From Newsday, April 2004

Some encomiasts claim that soprano Maria Callas did as much for Italian opera as Toscanini or Verdi. Musicologist Philip Gossett arguably has done as much for Italian opera as any of those giants.

Gossett is general editor of the monumental critical editions of the works of Verdi and Rossini. New Yorkers have been blessed in recent years to hear several scores restored to pristine splendor under his stewardship, including Verdi's Nabucco and Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri at the Met and Rossini's Il viaggio a Reims at City Opera.

Collegiate Chorale's concert performance of Verdi's 1859 masterpiece, Un ballo in maschera, marked the world premiere of a new edition by Gossett and Ilaria Narici that reinstates the opera's original setting.

A tale of the adulterous passion and assassination of Sweden's King Gustav III, Ballo raised the hackles of censors in revolutionary Italy, who changed its locale to Puritan-era Boston. The restored libretto packs a political and erotic charge that the traditional bowdlerized text lacks.

Ballo commingles mirth and tears in a way unique among Verdi's works. Laughter, carefree or sardonic, threads its way through moments of anguish, while joy is always muted by the ache of mortality.

Tenor Salvatore Licitra showed limited awareness of these subtleties. At his best, would-be superstar Licitra offered a rich, manly sound, blending warmth and brilliance in near-ideal balance. He tends to belt, though, with scant feel for the rubato (rhythmic give-and-take) and finesse that are key to Verdi's music. His Gustavo had more of the bumpkin than the sophisticate about him.

Soprano Michèle Crider, who has had an inconsistent Met career, made a case for herself Wednesday as a world-class Verdian. As Gustavo's beloved Amelia, Crider turned in a graceful "Consentimi, Signor!" and soft singing of exquisite sensitivity in her Act II scene. The loud, thick tone that baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky has cultivated has dimmed the once incomparable luster of his voice, but his still-glamorous sound made for a stirring if generic Ankastrom, Amelia's (nearly) cuckolded husband.

In the brief but vital role of the clairvoyant Ulrica, contralto Ewa Podles entered like a woman possessed, raving in some previously unknown Italo-Slavic tongue. Her blistering high notes, inky chest tones and hollow, wind-into-a-bottle middle voice struck listeners dumb with awe, then drove them to delirium. It wasn't pretty, but it was unquestionably the stuff of gut-wrenching art. Podles' inspired performance left one wondering yet again why this riveting artist has been so long absent from the Met.

Oscar, Gustavo's confidant, is often played as a frantic, mincing fop, but soprano Harolyn Blackwell brought a wistful earnestness to the role that critic Gabriele Baldini identified with "the laughter, warm embrace and mercy" that live on after the murdered king.

Robert Bass led the Orchestra of St. Luke's in a plodding performance that failed to capture the sweep and autumnal glow of this wondrous score. The Collegiate Chorale's keen, elegant expressions of resentment, wonder and grief punctuated Verdi's fierce and great-hearted drama to marvelous effect.

UN BALLO IN MASCHERA. Music by Giuseppe Verdi, libretto by Antonio Somma. With Michèle Crider, Harolyn Blackwell, Ewa Podles, Salvatore Licitra, Dmitri Hvorostovsky. Performed by Collegiate Chorale and the Orchestra of St. Luke's, conducted by Robert Bass. Attended Wednesday at Carnegie Hall. For information on upcoming Collegiate Chorale concerts, call 917-322-2140 or visit www.collegiatechorale.org