We’re returning to Beijing’s National Center for the Performing Arts one more time for this week’s Sunday Opera (12/8 3:00 p.m.) and their production of “Un ballo in Maschera” (“A Masked Ball”) by Giuseppe Verdi. The 1859 opera in three acts with a libretto 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 opera ran afoul of the censors because it showed the assassination of an actual head of state, so the libretto was changed so that it took place in Boston with the assassination of the governor about 100 years later.
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. The synopsis may seem a bit strange because the NCPA production used names from both the original Swedish setting and the subsequent Boston setting.
It’s based on the assassination of King Gustav III (Marius Manea) of Sweden in 1792. Gustav is a ruler plagued by his conscience and dedicated to his job but has a guilty secret: he is in love with his closest friend Renato’s (Lado Ataneli) wife, Amelia (Karine Babajanyan). What’s more, he has enemies, and there is a murderous conspiracy brewing.
Through visiting the fortune-teller Ulrica (Bernadett Wiedemann) in disguise, Gustav learns that Amelia loves him too, but also that the man who next shakes his hand (who turns out to be Renato) will be his killer. He follows Amelia later that night, and both confess their love, but Renato arrives and jumps to the conclusion that his best friend and his wife have been having an affair. He vows revenge and joins the plot to assassinate the king.
The cast also includes Gladys Rossi as the page Oscar, LIU Songhu as Cristiano, MEI Jie as Ribbing, CHEN Peixin as Horn, MAO Weizhao as the judge, and CAO Ruidong as Amelia’s Servant.
LU Jia conducts the NCPA Orchestra and Chorus.
After the opera, we’ll be turning to a listener’s request. It’s Mahler’s massive Symphony No. 3 in D minor to see you through your afternoon. The recording to which we’ll be listening features alto Nathalie Stutzmann who will be joined by the Bavarian Radio Chorus and Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mariss Jansons.
