As a fan of opera and of Verdi, I like very much Un Ballo in Maschera. It mayn't have the most plausible of all plot-lines in Verdi's operas, but it does have characters you care about and music ranging from the very, very good to the absolutely sublime, Eri Tu especially fits under this category.
While I do prefer the 1975 and 1980 productions, this 1984 production from Grand Theatre De Geneve is very well done. The picture quality was rather hazy, but the sound is quite excellent. Visually, the production is a feast for the eyes, the costumes and sets are ravishing particularly in the ballroom scenes and there is some interesting video directing too.
The orchestra play wonderfully, the chorus are well-balanced and in tune and Riccardo Chailly conducts with real expertise. The performances are just great, Mignon Dunn is a compelling Ulrica and Danielle Borst is an angelic Oscar, but it's the three leads who captivate.
I like Luciano Pavarotti very much, although I am not a fan of his acting, his unique voice and personality always shone. Here he is excellent as Riccardo, his voice is positively soaring and he acts better than he did in the 1991 Met production. As much as I did like Katia Ricciarelli and Aprille Milo, I consider Anna Tomowa-Sintow my favourite Amelia so far. Tomowa-Sintow especially for her rich, dark and very powerful and beautiful voice is wonderful, both singing and in acting and her and Pavarotti's chemistry together is genuine to me.
The best performance comes from Piero Cappuccilli, a baritone who went from I knew not much about to being one of my favourites in two short years. He is a solid actor, but it is his beautiful voice(some may say it lacks character, which was something that Sherrill Milnes for example excelled in, maybe so but what's for sure it was always musical and exciting) and excellent technique that really draws me to him. As for the best rendition of the night, maybe I am biased because I love this aria so much, it's Eri Tu. Cappuccilli's rendition in the 1975 production is perhaps my favourite rendition of this amazing aria, and he manages to deliver exactly the same here.
As for Riccardo's death scene, there have been times when it has been drawn out or like a car stopping and starting(my only problem with the 1975 production), but for me it was perfect and quite intense and moving. Pavarotti like he did four years earlier manages to even do something special with his final passage. All in all, a very well done production. 9/10 Bethany Cox
While I do prefer the 1975 and 1980 productions, this 1984 production from Grand Theatre De Geneve is very well done. The picture quality was rather hazy, but the sound is quite excellent. Visually, the production is a feast for the eyes, the costumes and sets are ravishing particularly in the ballroom scenes and there is some interesting video directing too.
The orchestra play wonderfully, the chorus are well-balanced and in tune and Riccardo Chailly conducts with real expertise. The performances are just great, Mignon Dunn is a compelling Ulrica and Danielle Borst is an angelic Oscar, but it's the three leads who captivate.
I like Luciano Pavarotti very much, although I am not a fan of his acting, his unique voice and personality always shone. Here he is excellent as Riccardo, his voice is positively soaring and he acts better than he did in the 1991 Met production. As much as I did like Katia Ricciarelli and Aprille Milo, I consider Anna Tomowa-Sintow my favourite Amelia so far. Tomowa-Sintow especially for her rich, dark and very powerful and beautiful voice is wonderful, both singing and in acting and her and Pavarotti's chemistry together is genuine to me.
The best performance comes from Piero Cappuccilli, a baritone who went from I knew not much about to being one of my favourites in two short years. He is a solid actor, but it is his beautiful voice(some may say it lacks character, which was something that Sherrill Milnes for example excelled in, maybe so but what's for sure it was always musical and exciting) and excellent technique that really draws me to him. As for the best rendition of the night, maybe I am biased because I love this aria so much, it's Eri Tu. Cappuccilli's rendition in the 1975 production is perhaps my favourite rendition of this amazing aria, and he manages to deliver exactly the same here.
As for Riccardo's death scene, there have been times when it has been drawn out or like a car stopping and starting(my only problem with the 1975 production), but for me it was perfect and quite intense and moving. Pavarotti like he did four years earlier manages to even do something special with his final passage. All in all, a very well done production. 9/10 Bethany Cox
