Verdi's Un ballo in maschera
Rafael R. Villalobos (stage director), Antonino Fogliani (conductor) — With Francesco Meli (Riccardo), Anna Pirozzi (Amelia), Franco Vassallo (Renato) …
Cast
Rafael R. Villalobos — Stage director
Emanuele Sinisi — Set designer
Lorenzo Caprile — Costume designer
Felipe Ramos — Lighting
Francesco Meli — Riccardo
Anna Pirozzi — Amelia
Franco Vassallo — Renato
Program notes
Un ballo in maschera, Verdi's celebrated retelling of the assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden—eventually transposed to Boston, owing both to Italian censors and a fraught political climate in France—takes place "somewhere between Sweden and Boston" in a stunning new production from Valencia's grand Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, the tallest opera house in the world. Leading Verdian tenor Francesco Meli shines as Riccardo (the governor of Boston, a stand-in for Gustav), whose love for Amelia (coloratura soprano Anna Pirozzi)—the wife of his best friend and confidant Renato (Franco Vassallo)—threatens to bring about a deadly revenge plot at a masked ball… With conductor Antonino Fogliani leading the excellent Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, this brand-new staging by exciting young director Rafael R. Villalobos is the perfect way to experience one of Verdi's greatest operas.
Photo © Miguel Lorenzo / Mikel Ponce / Les Arts