Amal Choucri Catta enjoys the moments of comic relief amid the atmosphere of doom and gloom Un ballo in maschera, Giuseppe Verdi, performed by Cairo Opera Company Orchestra, Choir and Ballet Company. Dir. Gihan Morsi; cond. Nader Abbasi; choir master Aldo Magnato. Venue: Main Hall, Cairo Opera House, 20 to 23 January, 8pm On opening night, at Cairo Opera's Main Hall, the red curtain rose on a mask-studded backdrop, while dancers of the opera's corps-de-ballet performed a pas-de-trois to the lovely tune of Giuseppe Verdi's prelude, introducing the theme of love, deceit and death, subject of the Masked Ball. Based on Eugene Scribe's text for Daniel Auber's drama Gustave III ou le bal masque and on historical events, Verdi's libretto of his Ballo in maschera underwent some rewriting. According to the censor in Naples, the assassination of a king could not be shown on stage. Gustave III was therefore replaced by Riccardo; in any case, Verdi's opera turned into one of his most popular lyric works. This melancholy drama of love and deception, ultimately leading to death, is nevertheless alleviated by a character blending comedy and humour with the tragic events, in the person of Oscar, Riccardo's page, a part beautifully interpreted by soprano Mona Rafla. Witty, charming, delightfully captivating, she had successfully premiered the role in 1993 and has remained the enchanting Oscar to this very day. Oscar is an ever-present character, absent only once, in Act Two at the public gallows. He is generally performed by a soprano in male costume, adding a pleasant vivacity to the rather sombre proceedings. This time, the changes in stenography, lights, decor and costumes were quite effective. Director Gihan Morsi did an excellent job, adding discreet elegance to the settings, while leaving ample space for the choir, the officers, deputies and any other members of the crowd. The subdued nobility in the entire scenery was particularly appreciated by the audience. On opening night, tenor Walid Korayem having been taken ill, was replaced by the fascinating Italian Sergio Panajia, a marvelous Riccardo with a fabulous voice and an impressive presence on stage. Winner of several international vocal competitions, he was thrilling as a lover, quite debonair as a bon-vivant and impressively noble as a monarch who realises there is no future for his love. Riccardo is secretly in love with his best friend Renato's wife, Amelia. Performed by the usually excellent Egyptian baritone Mustafa Mohamed on opening night, Renato seemed to be somewhat ill at ease at the close of his aria in Act One. However, he recovered rather rapidly, giving us a thrilling interpretation of Renato, mainly in Act Three, when he decides to punish his wife by plotting Riccardo's death. The story opens in a hall of Riccardo's palace. When Oscar announces that Ulrica, the fortune-teller is being exiled, Riccardo decides to visit her in disguise, inviting all the courtiers to the cave while asking his friends not to reveal his identity. The scene is lovely, the music marvelous, choir and soloists excellent. In the second scene of Act One, opening in Ulrica's cave, mezzo-soprano Hanan El-Guindi, as the fortune-teller, is great. The scenery is quite dramatic, with a fuming volcano as the backdrop and steam seeping out of an immense kettle, while Ulrica, arms lifted to inferno's flames, sings her superb aria, --King of the abyss, present thyself.� Three little red devils emerge from underground hell, to which they return, however, quite rapidly, leaving Ulrica in her immense robes dramatically pursuing her diabolic aria while bewitching her audience. Her presence on stage is extremely powerful, her singing consistently rich. El-Guindi has captivated her audiences as Amneris, as Carmen, as Azucena and many other roles performed on local and international stages. She has participated regularly at the Wagner Festival in Bayreuth and performs mainly in Austria, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland and Egypt. That night Ulrica's counsel is sought by Amelia, performed by soprano Iman Mustafa. She is tormented by her secret love for Riccardo. To dispel her lust, Ulrica tells her to gather certain herbs at midnight at the foot of the public gallows. Riccardo, hiding behind some bushes, has overheard the conversation and secretly swears to be there also. Later on, Ulrica tells him he will be killed by the first person whose hand he shakes. Making light of the omen, Riccardo goes around, offering his hand to everybody, but the crowd shrinks back. At this point Renato enters and shakes Riccardo's extended hand: everyone is satisfied , after all, they are close friends, so nothing will happen, or so the courtiers think, while Ulrica sings her beautiful aria, --Thus it is written above.� All join in the fascinating melody, superbly closing the first act. Act Two opens onto gray hues and dark mists in the public necropolis where Amelia has come to collect Ulrica's prescribed herbs. She is surprised by Riccardo: both confess their hopeless love for each other, just as Renato enters the graveyard to warn Riccardo of imminent ambush, insisting he should escape. They exchange capes to ensure Riccardo's safety while he asks Renato to conduct the veiled lady back to town, asking him never to seek her identity. However, when the conspirators arrive with their leader Tom, performed by bass-baritone Abdel-Wahab El-Sayed and Samuel, interpreted by Reda El-Wakil, they insist on unveiling the lady. --Ha, ha, ha� goes their song when they discover she is Renato's wife. Amelia is in anguish, while Renato furiously swears revenge. This is the most demanding act of the opera, based primarily on solo arias and duos, with Amelia and Riccardo as main performers. With the exception of the chorus of conspirators who arrive towards the end, there is not much to enhance the grey monotony of the rather long scene. It therefore requires strong acting, powerful singing and a strong infusion of passion -- which was the case on opening night. Iman Mustafa was the tragic heroine from the second act onto the very end. Her role is a difficult one: she is torn between her love for Riccardo and her duty towards her husband who, in Act Three, finally plots the monarch's death. At the masked ball, he succeeds in killing his friend, discovering too late Amelia and Riccardo's innocence. While he pardons the conspirators and his friend Renato, the dying monarch realises that Ulrica's prediction has come true. The curtain falls on the mourning courtiers and friends while the audience cheers in the Main Hall. The orchestra had its brilliant moments under the impressive baton of Maestro Nader Abbasi and the choir was excellent under the direction of Aldo Magnato. As for choreographer- director Erminia Kamel, she created some splendid dancing interludes. On the whole, Verdi's Un ballo in maschera enjoyed four successful performances. After an interval of four years, audiences were happy to applaud the impressive production of this remarkable work.
