Of all the Verdi roles in his repertoire, that of the ebullient hero of Un ballo in maschera is one that seems perfectly suited to Pavarotti, both vocally and dramatically. On the one hand, it combines gregariousness, public joviality and private intensity, and on the other, as Pavarotti has written in his 1981 book My Own Story, it offers the opportunity to display many different types of singing. In a recent interview, James Levine spoke about his work with the Met orchestra, highlighting its strengths of drama and voice. No virtues could be more in demand in this middle-period Verdi, where the composer's mixture of comedy and tragedy, takes on a new, orchestrally driven significance. With the Met production of Un ballo in maschera, Deutsche Grammophon initiates a new state-of-the-art DVD-Video concept making maximum use of what the format can offer. Conductor - James Levine Choir - Metropolitan Opera Chorus Orchestra - Metropolitan Opera Orchestra Gustavo III - Luciano Pavarotti Anckarström - Leo Nucci Amelia - Aprile Millo Ulrica - Florence Quivar Oscar - Harolyn Blackwell Christiano - Gordon Hawkins Horn - Terry Cook Ribbing - Jeffrey Wells