The 2015 season opened at Bologna’s Teatro Comunale with Giuseppe Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera. The featured production directed by Damiano Michieletto with the assistance of Roberto Pizzuto had been shown at La Scala last season. In comparison with the original staging, it required re-sizing due to the much smaller dimensions of the stage and the addition of a slightly disturbing extra intermission between the first and the second scene of the first act.

With respect to the original libretto, the action remained in Boston, but was updated to the present, and Riccardo was the state governor during his re-election campaign, as indicated by set designer Paolo Fantin and custom designer Paola Teti. In this new perspective, Renato was the coordinator of the campaign and Oscar the candidate’s assistant. When the curtain opens, Riccardo’s supporters cheer him wearing their party’s T-shirts. Life-size paper silhouettes representing Riccardo stand in the background of his office.

In the second act, Ulrica is a preacher who pretends to charm and heal her followers. The ‘orrido campo’ in the second act is a deserted area where a prostitute and her client rob Amelia of her fur coat, and when she disguises herself in front of her husband the only thing she can use is the prostitute’s coat.

In the third act, we are back to Riccardo’s office. At the final ball, the singers move in a labyrinth created by a host of paper silhouettes, where finally Renato meets Riccardo and stabs him.

In the pit, Michele Mariotti, the company’s music director, gave an insightful reading of the score, carving some beautiful moments especially during the second act duet.

The vocal cast was somewhat uneven. Gregory Kunde lent his handsome tenor to Riccardo, and acted with great commitment, in spite of a slightly uneasy emission in the first act. Maria Josè Siri making her role debut as Amelia, displayed a sizable lyric soprano, skillfully mastering the whole range. Baritone Luca Salsi was a very compelling Renato. He gave his best in the aria ‘Eritu’, followed by long, well-deserved applause. Less compelling was mezzo Elena Manistina, whose voice was not completely controlled at the top, while Beatriz Diaz was an insisting Oscar, with not enough flexibility in the top register.

The chorus instructed by Andrea Faidutti gave a good contribution to the compelling result of the performance.

In the end, the audience cheered everyone with applause, with some slight disapproval of the production team.