Metropolitan Opera Archives

"Philadelphia, Dec. 17 - Realism interrupted a performance of Verdi's 'The Masked Ball,' by the Metropolitan Opera Association here tonight when smoke began pouring into the auditorium during a scene in which Ulrica, the witch, was stoking a fire under a caldron in her den.
The audience started for the exits, the orchestra stopped and the curtain dropped in the middle of the scene. Then an usher discovered that the smoke was coming from a waste-basket into which a lighted match had been thrown in a room on the second floor during an intermission. The usher put out the fire with several cups of water.
Edward Johnson, general manager of the Metropolitan, then stepped before the curtain, assured the audience that the fire was not serious and Ulrica resumed her incantations."

Review 1:

Review of Henry Pleasants in the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin

'Met' Revives "The Masked Ball"

Bjoerling, Milanov and Sved Head Cast in Handsome Production

Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera" has had a curious history and the current revival which the Metropolitan Opera Company brought to the Academy of Music, last night, is not likely to be regarded by future historians as the least curious chapter.

Written on commission for the San Carlo Theater in Naples, Verdi and his librettist, Somma, based the opera on Eugene Scribe's play, "Gustav III, ou Le Bal Masque," which, in turn, was based on the actual assassination of Gustave III of Sweden at a masked ball in the Foyer of the Stockholm Opera House in 1792.

Censorship, apparently as unpredictable in 1858 as it is in 1940, caused the trouble. Stories of regicides, historical or otherwise, did not sit well with 19th century Italian officialdom, and even before censorship stepped in Verdi had made his Gustave a Duke of Pomerania. But Verdi underestimated the touchiness of the censors.

They suggested 14th century Florence and a drastic revision of the libretto. Sick of the business, Verdi withdrew the opera from Naples and took it to Rome where Scribe's play had already been given without consequent disaster to any of the prevailing aristocracy.

He promptly discovered that what could be spoken in Rome could not be sung. But a compromise was reached by moving the locale safely out of Europe and across the Atlantic to Massachusetts where Gustav became Riccardo, Earl of Warwick and Governor of colonial Boston. Captain Anckastrom, the original assassin, became Renato (Rheinhard), advisor and friend of Riccardo. Other conspirators were given the fine English names of Samuele and Tomasso, and the sorceress became a Negress improbably named Ulrica.

In this unspeakably garbled form the opera has been known since its successful premiere in 1859, and it has been a long time since the Metropolitan has had a better idea than that of restoring "Un Ballo in Maschera" to Sweden. The more the pity that it has not done a complete job. While the scenery and the costumes have been carefully and imaginatively transplanted by Mstislav Dobujinski and Ladislas Czettel the libretto has been left languishing in Boston.

The program last night listed Riccardo only parenthetically as Gustave III. He was addressed as Il Conte. He was known to his intimates as Riccardo and was hailed by the Swedish populace as a son of England. Captain Anckastrom remained Renato without even a parenthetical alias. Sam and Tom remained Sam and Tom. Ulrica was white but was spoken of as a Negress.

As a commentary on the devious ways of the Metropolitan it may be observed that while certain changes of text which could and should have been made were not, the enthusiasm for historical accuracy in another quarter prompted the management to have Riccardo (Gustave) shot, as he actually was, rather than stabbed as he always has been in the opera.

History was sidestepped, however, in the matter of Gustave's lingering death. He was shot on March 16 and died March 29. In the opera he survives just long enough to negotiate a resounding B flat. No tenor could ask a more glorious death.

If it has been peculiar about the libretto, the Metropolitan has, however, been lavish about the production and the cast. Jussi Bjoerling as Riccardo and Zinka Milanov as Amelia sang and acted as to the Verdian manner born and in the best Verdian tradition. Kerstin Thorborg was an imposing and full-voiced Ulrica, and Stella Andreva did well enough by the lively role of Oscar, the page, a role which Verdi himself especially liked.

There was one major debut, that of Alexander Sved as Renato. The Hungarian baritone has a big voice and a splendid bearing, but he is a tasteless singer. His tone is of the wide shaky variety that has a way of swallowing up melody, words and everything, leaving nothing but sound. His singing of the "Eri tu" was everything that lyric singing should not be.

Smaller parts were well taken by Norman Cordon , Nicola Moscona, John Carter, Lodovico Oliviero and Arthur Kent. Gennaro Papi conducted in place of Ettore Panizza.

The opera itself is immensely rewarding. It hasn't quite the cumulative dramatic impact of some of the better-known Verdi operas, but it has some extremely effective music reminiscent sometimes of "Traviata' and "Rigoletto" and sometimes prophetic of "Aida' and "Otello." It should never again be out of the repertoire for anything like the 25 years that have elapsed since the last Metropolitan production.

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