in 1843.For the libretto, Scribe retained the names of some of the historical figures involved, the conspiracy, and the killing at the masked ball, but, as noted by Budden, "it was a simple case of 'cherchez la femme'": for the rest of the play Scribe invented the romance between the King and the fictional Amélie, the wife of the king's secretary and best friend, and adds characters and situations such as Oscar, the page boy.
Somma's new libretto, known as Gustavo III, was presented to the censors in Naples by late 1857. By November, Verdi informed Somma that objections had been raised and revisions demanded by the censors, the most significant of which was the refusal to allow the depiction of a monarch on the stage - and especially the monarch's murder. As had happened with Rigoletto, changes in characters' names and titles were proposed and the location was moved from Stockholm to Stettin.
Working together with Somma over Christmas, Verdi accommodated these changes. Somma was asked to change the names of the characters on the Gustave libretto while Verdi worked on completing sketches of the music. The name of the opera became Una vendetta in domino.
By 9 January 1858, prior to setting out for Naples, Verdi wrote from his home to the San Carlo that "the opera is done and even here I am working on the full score". The composer then travelled to Naples and rehearsals of Una vendetta were about to begin when, on 14 January 1858, three Italians attempted to assassinate Emperor Napoleon III in Paris, an event which was to affect the opera's production.
1858: The censor blocks ''Una vendetta''
The imposition of still further, more stringent requirements by the censor incurred Verdi's wrath. He broke his contract, returned to Sant'Agata in April, and was sued by the management of the San Carlo house. This provoked him to lodge a counter-claim against the theatre for damages and, eventually, the legal fight ended.It was during this period of turmoil that Verdi was to describe the previous sixteen years of his composing life: in a letter to Countess Clara Maffei, he states: "From Nabucco, you may say, I have never had one hour of peace. Sixteen years in the galleys!"
1859: ''Una vendetta'' becomes ''Un ballo in maschera''
When the legal issues were resolved within a few months, Verdi was free to present the libretto and musical outline of Gustave III to the Rome Opera. There, the censors demanded further changes. Removing the action from Europe, the location became Boston during the British colonial period and the leading character became Riccardo, the Count of Warwick. At this point, the opera became Un ballo in maschera set in North America.Performance history
Notable productions
Un ballo in maschera received its premiere performance at the Teatro Apollo in Rome on 17 February 1859 and was immediately successful. The opera was first seen in the US in New York on 11 February 1861 at the Academy of Music in Manhattan for seven performances, conducted by Emanuele Muzio; the future president Abraham Lincoln attended one of the performances. Two further performances were given at the old Brooklyn Academy of Music on Montague Street. The first performance in the UK was on 15 June of that year.In the 20th century, especially after a 1935 production in Copenhagen, many modern stagings have restored the original Swedish setting and characters' names. On 7 January 1955, Marian Anderson, singing the role of Ulrica, broke the "color barrier" at the Metropolitan Opera, becoming the first African-American vocal soloist to appear with that company.
A "hypothetical reconstruction" of Gustavo III, based on the unorchestrated original and much of Una vendetta "grafted" onto Un ballos score, occurred in a production by the Gothenburg Opera in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2002.
The opera has become a staple of the repertoire and is now performed frequently.
Homosexuality of Gustav III
Scribe's libretto for Gustave III includes details that could be understood as signs of the king's homosexuality. Verdi and Somma eliminated many of these coded signals, but new codes take their place, particularly relating to the character of Oscar. David Richards has argued that although the opera was no longer explicitly based on Gustav III, Verdi deliberately deviated from his usual practice and set Oscar for a soprano – despite disliking women singing men's parts: "Verdi goes as far as one could go within the repressive conventions of his period to portray Gustavo as either a gay man or, at a minimum, a bisexual man". Richards believes this therefore demonstrates that "Verdi's art embraces all forms of sexualities". Ralph Hexter has examined the "masking" of homosexual aspects of the main character and how it relates to the idea of masking in the opera as a whole.Several productions have attempted to draw out this suggestion – most notably the staging by Göran Gentele for the Royal Swedish Opera in 1959 where Gustavo is having an affair with his Oscar even while pining for Amelia, and also the 1993 staging by Götz Friedrich for Berlin.
Roles
| Role BO: Original Boston setting and characters SW: Swedish setting and characters | Voice type | Premiere cast 17 February 1859 |
| BO: Riccardo, Earl of Warwick and governor of Boston SW: Gustavo, King of Sweden | tenor | Gaetano Fraschini |
| BO: Amelia, wife of Renato, in love with Riccardo SW: Amelia, wife of Anckarström, in love with Gustavo | soprano | |
| BO: Renato, husband of Amelia and Riccardo's secretary, best friend and confidant SW: Count Anckarström, husband of Amelia and Gustavo's secretary, best friend and confidant | baritone | Leone Giraldoni |
| BO: Oscar, Riccardo's page SW: Oscar, Gustavo's page | coloratura soprano | Pamela Scotti |
| BO: Ulrica SW: Madame Arvidson, a fortune-teller | contralto | Zelina Sbriscia |
| A judge | tenor | Giuseppe Bazzoli |
| BO: Silvano SW: Cristiano | bass | Stefano Santucci |
| Amelia's servant | tenor | Luigi Fossi |
| BO: Samuel SW: Count Ribbing | bass | Cesare Rossi |
| BO: Tom SW: | bass | Giovanni Bernardoni |
Synopsis
Act 1
Scene 1: A public audience at Riccardo's palace, attended by his supporters, but also by his enemies who hope for his demise.Riccardo reviews the list of guests who will attend an upcoming masked ball. He is elated to see the name of the woman he loves on the list – Amelia, the wife of his friend and advisor, Renato.. When Renato arrives, he tries to warn Riccardo about the growing conspiracy against him, but Riccardo refuses to listen to his words.
Next, Riccardo is presented with a complaint against a fortune-teller named Ulrica, accused of witchcraft. A magistrate calls for her banishment, but Oscar the page defends her. Riccardo resolves to investigate for himself and tells the members of the court to disguise themselves and to meet him at Ulrica's lodging later that day.
Scene 2: At Ulrica's dwelling
Ulrica summons her magical powers: Re dell'abisso, affrettati / "King of the abyss, make haste". Disguised as a fisherman, Riccardo arrives before the others. He makes the fortune of a sailor named Silvano come true by spiriting a document of promotion into his pouch, convincing the crowd of the truth of Ulrica's powers. When he realizes that Amelia is coming to see Ulrica, he hides and watches. Alone with Ulrica, Amelia confesses that she is tormented by her love for Riccardo, and asks for a means to bring peace to her heart. Ulrica tells her to gather a certain herb with magical powers; Riccardo resolves to be there when she does so. Amelia leaves.
Now Riccardo presents himself again, along with all of the courtiers, and asks to have his fortune told.. Ulrica reveals that he will be killed by the next man who shakes his hand. He laughingly dismisses her prophecy and offers his hand to the courtiers, who refuse to take it. Renato arrives and shakes Riccardo's hand in greeting. Riccardo's true identity is now revealed and he is acclaimed by the people.