Un ballo in maschera
The Royal Ballet and Opera
- Date night
- Great for groups
- Date
- Mon, 7 Dec 2026
- Time
- 19:30
- Venue
- Royal Opera House
- City
- London
- Tickets
- See booking site
You'll be taken to the ensemble's official site.
Summary
The Royal Ballet and Opera performs Un ballo in maschera at the Royal Opera House.
Why it's fantastic
Philipp Stölzl brings a surreal visual flair to his first production at the Royal Opera House. It is a rare chance to hear Verdi’s score for this tale of conspiracy and forbidden love, staged with a sense of playfulness and vivid costumes that help the drama feel immediate for a modern audience.
Our guide to this performance
What you'll hear
We are set to hear Giuseppe Verdi’s score for a drama that balances the gravity of a political conspiracy with the intimacy of a forbidden romance. As you listen, you will notice how the music shifts between lighthearted social settings and the darker, more urgent tones of the plotters. The score is famous for its rhythmic energy and sophisticated orchestration, which drives the narrative towards its inevitable conclusion during a masked ball. In this production, director Philipp Stölzl introduces a surreal visual aesthetic to the stage, using vivid costumes and a playful sense of design to frame the action. The staging aims to make the traditional operatic tropes of hidden identity and betrayal feel immediate, using the visual flair of the sets to complement the emotional shifts in Verdi’s writing. You can expect a performance where the spectacle of the ball is as central to the experience as the vocal lines themselves.
Who's performing
The Royal Ballet and Opera performs this production at their home in London. The company is renowned for maintaining a vast repertoire of traditional and contemporary works, drawing on a deep roster of international talent and a dedicated resident orchestra and chorus. As the primary resident ensemble of the Royal Opera House, they are known for presenting large-scale stagings that demand high levels of musical precision and dramatic commitment. This performance marks the first time director Philipp Stölzl has brought his specific visual style to this particular house.
Planning your evening
This performance of Un ballo in maschera takes place at the Royal Opera House in London. As an opera by Verdi, it is a standard fixture of the international repertoire and is well-suited if you are visiting the venue for the first time. The production will be sung in its original language, and while the total running time is not yet confirmed, you can expect the usual provision of surtitles to follow the libretto. There is no specific dress code for this venue, though many attendees choose smart-casual attire for an evening performance.
Written by the Bravura editorial team from the ensemble's published programme and venue information. We don't reproduce copy from box-office sites. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
