SF Opera Verdi Un Ballo in Maschera or The Masked Ball

Doesn't everything sound better in Italian or French?   I enjoyed this opera very much  Brian Mulligan a marvelous young vibrant baritone sang a very convincing Count Anckarstrom.   Thomas Hampson was an attraction but he did not appear, and I am sorry to say, he was not missed. Ramon Vargas played a very convincing Gustavus III matched well with the soprano, Julianna De Giacomo, as Amelia, who has some beautiful arias. Opera has a magic...one always forgets this, until one experiences it again.  I gauged cities in which I lived overseas by the quality of their operas...so for starters, this was a good and well staged opera, perhaps not quite as superb as the Metropolitan in NYC...but fine.

The citation in the program by the poet Gabriele D'Annunzio perfectly summed up the reason of Verdi's life and death in having such a universal impact:  "Pianse e canto per tutti.    "He sang and wept for all."

Go to  website  SF opera for  videos. They do not provide a link


Ceiling view of the Opera House, where the first UN meeting was held in SF
Chandelier, Opera House Lobby 
Selfie:  Awaiting entry to the Opera House 

View of City Hall from the Opera House Lobby 


 

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