Un Ballo in Maschera (Jan. 12, 1963)

Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
Librettist: Antonio Somma

Santi; Nilsson, Dobbs, Madeira, Tucker, Merrill

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus

Approximate running time: 2 hrs. 7 min.

An all-star cast—Birgit Nilsson, Jean Madeira, Richard Tucker, and Robert Merrill—brings Verdi’s towering tragedy to life in this dramatic performance. Nilsson is Amelia, the young woman trapped in an impossible dilemma: she loves Riccardo, the governor (Tucker), whose closest friend and advisor is her husband, Renato (Merrill). When Renato discovers her secret, he joins a conspiracy to kill Riccardo. Add the dire predictions of the fortuneteller Ulrica (Madeira), and you have one of opera’s most powerful dramas. Nello Santi conducts.