This is a discography of Giuseppe Verdi's opera, Un ballo in maschera. It was first performed at the Teatro Apollo in Rome on 17 February 1859.
However, prior to the version of the opera which appears in the recordings below, Verdi had been using the title of Gustavo III and, when he was prohibited from using that title and after he was forced to make significant changes, the original version disappeared. It has been reconstructed, performed, and recorded as Gustavo III (Verdi).
On the 5 Oct 2013 broadcast of BBC 3'S CD Review - Building a Library, musicologist Roger Parker surveyed recordings of Un Ballo in Maschera and recommended the 1975 recording by the New Philharmonia Orchestra, Chorus of the Royal House Covent Garden, Haberdashers' Aske's School Girls’ Choir, Riccardo Muti (conductor), as the best available choice.[1]
| Year | Cast (Riccardo, Amelia, Renato, Oscar, Ulrica) | Conductor, Opera house and orchestra | Label[2] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | Jussi Björling Zinka Milanov Alexander Svéd Stella Andreva Bruna Castagna | Ettore Panizza Metropolitan Opera orchestra and chorus (Recorded on 14 December) | Streaming audio: Met Opera on Demand[3] CD: Myto Cat: 00008 | |
| 1944 | Jan Peerce Zinka Milanov Leonard Warren Kerstin Thorborg Frances Greer | Bruno Walter Metropolitan Opera orchestra and chorus (Recorded on 15 January) | CD: Bensar Cat: OL 11544 | |
| 1951 | Lorenz Fehenberger Walburga Wegner Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Anny Schlemm Martha Mödl | Fritz Busch WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne WDR Rundfunkchor Köln choir (Recorded on 15 February) | CD: Gala Cat: GL 100.509 | |
| 1954 | Jan Peerce Herva Nelli Robert Merrill Virginia Haskins Claramae Turner | Arturo Toscanini NBC Symphony Orchestra Robert Shaw Chorale | CD: RCA Victor Cat: 60301 | |
| 1954 | Ferruccio Tagliavini Mary Curtis-Verna Giuseppe Valdengo Maria Erato Pia Tassinari | Angelo Questa Radio Italiana Orchestra and Chorus | CD: Cetra Cat: 661439 | |
| 1956 | Giuseppe di Stefano Maria Callas Tito Gobbi Eugenia Ratti Fedora Barbieri | Antonino Votto Teatro alla Scala orchestra and chorus | CD: EMI Classics Cat: EX 290925-5 | |
| 1957 | Giuseppe di Stefano Maria Callas Ettore Bastianini Eugenia Ratti Giulietta Simionato | Gianandrea Gavazzeni Teatro alla Scala orchestra and chorus | CD: EMI Classics Cat: | |
| 1960 | Carlo Bergonzi Birgit Nilsson Cornell MacNeil Sylvia Stahlman Giulietta Simionato | Georg Solti Accademia di Santa Cecilia orchestra and chorus | CD: Decca Cat: 475 8278 Cat: 000829602 | |
| 1966 | Carlo Bergonzi Leontyne Price Robert Merrill Reri Grist Shirley Verrett | Erich Leinsdorf RCA Italiana Opera orchestra and chorus | CD: RCA Victor Cat: 6645-2-RG | |
| 1970 | Luciano Pavarotti Renata Tebaldi Sherrill Milnes Helen Donath Regina Resnik | Bruno Bartoletti Accademia di Santa Cecilia orchestra and chorus | LP: SET Cat: 484-6 CD: SET Cat: 440 042-2 DMO2 Cat: 460 762-2 DF2 | |
| 1975 | Plácido Domingo Martina Arroyo Piero Cappuccilli Reri Grist Fiorenza Cossotto | Riccardo Muti Philharmonia Orchestra Royal Opera House chorus | CD: EMI Classics Cat: CMS 7 69576 2 | |
| 1975 | Plácido Domingo Katia Ricciarelli Piero Cappuccilli Reri Grist Elizabeth Bainbridge | Claudio Abbado Royal Opera House orchestra and chorus (Recording on 8 February) | DVD: Kultur Video Cat: D 2071 DVD: Covent Garden Pioneer Cat: B 12373-01 | |
| 1975 | José Carreras Montserrat Caballé Renato Bruson Margherita Guglielmi Ruza Baldani | Francesco Molinari-Pradelli Teatro alla Scala orchestra and chorus (Recorded on 18 February) | CD: Opera d'Oro Cat: OPD 7048 | |
| 1979 | José Carreras Montserrat Caballé Ingvar Wixell Sona Ghazarian Patricia Payne | Sir Colin Davis Royal Opera House orchestra and chorus | CD: Philips Cat: 426 560-2 | |
| 1980 | Luciano Pavarotti Katia Ricciarelli Louis Quilico Judith Blegen Bianca Berini | Giuseppe Patanè Metropolitan Opera orchestra and chorus (Production: Elijah Moshinsky; recorded 16 February) | Streaming video: Met Opera on Demand[4] DVD: Decca Cat: 074 3227 | |
| 1985 | Luciano Pavarotti Margaret Price Renato Bruson Kathleen Battle Christa Ludwig | Sir Georg Solti National Philharmonic Orchestra Royal College of Music Junior Department chorus London Opera chorus | CD: Decca Cat: 410 210-2 DH2 | |
| 1985 | Plácido Domingo Katia Ricciarelli Renato Bruson Edita Gruberová Elena Obraztsova | Claudio Abbado Teatro alla Scala orchestra and chorus | CD: Deutsche Grammophon Cat: 453 148-2 | |
| 1989 | Plácido Domingo Josephine Barstow Leo Nucci Sumi Jo Florence Quivar | Herbert von Karajan Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Vienna State Opera chorus | CD: Deutsche Grammophon Cat: 427 635-2 | |
| 1991 | Luciano Pavarotti Aprile Millo Leo Nucci Harolyn Blackwell Florence Quivar | James Levine Metropolitan Opera orchestra and chorus (Production: Piero Faggioni; recorded 26 January) | Streaming video: Met Opera on Demand[5] DVD: Deutsche Grammophon Cat: 073 029-9 Cat: 001086309 | |
| 2005 | Massimiliano Pisapia Chiara Taigi Franco Vassallo Anna Maria Chiuri Eunyee You | Riccardo Chailly Gewandhausorchester (Recorded in Leipzig Opera, November) | DVD: EuroArts Cat: 0880242551085 | |
| 2012 | Marcelo Álvarez Sondra Radvanovsky Dmitri Hvorostovsky Kathleen Kim Stephanie Blythe | Fabio Luisi Metropolitan Opera orchestra and chorus (Production: David Alden; recorded 8 December) | HD video Met Opera on Demand;[6] | |
| 2016 | Piotr Beczala Anja Harteros George Petean Sofia Fomina Okka von der Damerau | Zubin Mehta Bayerische Staatsoper orchestra and chorus (Johannes Erath, stage director; recorded 3–9 March) | 4K Ultra HD C Major |
Notes
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