A Masked Ball, by Verdi

A king in love with his best friend's wife; a conspirator who discovers the betrayal too late to act honorably; a fortune-teller whose prophecy no one wants to believe; and a masked ball where all the threads of the plot converge. Premiered at the Teatro Apollo in Rome on February 17, 1859, Un ballo in maschera is one of Verdi's most singular works. The libretto, by Antonio Somma, is based on the assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden at a masked ball in 1792. In Verdi's hands, a political conspiracy and a secret love become inextricable, as the friendship between the King and Renato, his advisor, crumbles under the weight of a passion neither can control. The score moves between tragedy and lightness, especially in the pages entrusted to Oscar, the King's page, whose music radiates the distinctly French lightness that Verdi assimilated from his experience on Parisian stages. Lisbon holds a special place in the history of this opera: on April 15, 1860, just over a year after the Rome premiere, the then Royal Theatre of São Carlos was the first opera house to stage Un ballo in maschera outside Italy, with Gaetano Fraschini, the tenor who had created the title role, repeating it in the Portuguese capital. Pre-concert talk 30 min. before each performance. El Corte Inglés supports the CCB's Classical Music Mediation Programme. Accessibility: Audio-described session on April 30.