Un Ballo in Maschera
Sat 9 Feb, Wales Millennium Centre
If you’re only a fan of opera for its greatest hits, you may not jump at the opportunity to buy a ticket for the WNO’s spring season offering of Verdi’s Un Ballo In Maschera, opting instead for one of their other two productions, The Magic Flute or Roberto Devereux.
Whilst Un Ballo’s melodic motifs seem recognisable enough at first – and the casual fan might even venture to identify a piece of music as one of opera’s vast array of signature songs – Un Ballo’s ballads never really develop into the land of “ahh it’s this one, Margaret!”
Un Ballo in Maschera is more well known for telling its dark tale – a love triangle wrapped up in political intrigue – than it is for blaring pop-opera to the masses.
But you’d be missing out if you did choose to skip this spectacular.
The WNO tell the tale with such astonishing efficiency and breath-taking scenery that you’ll be revisiting the sets in your dreams.
Three massive obelisks take up the majority of the stage and they are used to endless effect… breaking up the space according to the plot and distancing the characters even as they agonise over their unrealised love or their fears of assassination whilst just feet away from one another.
And the muted but sumptuous colour palette of deep blood reds, heavy mahoganies and haunting blacks add such glorious weight to the production that it feels truly cinematic in its delivery.
So to the meat of the matter. The pipes. The three leads; Riccardo, Renato and Amelia, not only deliver but they roar.
Rich satisfying themes return over and again, giving them each their own space to launch heart-wrenching, belly-rumbling, silk-smooth solos directly into the audience from front of stage.
And the audience, at least on opening night, were only too happy to reply, whacking their hands together with a gusto that matched each rising aria.
It seems the verdict is in. As dark as the plot may be, anyone in attendance will find something of beauty in this pleasing, pulsating powerhouse of a production.
words Jon Sutton