The composition of Un ballo in maschera caused Verdi many problems. What began as an opera called Gustavo III was subject to censorship by the Neapolitan and Roman authorities, so its libretto, location and title all changed. The subject, however, is still the murder of Riccardo (Gustavo) at the masked ball, couched in a musical language in which the seriousness of Italian opera is infused with French vivacity. The opera’s structure is carefully symmetrical in the great terzets, and the themes of duty, pleasure, drama and humour are rendered with masterful clarity.

‘An excellent Toscanini Philharmonic ... a valuable singing company: the soprano Anna Pirozzi to the splendid voice now also combines the qualities of interpreter and is an excellent Amelia; the tenor Piero Pretti renders the character of the protagonist very well... Amartuvshin Enkhbat exhibits a baritone voice... the soprano Giuliana Gianfaldoni gives the page Oscar the vivacity and lightness required by the character...’ – La Repubblica.it

‘Intelligent concertation by Roberto Abbado, very theatrical precisely because it is free from any complacent rhetoric, from any patheticism and exuberance of convenience, but compact, tense, sharp, even frightening when the climate turns pale...’ – APEMUSICALE.IT

Cast:
- Gustavo III: Piero Pretti (tenor)
- Amelia: Anna Pirozzi (soprano)
- Il Conte Gian Giacomo Anckastrom: Amartuvshin Enkhbat (baritone)
- Ulrica: Anna Maria Chiuri (mezzo-soprano)
- Oscar: Giuliana Gianfaldoni (soprano)
- Cristiano: Fabio Previati (baritone)
- Ribbing: Fabrizio Beggi (bass)
- Dehorn: Carlo Cigni (bass)
- Il ministro di giustizia: Cristiano Olivieri (tenor)
- Un servo del Conte: Federico Veltri (tenor)

Director: Jacopo Spirei (on a project by Graham Vick)
Set and costume designer: Richard Hudson
Light designer: Giuseppe Di Iorio
Choreographer: Virginia Spallarossa
Video director: Tiziano Mancini

Recording place: Festival Verdi 2021, Teatro Regio di Parma