Un ballo in maschera

Prague National Theatre, The National Theatre, Prague, Czech Republic

Scene 1 from the opera "Un Ballo in Maschera", photo 7

Scene 2 from the opera "Un Ballo in Maschera", photo 8

Scene 3 from the opera "Un Ballo in Maschera", photo 9

Scene 4 from the opera "Un Ballo in Maschera", photo 10

Scene 5 from the opera "Un Ballo in Maschera", photo 11

Scene 6 from the opera "Un Ballo in Maschera", photo 12

Scene 7 from the opera "Un Ballo in Maschera", photo 13

Scene 8 from the opera "Un Ballo in Maschera", photo 14

Scene 9 from the opera "Un Ballo in Maschera", photo 15

Scene 10 from the opera "Un Ballo in Maschera", photo 16

Scene 11 from the opera "Un Ballo in Maschera", photo 17

Scene 12 from the opera "Un Ballo in Maschera", photo 18

Scene 13 from the opera "Un Ballo in Maschera", photo 19

Scene 14 from the opera "Un Ballo in Maschera", photo 20

Scene 15 from the opera "Un Ballo in Maschera", photo 21

Scene 17 from the opera "Un Ballo in Maschera", photo 22

All photos (22)

Select date and time

7 PM

Important Info

Type: Opera

City: Prague, Czech Republic

Starts at: 19:00

Acts: 2

Intervals: 1

Duration:

Sung in: Italian

Titles in: Czech,English

Ticket delivery: E-Tickets

E-tickets: Print at home or at the box office of the event if so specified. You will find more information in your booking confirmation email.

Can I choose my seats?

You can only select the category, and not the exact seats.
If you order 2 or 3 tickets: your seats will be next to each other.
If you order 4 or more tickets: your seats will be next to each other, or, if this is not possible, we will provide a combination of groups of seats (at least in pairs, for example 2+2 or 2+3).

Overview

Giuseppe Verdi often found inspiration for his operas in the works of renowned writers and dramatists, including William Shakespeare, Friedrich Schiller, Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, fils, and Eugène Scribe, one of the most distinguished 19th-century playwrights and librettists. In tandem with Charles Duveyrier, Scribe penned the libretto for the 1855 work Les vêpres siciliennes, and in 1857 his text for Daniel Auber’s 1833 French opera Gustave III, ou Le bal masqué served as the basis for Antonio Somma’s libretto to Verdi’s new opera, which would enter history under the title Un ballo in maschera. The circumstances under which the opera came into being and was staged were affected by political events and subsequent censorship, as a result of which Verdi and Somma had to change the piece’s original title, Gustavo III, as well as the names of the characters, the setting and the time. Accordingly, the King of Sweden, an ardent theatre lover, became the English governor in Boston etc.

In this transformed version, the opera Un ballo in maschera received its premiere on 17 February 1859, at the Teatro Apollo in Rome. A Prague audience first saw the piece on 1 August 1866, in German translation, at the Estates Theatre, and on 30 June 1869, the opera was performed in Czech translation at the New Town Theatre by the Provisional Theatre company, whose production was taken over by the National Theatre and presented in June 1884.
Our new production will be staged by the music director of the National Theatre Opera, Jaroslav Kyzlink, who has recently shown his flair for Verdi’s work in the productions of his operas Simon Boccanegra and Don Carlo, performed at the National Theatre and the State Opera, respectively. Dominik Beneš, who has directed the National Theatre productions of the operas The Nightingale and Iolanta, has invited Marek Cpin to design the sets and costumes. The getting together of such a splendid creative team promises a visually impressive experience.

History

Premiere of this production: 17 February 1859, Teatro Apollo, Rome

Un ballo in maschera (A Masked Ball) is an 1859 opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The text, by Antonio Somma, was based on Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's 1833 five act opera, Gustave III, ou Le bal masqué.

Venue Info

Prague National Theatre - Prague
Národní 2

The National Theatre is the prime stage of the Czech Republic. It is also one of the symbols of national identity and a part of the European cultural space, with a tradition spanning more than 130 years. It is the bearer of the national cultural heritage, as well as a space for free artistic creation.

The National Theatre (Czech: Národní divadlo) in Prague is known as the alma mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art.

The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural institutions, with a rich artistic tradition, which helped to preserve and develop the most important features of the nation–the Czech language and a sense for a Czech musical and dramatic way of thinking.

Today, the National Theatre is made up of four artistic companies – the Opera, Drama, Ballet and Laterna magika. It artistically manages four stages – the three historical buildings: the National Theatre (1883), the State Opera (1888), and the Estates Theatre (1783), and the more recently opened New Stage (1983). The Opera, Drama and Ballet companies perform not only titles from the ample classical legacy, in addition to Czech works, they also focus on contemporary international creation.

Grand opening

The National Theatre was opened for the first time on 11 June 1881, to honour the visit of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria. Bedřich Smetana's opera Libuše was given its world premiere, conducted by Adolf Čech. Another 11 performances were presented after that. Then the theatre was closed down to enable the completion of the finishing touches. While this work was under way a fire broke out on 12 August 1881, which destroyed the copper dome, the auditorium, and the stage of the theatre.

The fire was seen as a national catastrophe and was met with a mighty wave of determination to take up a new collection: Within 47 days a million guldens were collected. This national enthusiasm, however, did not correspond to the behind-the-scenes battles that flared up following the catastrophe. Architect Josef Zítek was no longer in the running, and his pupil architect Josef Schulz was summoned to work on the reconstruction. He was the one to assert the expansion of the edifice to include the block of flats belonging to Dr. Polák that was situated behind the building of the Provisional Theatre. He made this building a part of the National Theatre and simultaneously changed somewhat the area of the auditorium to improve visibility. He did, however, take into account with utmost sensitivity the style of Zítek's design, and so he managed to merge three buildings by various architects to form an absolute unity of style.