Review of Un Ballo in Maschera

Un Ballo in Maschera is not among my favorite Verdi operas. Its story and characters do not touch me as characters of some other operas do(Rigoletto,Aida,Othello and La Traviata). This production is good,though I do prefer 1975 ROH ,1980 and 1991 Met and 2001 La Scala production to it and also like 2012 Met production. Sets and costumes are lovely. Marcelo Alvarez I knew from before as The Duke of Mantua and Rodolfo .Here as Riccardo he is handsome,very engaging and his voice is in great shape .Violeta Urmana I knew previously as Azucena and as Aida. She is the heart of this opera and it shows. Her Morro,ma prima in grazia made me cry and would consider it the highlight of this production. Marco Vratogna as Renato is not the best. His voice is a bit gravely ,though he does give amazing Eri Tu. Rest of the cast do a good job. Overall,this Teatro Real production is worth seeing,especially for Marcelo Alvarez and Violetta Urmana.7,5/10.