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Un ballo in maschera (A Masked Ball)

150

Italian

Synopsis

The opera is set in 18th-century Stockholm. King Gustavo III (or Governor Riccardo in the Boston version) is secretly in love with Amelia, the wife of his best friend and secretary, Renato (Anckarström). A fortune-teller, Ulrica, prophesies that Gustavo will be killed by the next person who shakes his hand. Moments later, Renato rushes in, and Gustavo clasps his hand, dismissing the warning. Meanwhile, a group of nobles plot against the king. Later, during a secret meeting between Gustavo and Amelia, Renato discovers his wife's infidelity and joins the conspiracy. At a grand masked ball, Renato stabs Gustavo. As the king lies dying, he forgives everyone and assures Amelia of her honor.

Composer

Giuseppe Verdi

Lyricist / Librettist / Playwright

Antonio Somma

Year of composition/publication / premiere

1859

Genre

Opera

LGBTQAI+ category

Bisexual, Queer

Level of centrality

Secondary character

Characters

Oscar (the king's page)

Voice type

Soprano

Pronouns

he/him

Publisher / Rights holder

The work is in the public domain.

Where to buy / access the work

Performance rights

For performance rights, please contact the composer and/or publisher to ensure legal compliance.