Description
Highlights from Verdi’s Opera “Un Ballo in Maschera”
UPC: LPX 1056
Product Details:
- Label: LPX 1056
- Format: Vinyl, LP, Stereo
- Country: Hungary
- Released: Unknown
- Genre: Classical / Opera Highlights
Product Features
- Excerpts from Verdi’s landmark opera Un Ballo in Maschera (premiered 1859, Teatro Apollo, Rome)
- Includes instrumental Prelude and ten key vocal numbers: arias, duets, ensemble pieces, and the finale
- Conducted by Lamberto Gardelli, known for his authoritative Verdi interpretations
- Liner commentary and notes by Péter Várnai, providing historical context and musical analysis
- Stereo vinyl pressing capturing the drama and contrapuntal richness of Verdi’s score
Overview
This LP distills the dramatic essence of Giuseppe Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera into a concise highlights program. The opera’s original Stockholm setting and Gustav III assassination plot were transposed to colonial Boston for censorship reasons; the libretto by Antonio Somma (after Eugène Scribe) weaves forbidden love and revenge into a tight dramaturgy. Here you’ll hear the conspirators’ chorus, Riccardo’s tender love aria, Ulrica’s dark prophecy, Amelia’s plea for oblivion, Renato’s vengeance, and the opera’s moving finale. Under Lamberto Gardelli’s baton, each selection showcases Verdi’s mature contrapuntal writing and thematic unity, from recurring motifs to masterful orchestration.
Track Listing
- Prelude (Introduzione)
- Conspirators’ Chorus (Unisono → Contrappunto)
- Riccardo’s Love Aria (Act I)
- Oscar’s Arietta (Act I)
- Ulrica’s Aria (Act I, Scene II)
- Terzetto of Amelia, Oscar & Riccardo (Act I)
- Sailor’s Ballad – Riccardo in Disguise (Act II)
- Amelia’s Aria (Act II)
- Duet: Amelia & Riccardo (Act II Finale)
- Renato’s Revenge Aria (Act III)
- Oscar’s Arietta (Act III)
- Finale: Riccardo’s Farewell & Ensemble
Key Credits
- Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
- Librettist: Antonio Somma (after Eugène Scribe)
- Conductor: Lamberto Gardelli
- Liner Notes: Péter Várnai
BOX #59
