Opus Arte: Un Ballo in Maschera (Opera)
Based on a real occurrence, Un ballo in maschera is an intrigue that features three explosive ingredients: fidelity, treachery and passion. Verdi’s inspiration for this opera arose from the assassination of King Gustave III of Sweden by one of his most loyal ministers during a masked ball. However, Verdi’s opera was thought to be too controversial and, to escape censorship, he transferred the action from Stockholm to colonial Boston in the late 17th century. A complex story of love and politics unfolds in which, Riccardo, Count of Warwick and Governor of Boston, his faithful secretary Renato and Amelia, Renato’s wife, become trapped in a fatal romantic triangle. Violeta Urmana shines in the role of tormented Amelia, sharing the stage with two other important Hispanic singers, the Argentinean tenor, Marcelo Álvarez, and the baritone from Málaga, Carlos Álvarez.