Verdi's Masked Ball triumphs at the Liceu in Barcelona

The story of this production is worth telling. Every summer, the Verdi festival in Parma commissions a new version of one of Verdi's 26 operas from a director. In 2020, Un Ballo in maschera was entrusted to the British Graham Vick, whom Covid-19 took away a few months later, on July 17, 2021, four weeks before rehearsals.

To pay tribute to him, the festival asked one of its assistants, Jacopo Spirei, to continue the work of the master. He kept at his side Richard Hudson, renowned decorator and costume designer (he will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award in New York in April), who had noted the wishes of the late Graham Vick during the reflection and preparation phase. of this now posthumous production.

The result is exemplary. First of all the decor, very simple, which magnifies the action and the singing. A stage tilted to the extreme in the style of Italian theaters to accentuate the impression of perspective. A white semi-circle curtain as a backdrop. Doors that open and close according to the needs of the dramaturgy. A black stele that is moved throughout the action.

The prophylaxis of the Covid years prohibiting the excellent choir from being on stage, it was installed halfway up, on a sort of crossing balcony, rounded, very Bauhaus. The singers' performance gains in power and intensity. A troupe of dancers adds a slightly cabaret touch to this very limpid ensemble, a reminder that Gustave III, whose assassination during a masked ball had inspired the first version of the libretto, had many favorites.

The only downside to this production is that the lighting is sometimes a bit crude and does not suggest mystery or drama. The two casts, which are excellent, were acclaimed by an enthusiastic audience. The Liceu orchestra under the direction of Riccardo Frizza knows how to reveal all the nuances of this work. Beautiful work.

Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona until February 20.