Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera

Of all the operas Verdi wrote between La traviata (1853) and Aida (1871) none has enjoyed greater or more lasting success than Un ballo in maschera (A Masked Ball) (1853).

The opera is set in 17th-century America and has at its centre the charismatic Riccardo, Governor of Boston, who is tormented by his impossible love for Amelia, the wife of his friend Renato. His carefree life is further threatened by a fortune-teller who predicts his doom and conspirators who want him dead.

Verdi captures all the opera’s conflicting moods and in music which is by turns brilliant, sombre and passionate, placing at the heart of the drama the finest love duet he ever wrote.

5.15pm: pre-concert talk (free to ticket holders)