Gustavo III is an opera by Giuseppe Verdi to a libretto begun in early 1857 by the Italian playwright Antonio Somma. Never performed as written, the libretto was later revised (or proposed to be revised) several times under two additional names – Una vendetta in dominò and Adelia degli Adimari – during which the setting was changed to vastly different locations. Eventually, it was agreed that it could be called Un ballo in maschera, the name by which it is known today, but Verdi was forced to accept that the location of the story would have to be Colonial Boston. This setting became the "standard" one until the mid-20th Century. Most productions today locate the action in Sweden.
However, a "hypothetical reconstruction" Parker, p. 179 of Gustavo III under its original name was performed by the Gothenburg Opera in Sweden during the 2002/03 season.
Composition history In early 1856 Vincenzo Torelli, secretary to the Teatro San Carlo's management approached Verdi with a contract offer, the proposed opera being Re Lear, an opera based on Shakespeare's King Lear. It was known to be a subject dear to the composer,Budden, pp. 362–363 but this libretto, for which Somma and Verdi had worked for some time, raised concerns for Verdi, not the least of which was finding a suitable cast in Naples, given the practice of a company engaging a group of singers for an entire season and giving them the major roles to sing in all productions, thus forcing a composer to take into account their strengths and weaknesses in the roles he was creating.Verdi to Torelli, 17 June 1857, in Phillips-Matz, p. 370: "Believe me, it is a great mistake to risk Re Lear with a company of singers who, as good as they are, are not – one might say – made to order for these roles"
Even though it proved to be impracticable to continue with Re Lear, Verdi signed a contract in February 1857 for performances during the 1857/58 carnival season, but, as the year progressed and with time running out, he had misgivings and failed to meet commitments regarding Lear. Finally, in a letter which he wrote to Torelli in September 1857, Verdi confessed that he had "looked through an infinite number of plays.....but not one of them will do for me..." but he then described an existing libretto which interested him, one which was written by the French playwright and librettist Eugene Scribe for Daniel Auber's very successful 1833 opera, Gustave III, ou Le bal masqué: "At present I'm scaling down a French drama, Gustavo III di Svezia (Note: Verdi's translation of the French title), libretto by Scribe, performed at the Opéra twenty years ago. It's vast and grandiose; it's beautiful....It is now too late to find other subjects."Verdi to Torelli, 19 September 1857, in Budden p.363
Verdi turned to the historical subject of King Gustav III of Sweden, who was shot while attending a masked ball in Stockholm in 1792 and died thirteen days later. Anckarström, his assassin, was executed. Although noting it as "a French drama", Baldini, p. 248: Roger Parker, as editor and translator of The Story of Giuseppe Verdi challenges Baldini's statement that Gustave was a play, and he asserts that it was only an opera libretto written for Auber's opera Verdi was referring to Scribe's libretto, and this became the source of Somma's libretto.
In his version, Scribe had retained the names of some of the historical figures involved including Gustave, Anckarström (the king's secretary and his best friend), Ulrica Arfvidsson (the fortune teller), and conspirators Ribbing and Horn; the conspiracy itself; and the killing at the masked ball. As noted by Budden, Scribe invented much of the rest of the action, including Gustav's romance with the fictional AméliePatrick Dillon, "Unlucky Lady: Who is Amelia?", Opera News, December 2012, Vol. 77, #6, p. 20: Dillon notes that "it doesn't matter that there was, historically, no "real" Amelia" and further that, for Scribe, "convention demanded a leading lady" therefore "Amélie, comtesse d'Ankastrom" in Auber's opera. (Anckarström's wife) and he added characters and situations such as the page boy, Oscar. "It was a simple case of 'cherchez la femme'"Budden, p. 364 says Budden, who sees Scribe using the romance as the reason for the murder (rather than the purely political motive behind the actual event) and he describes the plot of Scribe's libretto as "cleverly constructed...in which irony follows irony. It abounds in striking situations and coups de théatre; it offers opportunities for a display of the most intense and varied emotions; and it is full of suspense."
Initial preparation of the Gustavo III libretto Throughout the autumn of 1857 correspondence between librettist and composer flowed regularly,Werfel and Stefan, pp.203–207 and on 19 October, Verdi sent a synopsis to Torelli. He immediately received a reply warning him that "a change of locale would be necessary at the very least and the poet had better be advised of this."Budden, pp.367/68 While Verdi did not necessarily see a problem in changing location, he did lament the loss of other things: "what a pity to have to give up the pomp of a court like that of Gustavo III. Then too it will be difficult to find another monarch on the lines of that Gustavo. Poor poets, poor composers"Verdi to Torelli, 23 October 1857 in Budden, pp.367/68
When Somma's verses (to which Verdi had contributed a significant amount, including an initial prose outline)Gossett, p. 497 were sent to the composer by late November 1857, the outline of the opera was complete, and Verdi began to create musical sketches of significant scenes. At the same time, word came of the seven requirements imposed by the Naples censorship. These included that (i) "The King must become a Duke"; (ii) "the action must be transferred to a pre-Christian age"; (iii) the conspirators must not hate the Duke because they wanted to take power; and (iv) "no firearms".The seven requirements, in Budden, p. 368
Somma had several suggestions, including a possible new title, Il duca ErmannoPhillips-Matz, p. 370 with a 12th Century setting, which Verdi rejected; but he did accept the proposed change to Pomerania. The pair spent Christmas of 1857 together working on changes. However, Somma insisted that his name be changed on the libretto to "Tommaso Anoni".
