Operafest Lisboa 2022

A Masked Ball

Giuseppe Verdi

Great Classics

19, 20, 22, 24 and 26 AUG | 21h00

Garden of Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga

Opera in 3 Acts

Sung in Italian

Subtitles in Portuguese and English

Length: 2h20

Inspired by the assassination of liberal Swedish King, Richard III, by political conspirators during a masked ball which Verdi had over numerous censorships to dissimulate and transform, into a harmless count, transferring the action to a distant colonialist Boston, this opera focus on a love triangle, culminating in the assassination of count Riccardo of Warwick at the hand of his best friend, during a masked ball.

One of the big hits of popular great Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, dealing with recurrent themes of his operas, such as fatality of destiny, racism, conspiracy, forbidden love, betrayal and obsessive vengeance. Evoking mask’s hidden identity artifice, in its double side of amusement and as instrument of conspirancy and crime.

Marvellous Garden of Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga welcomes this Verdian Ball staged by the hand of actress and director Sandra Faleiro, after her remarkable premiere as opera director in Operafest’s last Editions, acclaimed by international critic and audience, under the inspiring musical direction of conductor Jan Wierzba.

Musical Direction: Jan Wierzba

Stage Direction: Sandra Faleiro

Orchestral arrangment: Francisco Lima da Silva

Set Design and Costumes: Ana Paula Rocha

Light Design: Pedro Santos

Cast

Riccardo: Carlos Cardoso

Amelia: Catarina Molder

Renato: Christian Luján

Ulrica: Cátia Moreso

Oscar: Filipa Portela

Samuele: Ricardo Rebelo Silva

Tom: Leandro Moreso

Operafest Lisboa Choir

Catarina Mouro, soprano
Laura Martins, soprano
Margarida Vieira, soprano
Margarida Mercês, mezzo-soprano
Inês Sobreda, mezzo-soprano
Rita Abrunhosa, mezzo-soprano
João Valido Vaz, tenor
João Barbas, tenor
Gabriel dos Santos, tenor
Luis Beirão, tenor
Carlos Flores Baltazar, baritone
Gabriel Formigo, baritone
Rodrigo Calais, bass

Ensemble MPMP Orchestra
I Violines
Daniel Bolito
Tomás Costa
Berta Sequeira
Marcelo Caldeira
Ana Filipa Serrão
Teresa Jesus
II Violines
Rui Antunes
Lyza Valdman
Eliana Magalhães
Maria Garcia Santos
Violas
Ana Monteverde
Rita Carmona
Juliana Lopes
Sérgio Sousa
Cellos
Catarina Távara
Nuno Cardoso
Pedro Serra e Silva
Miguel Meneses, contrabass
Ana Catarina Costa, flute
Bethany Akers do Carmo, oboe
Miguel Costa, clarinet
Ricardo Santos, bassoon
Gonçalo Pedrosa, horn
Miguel Oliveira, horn
Óscar Carmo, trumpet
Hugo Pedrosa, trombone
Rodrigo Azevedo, percussion
Cristiano Rios, percussion
Dana Radu, piano and accompanist