Un ballo in maschera

Overview

Un ballo in maschera (A Masked Ball) is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with a libretto by Antonio Somma based on Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's 1833 opera Gustave III, ou Le bal masqué. It premiered at the Teatro Apollo in Rome on February 17, 1859.

Plot

The opera tells the story of a political assassination at a masked ball, loosely based on the real murder of King Gustav III of Sweden in 1792. Due to censorship, the setting was changed from Stockholm to Boston in the original production.

Relevance to Marie

Marie attends a performance in Nice on the evening of December 11, 1876. The masked ball theme makes her nostalgic for Rome's famous carnival masked balls: "Le Ballo in maschera m'a fait rêver aux bals masqués de Rome." She is envious of Lady Cawper who is leaving for Rome in ten days.

References in Diary

• First mentioned: 1876-12-11 (carnet 067) — performance at Nice opera