Un Ballo in Maschera at SF Opera

San Francisco Opera started their 2024-25 season with one of my favorite Verdi operas, Un Ballo in Maschera. Written in 1857, it shows off the composer at his best, with challenging, exquisite music for five principal singers. Tenor Michael Fabbiano sang the role of Gustavus III, the King of Sweden who was assassinated in 1792 at a masked ball in the lobby of Sweden's Royal Opera House. Fabiano's loud, bright tenor was up to the challenge all night. In the photo above, Gustavus is accompanied by his young male page, Oscar, a trouser role that can be one of the most annoying in all of opera, but soprano Mei Gui Zhang was an absolute delight as she continually interrupted serious scenes with silly trills. (All production photos are by Cory Weaver.)

There are a number of smaller male roles in the opera, and every one of them were strongly cast, with baritone Samuel Kidd excelling as Christiano the Sailor who comes to a fortuneteller named Ulrica, complaining about the king doing nothing for him.

Ulrica was portrayed by mezzo-soprano Judit Kutasi as a scary witch with a kind streak, who does everything she can to warn Gustavus of the assassination plot against him. She did a fine job in a difficult vocal role that requires a very deep bottom along with a very high top.

Soprano Lianna Haroutounian played Amelia, the wife of Renato who has long been Gustavus's most faithful friend. Haroutounian has a gorgeous voice that navigated most of the role's many vocal challenges with ease. Haroutounian and Fabiano, unfortunately, did not have much chemistry so it was hard to believe in the non-consummated throuple at the story's heart.

A big-voiced debut by Mongolian baritone Amartuvshin Enkhbat as Renato was something of a sensation. It's a deeper, more bass sound than is usual with a Verdi baritone role but it was even and forceful. In the scene above, he has just found out about Amelia's love for Gustavus, has assumed the worst, and tells her to prepare to die. After a heartbroken aria he changes his mind that it's not Amelia who is to blame, it's King Gustavus.

To that end, he sets up an assassination plot for the masked ball with two rebel plotters, Adam Lau as Samuel and Jongwoon Han as Tom, who were a welcome vocal highlight in all their scenes.

The only problem I had was with the traditional, lackluster production by director Leo Muscato, first produced for the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma in 2016. Odd details abounded. Why was one section of the male chorus in Scene 1 bouncing up and down to the oom-pah music on occasion like they were in a Gilbert & Sullivan opera? Why does everybody seem to have the same wallpaper in their homes? Why does Act II's gallow field for hanging look like a Euro disco, complete with fog cannons shooting upwards with changing colored lights? And even employing a turntable, why was it taking so long to get from one scene to another?

The masked ball scene, however, was fabulous, with colorful costumes from Sylvia Aymonino and my favorite Verdi finale ever, with the dying king forgiving everyone, and the other principals and the full chorus weaving in and out of each other. The orchestra, conducted by Music Director Eun Sun Kim, was a constant treat and the SF Opera Chorus is sounding superb. This would be a good opera to hear from the top of the balcony. Tickets here.