Gustavo III becomes Una vendetta in domino Discussions with the censors eventually resulted in the location being changed to Stettin in Pomerania in Northern Germany, the main character becoming a Duke, and the title becoming Una vendetta in domino. A compromise seemed to have been reached. However, as has been noted, "Verdi did not begin preparing the skeleton scoreDefined in Gossett's glossary, p. 617: "Composers would begin laying out their autograph manuscripts by writing the vocal lines and the bass, entering also an occasional instrumental solo. In this form the skeleton score could be given to copyists to prepare vocal parts. Afterwards the autograph manuscript was returned to the composer, who would fill in the flesh around the skeleton he had earlier notated" for Una vendetta before composer and versifier decided on the Pomeranian setting"Gossett, p.498
After an arduous journey, Verdi arrived in Naples in January 1858. He brought with him the skeleton score and this was handed over to Torelli. With the major problems seeming to have been resolved and rehearsals of Un vendetta about to begin, an attempt to assassinate Emperor Napoleon III in Paris by three Italians led by Felice Orsini occurred on 14 January 1858.
After attempting to obtain agreement on the singers during his first ten days in Naples, Verdi finally discovered that the company's management had withheld the news that the censors had refused to approve the libretto some three months before.Philips-Matz, p. 374 Now, with the latest news regarding the Emperor, the Naples Chief of Police had ruled the opera's text would have to be entirely re-written.Budden, p. 369 Verdi regarded this as outrageous and, in his letter to Somma, he laid out his objections to their list of demands: "1. Transform the hero into some great lord, so that all thought of a sovereign is eradicated. 2. Transform the wife into a sister. 3. Change the scene with the fortune-teller, and put it back into a time when people believed in such things. 4. No ballet. 5. The murder is to be behind the scenes. 6. Leave out completely the scene with the drawing of the name."Verdi to Somma, 7 February 1858, in Werfel and Stefan, p.207
In between this correspondence with his librettist, Verdi hit upon an important musical point with Torelli regarding his feelings about the impossibility of changing the character of Gustavo. The composer says that to do so would make everything: "false and uninteresting [so that] that quality of brilliance and chivalry, that aura of gaiety that pervaded the whole action and which made a fine contrast and was like a light in the darkness surrounding the tragic moments, has vanished."Verdi to Torelli, 14 February 1858, in Hudson, p. 258
If these kind of changes were to be made, Somma replied later, then he would insist that the title be changed and "another author be credited with the words" The opera would no longer be his.Somma to Verdi, 13 April 1858, in Budden, p. 369
When the manuscript of Una Vendetta was returned to him, Verdi found that it been renamed Adelia degli Adimari and now set in 14th Century Florence. Even worse, he noted that of Una Vendettas 884 lines, 297 had been changed in Adelia.Philips-Matz, pp. 376 – 377 Although Torelli attempted to get the composer to compromise and meet with the censor on 20 February, Verdi dug in his heels and, in his reply to Torelli, refused to accept any changes: "...I cannot commit the monstrosities that were inflicted here (Naples) on Rigoletto ", referring to how that opera had been butchered by the censors when it was presented in his absence a few years before.Verdi to Torelli, in Budden, p.370 Rejecting any involvement with Adelia, a lawsuit was then set in place by the theatre for breach of contract. In his countersuit, Verdi claimed damages and, in the document which he prepared called "Defense of Maestro Cavalier Giuseppe Verdi" and in which he gave instructions to his lawyer, he laid what he regarded as the absurdity of some of the requirements.Philips-Matz, p. 376 These included the substitution of one word of the opening chorus' "Die!" for "He sleeps". In addition, it has been noted that he instructed a copyist to "place the two librettos (Vendetta and Adelia)in parallel columns"Gossett and Narici, p. 13
In summary, Verdi rhetorically asks: "What the management's drama has in common with mine: The title? – No The poet? – No The period? – No The place? – No The characters? – No The situations? – No! The drawing of lots? – No! The ball? – No! A composer who respects his art and himself could not or would not dishonor himself by accepting as a subject for his music, written on quite a different basis, these absurdities....."Verdi to his lawyer, Arpino, in Budden, p.371
The countersuit was presented to the Commercial Court in Naples on 13 March, and Verdi's efforts were rewarded with the Court's ruling that there was merit to the case and its injunction for the parties to reach agreement. This allowed Verdi to leave Naples with his score in hand, but promising to return to Naples later in the year to stage at least one of his other operas.
Gustavo III is revived