Un Ballo in Maschera Premieres in Paris

The 41st performance of Belgian director Gilbert Deflo's 2007 production features an American cast led by soprano Angela Meade.

Published on Feb. 21, 2026

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The Opéra Bastille in Paris hosted the latest performance of Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera, featuring an American cast led by soprano Angela Meade as Amelia. This was the first performance with Meade in the role, after previous performances starred Anna Netrebko. Director Gilbert Deflo's 2007 production, now in its sixth revival, was praised for its abstracted, minimalist staging that emphasized the emotional intensity of the opera.

Why it matters

Un Ballo in Maschera is one of Verdi's most popular operas, and this Paris production marks an important milestone with the debut of American soprano Angela Meade in the lead role of Amelia. Deflo's staging, influenced by the work of Italian theater innovator Giorgio Strehler, has also received critical acclaim for its innovative visual approach to the classic work.

The details

Deflo's production featured a sparse, abstract set design by William Orlandi, with few scenic elements rendered in powerful black-and-white imagery. The exception was the final masked ball scene, which was in brilliant color, with the dancers dressed in abstracted harlequin costumes. Deflo, now 82 years old, was also responsible for the lighting, aiming to capture Strehler's signature atmospheric staging. The role of the fortune teller Ulrica was reimagined as a voodoo priestess, while Amelia's magic herb scene took place in a sinister meadow overseen by two large black ravens.

  • The performance took place on February 11, 2026 at the Opéra Bastille in Paris.

The players

Gilbert Deflo

A Belgian stage director and a disciple of the famed Italian theater innovator Giorgio Strehler, who directed this production of Un Ballo in Maschera.

Angela Meade

An American soprano who made her debut in the role of Amelia in this production, after previous performances starred Anna Netrebko.

Matthew Polenzani

An American tenor who sang the role of Riccardo, the assassinated Swedish emperor Gustav III.

Lodovic Tézier

A French Verdi baritone who sang the role of Renato, Riccardo's best friend and the assassin.

Speranza Scappucci

An Italian conductor who led the performance, finding comfortable tempos to support the singers and rendering Verdi's musical segments with transparency.

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What they’re saying

“Deflo's Ulrica was not the libretto's fortune teller, but a voodoo priestess, dressed in formal red, inhabiting a magnificent temple made solely of three lone dragons spewing vapors, Ulrica aided by a formally dressed male spirit conjured her prophesy.”

— Michael Milenski, Opera Critic (operatoday.com)

“Riccardo from the first moments of the opera allowed his impossible love for Amelia to overwhelm the affairs of state (an impending uprising).”

— Michael Milenski, Opera Critic (operatoday.com)

What’s next

The production is scheduled to run for several more performances at the Opéra Bastille in Paris throughout the 2026 season.

The takeaway

This production of Un Ballo in Maschera showcases the continued relevance and artistic vitality of Verdi's classic opera, with an innovative staging that emphasizes the emotional intensity of the work while introducing new American talent to Parisian audiences.