Director’s statement

Two years ago, sitting on a terrace in Buchs, I heard the voices of the Werdenberger Schlossfestspiele drifting across the valley. I thought about the many opera performances I had experienced while studying and working in London. They were often sold out, with an unexpectedly young audience. My colleague simply said: “Opera isn’t really my thing.”

That stayed with me. Why can opera feel so immediate and accessible to young audiences elsewhere, while here it is often perceived as something distant or difficult to approach? This question became the starting point for my production of Un ballo in maschera. I did not want to reinvent Verdi’s opera, but to bring its extraordinary emotional power into a world that felt immediate and local and to create an experience that could speak to both seasoned opera-goers and those discovering opera for the first time.

Verdi himself had already transformed the setting of the story. His original concept, based on the assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden, was moved to colonial America in response to censorship. This history of adaptation inspired me to bring the opera to Werdenberg. Between 1517 and 1798, the region was governed by bailiffs appointed by Glarus, whose positions were effectively sold to the highest bidder. The resulting tensions and resentment offered surprising echoes of the political unrest at the heart of Verdi’s story. The production therefore grew directly from its surroundings. The lake, castle and historic town became part of the stage, while the costumes combine regional references with the opulence of a masked ball. The subtitles were also integrated directly into the set, echoing the inscriptions and traces of writing found on the historic buildings of Werdenberg. Rather than drawing the audience’s attention away from the action, they became part of the visual world and allowed the audience to remain immersed in the performance and the story.

At its heart, Un ballo in maschera is a story about love, friendship, power and integrity. The mask became the central image of my interpretation: the different identities we perform in everyday life, and the choices that reveal who we really are when everything is at stake.

Verdi’s exploration of human nature feels remarkably relevant today. My hope was to create an evening in which audiences could lose themselves in the music and story — and perhaps leave with the courage to take off a mask of their own.

Key Team

Cast: Francesco Congiu, Judith Dürr, Zurab Nakeuri, Daniela Stoll, Mirjam Fässler, Bartosz Szulc, Karsten Schröter, Ihor Siryi, Achim Schurig
Dancers: Alessio Ruaro, Emilia Georgieva

Musical Director: Gion-Gieri Tuor
Director: Raphaela Wagner
Costumes, Hair & Make-Up: Kerstin Koeck
Stage Design & Head of Technical: Michael Wagner
Head of Infrastructure: Steffan Arends
Choreography: Alessio Ruaro

With the local choir of the Werdenberger Schlossfestspiele, the orchestra Sinfonietta Voralberg and many amazing volunteers!