North York Central Library Blog

Please join us at North York Central Library on Wednesday January 22 at 7:00 p.m. for our first opera talk of 2014. Wayne Gooding, the editor of Opera Canada magazine, will give a talk on Giuseppe Verdi's opera Un Ballo in Maschera (A masked ball). The talk will include guided listening, images, opera history, and a look at the Canadian Opera Company's production of the piece. Call to register for this free talk: 416-395-5639.

Giuseppe Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera was first performed in Rome in 1859. By the time he composed the piece, Verdi had become rich and famous, and was a dominant figure in the world of Italian opera. Even so, he was not immune to the interfering hand of censorship. The opera was originally loosely based on the true story of King Gustav III of Sweden, who was shot at a masked ball in the Royal Opera House in Stockholm in 1792. (He died thirteen days later.) While Verdi was putting the finishing touches on his opera, an assassination attempt was made on Emperor Napoleon III. Censors slammed the door on the idea of an opera about the killing of a powerful ruler. Verdi, who'd already been forced to revise the opera, was furious. There was a broken contract, a lawsuit, and a countersuit. Ultimately, Verdi was made to radically alter his vision yet again. The grandiose court of the King of Sweden became the governor's residence in colonial Boston and the King of Sweden became Ricarrdo, the Governor of Boston.

Here is a portrait of King Gustav III of Sweden, painted by Swedish artist Alexander Roslin. Is it any wonder that many modern productions of the opera use Verdi's original Swedish setting and characters? Think of the costumes!

Would you like to hear Verdi's opera before attending Wayne Gooding's talk? With your library card, you have access to Naxos Music Library, a streaming music service, anytime of day or night. Here's a sampling of some of the versions of Un Ballo in Maschera available through Naxos Music Library. Visit Naxos Music Library on the Toronto Public Library website for more.

Artists:

Catling, Ashley; Geoffrey Mitchell Choir; Grove, Jill; London Philharmonic Orchestra; Michaels-Moore, Anthony; O'Neill, Dennis; Parry, David; Patterson, Susan; Purves, Christopher; Richardson, Linda; Sherratt, Brindley; Wood, Roland

Label: Chandos

Artists:

Banks, Barry; Bayo, Maria; Bronder, Peter; Chernov, Vladimir; Crider, Michele; Howell, Gwynne; Leech, Richard; Rizzi, Carlo; Rose, Peter; Scaltriti, Roberto; Welsh National Opera Chorus; Welsh National Opera Orchestra; Zaremba, Elena

Label: Teldec

Artists:

Albertini, Alberto; Curtis Verna, Maria; Erato, Maria; Questa, Angelo; RAI Chorus, Turin; RAI Symphony Orchestra, Turin; Renzi, Emilio; Stefanoni, Marco; Susca, Vito; Tagliavini, Ferruccio; Tassinari, Pia; Valdengo, Giuseppe

Label: Warner Classics

Artists:

Almgren, Mats; Barbacini, Maurizio; Glemme, Ulf; Gothenburg Opera House Chorus; Gothenburg Opera House Orchestra; Landstrom, Jonas; Lind, Tomas; Martinpelto, Hillevi; Resmark, Susanne; Rosenlund, Joel; Sandgren, Carolina; Simlund, Mikael; St. Hill, Krister; Sverredal, Tore; Tjelle, Harald; Zetterstrom, Ake

Label: Dynamic