“Masquerade ball” by Verdi back to the main music scene of the country.

A scene from the Opera “masquerade Ball” by Verdi

Photo: courtesy of the Bolshoi theatre (Damir Yusupov)

At the Bolshoi theatre
premiere of Giuseppe Verdi’s Opera “masquerade Ball”. Itself
the story of the Opera is a gripping drama. The fact that the action takes place
in the United States, which is unique for Verdi and for Opera generally. Send
of the ocean the composer’s forced censorship. In fact the play French scribe
“Gustav III, the Swedish king”, which turned into an Opera libretto by Antonio
Somme events are happening in Sweden: there’s the masquerade ball mortally wound the king
Gustav III.

By the way, this
the monarch is famous not only for the opening in their homeland of Opera and
drama theatre and Academy, but also the creation of the secret police and the establishment
the state monopoly on alcohol production, which operates in Sweden
today!

A scene from the Opera “masquerade Ball” by Verdi

Photo: courtesy of the Bolshoi theatre (Damir Yusupov)

When Verdi wrote
this dramatic plot of the Opera, which he called “Revenge Domino”, such
the circumstances did not bother anyone. In the Neapolitan theater is in full rehearsal
when in Paris there was the assassination of an Italian political refugee on
Emperor Napoleon III. “Revenge dominoes” immediately banned: the government of Naples was scared
the hot music of Verdi and bloody story will inspire citizens to revolt. Had
immediately alter the story (especially to replace the king’s vicegerent in distant Boston),
in every possible way to weaken the political significance of history, bringing to the fore a love
drama heroes.

Verdi so
indignant against such interference in a creative process that decided to move
premiere in another city. But the Directorate of the Neapolitan theatre, in order not to lose
news from superpopular the author Verdi has threatened to arrest and requirement
to pay a penalty! In response he gave to the theatre to court. About conflict learned
citizens, which was terribly outraged by this arbitrariness of the authorities in relation to
popularly beloved composer. Music of the Prime Minister threatened to escalate into a riot.
Then intervened in the case of the Neapolitan king Ferdinand II. The monarch went on
compromise: Verdi dropped the charges, but the libretto had to be redone. That
did an employee of the police censorship Department.

A scene from the Opera “masquerade Ball” by Verdi

Photo: courtesy of the Bolshoi theatre (Damir Yusupov)

In the end, Opera
got a new name “the masquerade” and “turned” libretto (for which the Somme
even removed his name from the cover of the libretto, replacing it with the letters “NN”, and finally
bring to mind the libretto had another author Piave). But after that
premiere in Naples to give all the same did not dare. The long-suffering Opera
saw the light in Rome in 1859 with great success (although the composer with
bitterness noted “the poverty of scenery”
of this production).

After this “masquerade Ball”
sounded around the world. Moreover, since the mid-20th century, film Directors often want
to restore “historical justice” and transferring the action of the Opera in Sweden.
In the Bolshoi theatre “the masquerade Ball” was first performed in 1880. After 99 years
the Opera was staged Simon Stein and Algis Zhyuraytis (last wife – Elena Obraztsova – shone in the role of a witch
Ulrika and Great other scene in the world, which is confirmed by the record, where
the performance of “La Scala” Obraztsova sings with Placido Domingo). Luxury decorations for
the Bolshoi theatre performed the main artist of “La Scala”
Nicholas Benoit – representative of the famous Russian “picturesque” of the dynasty.

A scene from the Opera “masquerade Ball” by Verdi

Photo: courtesy of the Bolshoi theatre (Damir Yusupov)

Music
the head of the new production was the famous conductor Giacomo Sagripanti,
which is Great in 2015 has released the Opera “don Carlos”. As a Director
set designer of the play was David Livermore. And, as has happened many times, the action of the Opera moved closer to our days. And is inspired from the Hitchcock film “the Birds”.