This week on their Saturday matinee broadcast, The Metropolitan Opera presents Giuseppe Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera." Verdi’s kaleidoscopic drama appears for the first time since 2015, with tenor Charles Castronovo making his Met role debut as the Swedish king whose love for his friend’s wife spells his undoing. Carlo Rizzi conducts an all-star ensemble that features soprano Angela Meade as Amelia, the object of Gustavo’s affections, and reigning Verdi baritone Quinn Kelsey as her husband, Count Anckarström. David Alden’s striking production also includes mezzo-soprano Olesya Petrova as the fortune teller Ulrica and soprano Liv Redpath in her Met debut as the precocious page Oscar.
Here's our weekly preview from Joshua Borths, Resident Scholar at Virginia Opera. You can hear his segments on my "Afternoon Classical" show each Friday afternoon just before 5pm.
Tune in to hear "Un Ballo in Maschera" Saturday afternoon, February 17th at 1pm on VPM Music, 93.1 and 107.3 in central Virginia and streaming online here at vpm.org!
Yours in good music,
Mike Goldberg
Classical Host, VPM Music