| This is a production idea for "A Masked Ball" which I have been working on in conjunction with director Vivien Hewitt. We have chosen to return the story to its place of historical origin, the court of Gustav III of Sweden. It is a frigid world, surrounded by winter snowscape, in which the bitter cold of the outside continually penetrates the private world and relationships of the characters. The palette is dominated by the cold blue of the short days of the Swedish winter, as well as the blue and silver of the royal mantle and throne of Sweden. In the first scene we see Gustav receiving his subjects from his bed, which was customary of European royalty of the time. Ulrica, in the second scene, is living in the remains of a shipwreck on the edge of the sea. The ball scene, the climax and finale of the opera, takes place outdoors on the grounds of the royal palace. Amidst lanterns and falling snow, the guests revel and dance in masks and furs. | | |
