The NCPA production of Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera made its debut at the Royal Opera House Muscat on October 3rd and 5th, kicking off the 2024-2025 season of the theatre.
Under the baton of Giampaolo Bisanti, well-known Chinese and foreign artists brought to life Verdi’s masterpiece together with China NCPA Chorus and the Orchestra of Teatro Lirico di Cagliari.
The opera Un Ballo in Maschera is the third Verdi opera produced by the NCPA following La Traviata and Rigoletto. It has been put on the stage for five times so far, each time bringing a visual and audio feast to the audiences. The tour marked another breakthrough that the NCPA has made and further collaboration with Royal Opera House Muscat after the co-production of Lakmé in 2023.
It’s the first collaboration between conductor Giampaolo Bisanti and China NCPA. He made high acclaims on this experience. “The Chinese singers and the NCPA Chorus were well-prepared, able to quickly grasp and fulfill the conductor's requirements, which was very impressive. The baritone singer LIAO Changyong also surprised me. As an artist from China, he completely sang out the essence of the Italian style, which is difficult for many singers to achieve. I think anyone who sees this work for the first time will be deeply impressed by its grandeur, beauty, and simplicity.”
Hugo De Ana served as the director, set designer and costume designer of this opera. He has presented numerous unforgettable moments for Chinese opera lovers through his collaborations with the NCPA in seven productions including Die lustige Witwe, Il Trovatore, Thais, Samson et Dalila, etc.
The opera featured a star-studded cast, including tenor Piotr Beczała as Gustav III, soprano Elena Stikhina as Amelia, baritone LIAO Changyong as Renato, alto Agnieszka Rehlis as Ulrica Arfvidsson, soprano Enkelada Kamani as Oscar. Singers including GUAN Zhijing, MA Guoyi, MAO Weizhao, CAO Ruidong also delivered excellent performances in the opera.
Under the baton of Giampaolo Bisanti, opera singers worked with the Orchestra of Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, China NCPA Chorus and Jinan Song & Dance Theatre, bringing this Verdi’s powerful exploration of love, betrayal, and intrigue to life.
On October 4th, a performance titled “A Musical Night from China” was presented at the Royal Opera House Muscat. Under the baton of maestro LÜ Jia, Chinese artists including violinist HUANG Mengla, singers LIAO Changyong, XU Jingjing and GUAN Zhijing presented a concert featuring Chinese music in collaboration with China NCPA Chorus and the Orchestra of Teatro Lirico di Cagliari.
NCPA Resident Singer and bass GUAN Zhijing presented Kazakh folk song “Ga Olitai” and “Three Wishes of Roses” composed by the famous Chinese composer HUANG Zi.
Additionally, the arias of the NCPA Opera Commission The Ballad of the Canal were also presented on stage – “We are the flowing water of the canal” and “Soybean, rice and peanuts”.
The NCPA production of Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera made its debut at the Royal Opera House Muscat on October 3rd and 5th, kicking off the 2024-2025 season of the theatre.
Under the baton of Giampaolo Bisanti, well-known Chinese and foreign artists brought to life Verdi’s masterpiece together with China NCPA Chorus and the Orchestra of Teatro Lirico di Cagliari.
The opera Un Ballo in Maschera is the third Verdi opera produced by the NCPA following La Traviata and Rigoletto. It has been put on the stage for five times so far, each time bringing a visual and audio feast to the audiences. The tour marked another breakthrough that the NCPA has made and further collaboration with Royal Opera House Muscat after the co-production of Lakmé in 2023.
It’s the first collaboration between conductor Giampaolo Bisanti and China NCPA. He made high acclaims on this experience. “The Chinese singers and the NCPA Chorus were well-prepared, able to quickly grasp and fulfill the conductor's requirements, which was very impressive. The baritone singer LIAO Changyong also surprised me. As an artist from China, he completely sang out the essence of the Italian style, which is difficult for many singers to achieve. I think anyone who sees this work for the first time will be deeply impressed by its grandeur, beauty, and simplicity.”
Hugo De Ana served as the director, set designer and costume designer of this opera. He has presented numerous unforgettable moments for Chinese opera lovers through his collaborations with the NCPA in seven productions including Die lustige Witwe, Il Trovatore, Thais, Samson et Dalila, etc.
The opera featured a star-studded cast, including tenor Piotr Beczała as Gustav III, soprano Elena Stikhina as Amelia, baritone LIAO Changyong as Renato, alto Agnieszka Rehlis as Ulrica Arfvidsson, soprano Enkelada Kamani as Oscar. Singers including GUAN Zhijing, MA Guoyi, MAO Weizhao, CAO Ruidong also delivered excellent performances in the opera.
Under the baton of Giampaolo Bisanti, opera singers worked with the Orchestra of Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, China NCPA Chorus and Jinan Song & Dance Theatre, bringing this Verdi’s powerful exploration of love, betrayal, and intrigue to life.
On October 4th, a performance titled “A Musical Night from China” was presented at the Royal Opera House Muscat. Under the baton of maestro LÜ Jia, Chinese artists including violinist HUANG Mengla, singers LIAO Changyong, XU Jingjing and GUAN Zhijing presented a concert featuring Chinese music in collaboration with China NCPA Chorus and the Orchestra of Teatro Lirico di Cagliari.
NCPA Resident Singer and bass GUAN Zhijing presented Kazakh folk song “Ga Olitai” and “Three Wishes of Roses” composed by the famous Chinese composer HUANG Zi.
Additionally, the arias of the NCPA Opera Commission The Ballad of the Canal were also presented on stage – “We are the flowing water of the canal” and “Soybean, rice and peanuts”.
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