05 May 2005

Un Ballo in Vancouver

Once upon a time, Masked Ball might have made sense. Back in the 1850s, when Giuseppe Verdi wrote it, he based his story on the assassination of Sweden’s King Gustavus III. A despot, cuckold, and philanderer, Gustavus further alienated himself from his subjects by claiming the exclusive right to produce aquavit, and was shot by one Jacob Johan Anckarström at a costume party in 1792.


Masked Ball (Graphic: Vancouver Opera)

Masked Ball

By Alexander Varty [Straight.com, 5 May 05]

By Giuseppe Verdi. A Vancouver Opera production. At the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Thursday and Saturday, May 5 and 7

Once upon a time, Masked Ball might have made sense. Back in the 1850s, when Giuseppe Verdi wrote it, he based his story on the assassination of Sweden's King Gustavus III. A despot, cuckold, and philanderer, Gustavus further alienated himself from his subjects by claiming the exclusive right to produce aquavit, and was shot by one Jacob Johan Anckarström at a costume party in 1792.

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