Nielsen’s Maskarade is regarded as Denmark’s national opera. It combines folk-song character, Mozartean elegance and virtuoso surprises to create what conductor Titus Engel describes as ‘musical comedy that’s both witty and of the highest calibre’. Based on an 18th-century play by Ludvig Holberg, the story revolves around Leander and Leonora who meet at a masquerade ball, swear undying love, and then have to deal with the complicated consequences of their situation, all accompanied by Nielsen’s irresistibly sparkling score. This acclaimed contemporary staging from Oper Frankfurt is sung in a new German translation and directed by Tobias Kratzer.

With its lively dances, superbly acted and witty libretto, and Carl Nielsen’s highly individual sense of harmony and lyrical expressiveness, this is a comic opera that ‘has it all’, having that rare quality in this genre of being genuinely funny. Maskarade has always had an exciting aura of freshness and discovery about it, and that frisson between neo-Classical modernity and 18th-century Enlightenment sensibility adds further dimensions to its wildly entertaining fascination.


‘Titus Engel highlighted Nielsen’s magnificent orchestration with a sufficiently agile and transparent work, which shone even more than in the overture, in the other orchestral passages, such as the beautiful prelude to the second act – splendid woodwinds – with a lyricism that contrasted appropriately with the fast-paced finale of the first act…’ – codalario.com

Cast:
- Jeronimus: Alfred Reiter (bass)
- Magdelone: Susan Bullock (soprano)
- Leander: Michael Porter (tenor)
- Henrik: Liviu Holender (baritone)
- Arv: Samuel Levine (tenor)
- Leonard: Michael McCown (tenor)
- Leonora: Monika Buczkowska (soprano)