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.
Recordings YearCast(Riccardo, Amelia, Renato,Oscar, Ulrica)Conductor,Opera house and orchestraLabel Recordings on operadis-opera-discography.org.uk 1940Jussi BjörlingZinka MilanovAlexander SvédStella AndrevaBruna CastagnaEttore PanizzaMetropolitan Opera orchestra and chorus(Recorded on 14 December)Streaming audio:Met Opera on DemandUn ballo in maschera (14 December 1940, audio only), Met Opera on Demand.CD: MytoCat: 00008 1944Jan PeerceZinka MilanovLeonard WarrenKerstin ThorborgFrances GreerBruno WalterMetropolitan Opera orchestra and chorus(Recorded on 15 January)CD: BensarCat: OL 11544 1951Lorenz FehenbergerWalburga WegnerDietrich Fischer-DieskauAnny SchlemmMartha MödlFritz BuschWDR Symphony Orchestra CologneWDR Rundfunkchor Köln choir(Recorded on 15 February)CD: GalaCat: GL 100.509 1954Jan PeerceHerva NelliRobert MerrillVirginia HaskinsClaramae TurnerArturo ToscaniniNBC Symphony OrchestraRobert Shaw ChoraleCD: RCA VictorCat: 60301 1954Ferruccio TagliaviniMary Curtis-VernaGiuseppe ValdengoMaria EratoPia TassinariAngelo QuestaRadio Italiana Orchestra and ChorusCD: CetraCat: 661439 1956Giuseppe di StefanoMaria CallasTito GobbiEugenia RattiFedora BarbieriAntonino VottoTeatro alla Scala orchestra and chorusCD: EMI ClassicsCat: EX 290925–5 1957Giuseppe di StefanoMaria CallasEttore BastianiniEugenia RattiGiulietta SimionatoGianandrea GavazzeniTeatro alla Scala orchestra and chorusCD: EMI ClassicsCat: 1960Carlo BergonziBirgit NilssonCornell MacNeilSylvia StahlmanGiulietta SimionatoGeorg SoltiAccademia di Santa Cecilia orchestra and chorusCD: DeccaCat: 475 8278Cat: 000829602 1966Carlo BergonziLeontyne PriceRobert MerrillReri GristShirley VerrettErich LeinsdorfRCA Italiana Opera orchestra and chorusCD: RCA VictorCat: 6645-2-RG 1970Luciano PavarottiRenata TebaldiSherrill MilnesHelen DonathRegina ResnikBruno BartolettiAccademia di Santa Cecilia orchestra and chorusLP: SETCat: 484–6CD: SETCat: 440 042-2 DMO2Cat: 460 762-2 DF2 1975Plácido DomingoMartina Arroyo Piero CappuccilliReri GristFiorenza CossottoRiccardo Muti Philharmonia OrchestraRoyal Opera House chorusCD: EMI ClassicsCat: CMS 7 69576 2 1975Plácido DomingoKatia Ricciarelli Piero CappuccilliReri GristElizabeth BainbridgeClaudio Abbado Royal Opera House orchestra and chorus(Recording on 8 February)DVD: Kultur VideoCat: D 2071DVD: Covent Garden PioneerCat: B 12373–01 1975José CarrerasMontserrat Caballé Renato BrusonMargherita GuglielmiRuza BaldaniFrancesco Molinari-PradelliTeatro alla Scala orchestra and chorus (Recorded on 18 February)CD: Opera d'OroCat: OPD 7048 1979José CarrerasMontserrat CaballéIngvar WixellSona GhazarianPatricia PayneSir Colin DavisRoyal Opera House orchestra and chorusCD: PhilipsCat: 426 560–2 1980Luciano PavarottiKatia Ricciarelli Louis QuilicoJudith BlegenBianca BeriniGiuseppe PatanèMetropolitan Opera orchestra and chorus(Production: Elijah Moshinsky; recorded 16 February)Streaming video:Met Opera on DemandUn ballo in maschera (16 February 1980), Met Opera on Demand.DVD: DeccaCat: 074 3227 1985Luciano PavarottiMargaret Price Renato BrusonKathleen BattleChrista LudwigSir Georg SoltiNational Philharmonic OrchestraRoyal College of Music Junior Department chorusLondon Opera chorusCD: DeccaCat: 410 210-2 DH2 1985Plácido DomingoKatia Ricciarelli Renato BrusonEdita GruberováElena ObraztsovaClaudio AbbadoTeatro alla Scala orchestra and chorusCD: Deutsche GrammophonCat: 453 148–2 1989Plácido DomingoJosephine BarstowLeo NucciSumi JoFlorence QuivarHerbert von KarajanVienna Philharmonic OrchestraVienna State Opera chorusCD: Deutsche GrammophonCat: 427 635–2 1991Luciano PavarottiAprile MilloLeo NucciHarolyn BlackwellFlorence QuivarJames LevineMetropolitan Opera orchestra and chorus(Production: Piero Faggioni; recorded 26 January)Streaming video:Met Opera on DemandUn ballo in maschera (26 January 1991), Met Opera on Demand.DVD: Deutsche GrammophonCat: 073 029–9Cat: 001086309 2005Massimiliano PisapiaChiara TaigiFranco VassalloAnna Maria ChiuriEunyee YouRiccardo ChaillyGewandhausorchester(Recorded in Leipzig Opera, November)DVD: EuroArtsCat: 0880242551085 2012Marcelo ÁlvarezSondra RadvanovskyDmitri HvorostovskyKathleen KimStephanie BlytheFabio LuisiMetropolitan Opera orchestra and chorus(Production: David Alden; recorded 8 December)HD video: Met Opera on Demand;Un ballo in maschera (8 December 20212), Met Opera on Demand.Deutsche Grammophon DVDCat: 08802425510852016Piotr BeczalaAnja HarterosGeorge PeteanSofia FominaOkka von der DamerauZubin MehtaBayerische Staatsoper orchestra and chorus(Johannes Erath, stage director; recorded 3–9 March)4K Ultra HD: C MajorCat: 739507Munich, 2016: 4K Ultra HD, ; Blu-ray, ; DVD, .2026Matthew Polenzani,Anna Netrebko,Ludovic Tézier,,Elizabeth DeShongSperanza Scappucci,Paris Opera Orchestra & Chorus(Director: Gilbert Deflo; recorded live, Opéra Bastille)Full HD:Paris Opera PlayUn Ballo in Maschera, Season 25-26, Paris Opera Play.
References Notes
Sources Operadis discography for Un ballo in maschera