Verdi’s tragedy ‘Un ballo in maschera’ at Royal Opera with Liudmyla Monastyrska as (Amelia)

A new production of Verdi’s tragedy of illicit love, loyalty and betrayal directed by Katharina Thoma.

‘Un ballo in maschera’ : Riccardo is a leader loved by his people but surrounded by conspirators. He also nurses a secret shame: he adores Amelia, the wife of his closest friend and loyal minister, Renato. Renato interrupts a meeting between Amelia and Riccardo. Furious, he determines to join a conspiratorial plot to assassinate his master. At a masked ball he stabs Riccardo. With his dying breath Riccardo forgives Renato and assures him of Amelia’s innocence.

Ukrainian soprano singer, Liudmyla Monastyrska performs one of the leading roles –Amelia. Monastyrska was born in Kiev and studied at the Kiev Tchaikovsky Music Academy. She made her debut with the Ukraine National Opera in 1996 as Tatyana (Eugene Onegin), and was appointed a principal soprano with Ukraine National Opera in 1988. There her roles included Aida, La Gioconda, Amelia, Liza (The Queen of Spades) and Santuzza (Cavalleria rusticana). She began her international career in 2010 singing Tosca for Deutsche Oper Berlin and at the Puccini Festival, Torre del Lago. She made her debut at La Scala, Milan, in 2012 as Aida, and her Metropolitan Opera, New York, debut later that year in the same role. Other engagements include Odabella (Attila) for Deutsche Oper Berlin and in Santiago, Lady Macbeth for Deutsche Oper Berlin, Abigaille for La Scala, Tosca in Frankfurt, Aida for Houston Grand Opera and Berlin State Opera, Leonora (La forza del destino) at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, Valencia, and Verdi’s Requiem in concert in Bucharest. She made her Royal Opera debut in 2011 as Aida. She has gone on to sing Lady Macbeth (Macbeth) and Abigaille (Nabucco) for The Royal Opera, and in the 2014/15 Season sings Amelia (Un ballo in maschera).

Joseph Calleja (Riccardo)

Liudmyla Monastyrska (Amelia)

Dmitri Hvorostovsky (Renato)

Marianne Cornetti (Ulrica)

Rosemary Joshua (Oscar)

Anatoli Sivko (Sam)

James Platt (Tom)

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House / Daniel Oren

Katharina Thoma (Director)

WHEN

17 Jan – 7pm

WHERE

Royal Opera House, Bow Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 9DD, London

TICKETS

from £15o