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Article: ``A MASKED BALL'' IS INHERENTLY VERDI VIRGINIA OPERA OFFERING RETAINS THE CHARACTERS' MEDITERRANEAN PASSION.(LOCAL)(Review)
- Article from:
- The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA)
- Article date:
- March 10, 2002
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Virginian Pilot-Ledger Star. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of the Dialog Corporation by Gale Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: LEE TEPLY THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
There is bound to be some confusion in any production of Giuseppe Verdi's ``A Masked Ball,'' beyond the intentional mixups caused by characters in disguise. The inherent problem concerns the location of the story and the nationality of the cast.
The plot's historical background, the assassination of a Swedish king, gives the opera a pre-verismo realism. Indeed, the story was all too real for Italian censors, who forced it to be transplanted to colonial Boston.
For the most part, the Virginia Opera production, which opened Friday evening at the Harrison Opera House, looks authentic. Wooden beams suggest ...