Recordings Review: Dance 'Til He Drops

Claudio Abbado's classic Un Ballo in Maschera.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

The third in this survey of the La Scala Verdi recordings (and yes, it's wilfully out of order) is this excellent and mostly forgotten Un Ballo in Maschera, conducted with flair by the late Claudio Abbado.
Like Abbado's Aida (which was made around the same time with a lot of the same players) this Ballo was made at the very end of the analogue recording era, made in 1981 on the eve of the launch of the compact disc. And the warm, glowing sound of the violins and voices makes one regret all the problems that hit the recording industry because of that transition.

Metropolitan Opera Preview: Un Ballo in Maschera

The Verdi drama returns with James Levine on the podium.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Ball to the wall: Sondra Radvanovsky in Un Ballo in Maschera. 
Photo by Ken Howard © 2012 The Metropolitan Opera.

This 2012 production re-imagined the opera as a 20th century film noir. It opened to mixed reviews although Sondra Radvanovsky and Dmitri Hvorostovsky burned up the stage as the married Count Änckarström and his wife Ameila, the object of the King's affections. Here, Piotr Beczala in the key role of King Gustavo should inject life into the proceedings. Met music director James Levine conducts.

Opera Review: A Dream about the King of Sweden

The Met's new Un Ballo in Maschera.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Nightmare and dreamscape: Marcelo Àlvarez and Sondra Radvanovsky duet in Un Ballo in Maschera.
Photo by Ken Howard © 2012 The Metropolitan Opera.

The Metropolitan Opera's new David Alden production of Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera draws inspiration from the films of Ingmar Bergman. This surreal show plays out the libretto's love triangle as a series of vivid dreams. Which begs the question: if the masked ball is only a dream, does the assassination actually take place?

The show-curtain and backdrop for most of the action is a huge, Raphaelite painting of Icarus falling from the sky. Acts I and II open with a main character (first Gustavo, then Amelia) asleep in an armchair--the action playing out as a dream of each character. In the final act, the show evolves into a consensual hallucination. The masked ball seems equally inspired by J.K. Rowling and The Seventh Seal, as death avatars (in formal wear with black wings and skull masks) skulk through the dancing, anticipating the opera's grim climax.

Given the singers playing the three legs of Verdi's love triangle (as heard on Monday night) it may not actually matter. Marcelo Àlvarez sang King Gustavo. The Argentinian tenor responded well to the spotlight, in a role that lay comfortably for his voice. In the early acts, he sounded relaxed and genial, with smoother tone than in years past. Signs of wear were apparent by the Act III Study Scene (one of the toughest parts of the score), but he sang the finale beautifully.