Un ballo in maschera Vienna

Giuseppe Verdi's Un ballo in maschera (A Masked Ball) is one of the composer's most gripping mid-career tragedies, first performed in 1859. It follows a ruler caught between duty and a forbidden love, with conspirators closing in around him, and builds toward one of opera's most famous scenes: a glittering masked ball where fate is finally sealed. Verdi's score pairs soaring lyricism with dark foreboding, from the tender love duet to the shivering laughter of the fortune-teller Ulrica, making it a favourite of the Italian repertoire.

The Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera) is one of the world's foremost opera houses. Opened in 1869 on the Ringstrasse and rebuilt after the Second World War, it stands at the heart of Vienna's musical life, presenting a vast repertoire across nearly every night of the season and carrying a tradition shaped by Mahler, Strauss and Karajan. Its Neo-Renaissance façade and grand interior make it one of the city's defining cultural landmarks.

What to expect

• Verdi's dramatic score brought to life by the Vienna State Opera orchestra and chorus
• The celebrated masked ball finale, one of the great set pieces of Italian opera
• A tragic love triangle woven from loyalty, jealousy and inescapable fate
• Sung in Italian, with surtitles typically provided for international audiences
• The atmosphere of a world-class house on Vienna's historic Ringstrasse

Getting there

The Wiener Staatsoper stands at Opernring 2 in Vienna's 1st district (Innere Stadt), on the Ringstrasse beside Kärntner Strasse. By U-Bahn, take line U1, U2 or U4 to Karlsplatz, a short walk from the house. Trams 1, 2, 71, D and 62 and the Badner Bahn all stop at Oper/Karlsplatz directly outside, and the bus and S-Bahn connections at Karlsplatz put the venue within easy reach from across the city. From Vienna International Airport (VIE), the City Airport Train (CAT) or S-Bahn line S7 reaches Wien Mitte, followed by a short U-Bahn ride to Karlsplatz.

Un ballo in maschera

Passion, politics and a fateful masked ball collide in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera — a gripping tragedy of forbidden love and betrayal, wrapped in some of the composer's most glorious melodies.

The opera follows a man torn between duty and his love for the wife of his closest friend, as a prophecy of doom hangs over him and a conspiracy quietly closes in. Verdi balances sweeping romance, dark foreboding and even flashes of glittering wit, building to the unforgettable masked ball where destinies are sealed. It stands among his most dramatically rich and musically dazzling works.

The Vienna State Opera provides the perfect stage — a temple of opera whose history, acoustics and sheer grandeur have drawn the world's finest voices for generations.

Elegant, thrilling and deeply moving, this is Verdi at his finest. Book your tickets and experience Un ballo in maschera live at the Vienna State Opera.