First performed on February 17, 1859, Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera had a long labor and difficult birth. Originally intended for the Teatro San Carlo in Naples it had so much trouble with the censors that Verdi withdrew the work and moved it to the Teatro Apollo in Rome. The biggest problem disturbing the censors was the assassination of a king onstage. The censors in Rome also wouldn’t allow the murder of a king before the footlights, so the historical Swedish King Gustavus III was turned into Riccardo the colonial governor of Massachusetts.
Gustavus was shot in the lower back at a masked ball in a coup attempt. He lived long enough to assume command and quell the uprising before succumbing to sepsis 13 days later. The operatic version has him stabbed by his best friend and dying soon after. His death scene is the subject of this piece.
Decades after the opera’s premiere censorship had receded such that the leading tenor could move from Massachusetts back to Sweden as originally intended. But by this time, Verdi said to leave him where he was. Of course, directors couldn’t resist and the opera is often set in Sweden. The change in locale offers no improvement and makes some of the libretto nonsensical.
Gustavus was also thought to be homosexual though there is no proof that he was. Some directors have portrayed him as a flamboyant gay, mincing his way through the opera’s three acts, more interested in Oscar the page than Amelia the wife of his best friend. Given the duet between Riccardo and Amelia, the most passionate Verdi ever wrote, such an assault on the story is ludicrous. The Swedish King whose assassination inspired the opera received the fatal wound while at a masked ball at the Royal Swedish Opera House – an institution he founded.
Regardless of how silly the staging is, Ballo is a masterpiece. The 21st of Verdi’s 26 operas was composed after, in the words of Benjamin Britten, he had discovered the secret of perfection. From start to finish it is a continuum of of invention and inspiration. The plot concerns the unconsummated love between Riccardo and the wife of his best friend, and closest advisor, Renato who discovers the affair and thinks the worst. Riccardo decides to send the couple back to England but is murdered by Renato before the couple can leave.
The action that concludes the opera is as follows: A string ensemble onstage plays dance music as Riccardo and Amelia bid farewell in a duet, that is interrupted by Renato’s stabbing of Riccardo. The musicians, unaware of what has happened, continue to play their music for some bars after this event. An ensemble with harp develops as Riccardo forgives his murderer and the opera ends with an exclamation of horror from all.
The singers on this recording of the finale are Katia Ricciarelli, Plácido Domingo, and Renato Bruson. Claudio Abbado conducted the La Scala Orchestra. Un ballo in maschera finale
