Lidia Fridman Steps In as Amelia in Semperoper's 'Un Ballo in Maschera'

By Tom Whitfield

The Semperoper Dresden has announced a cast change for its production of Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera": soprano Lidia Fridman will take over the role of Amelia on Oct. 21, replacing Nicole Car.

The company disclosed the change without elaborating on the reason for Car's withdrawal, and no explanation has appeared in Fridman's own announcement either. What is on the record is the switch itself, confirmed by the house and by the singer.

What does the substitution mean for the production?

For Fridman, the assignment doubles as a house debut. She announced it herself on social media and framed it as both an honor and a rapid insertion.

"I'm thrilled to jump in as Amelia in Verdi's 'Un ballo in maschera' for my house debut at Semperoper Dresden! It is a great honour to sing this beautiful role under the baton of Maestro Daniele Gatti, in a production directed by Angela Denoke," Fridman said.

Her language — "jump in" — signals a late-notice engagement rather than a long-planned debut, though neither she nor the theater specified how much rehearsal time stands between her and the Oct. 21 performance. That gap is the practical variable in any cast change of this kind; the announcement does not address it.

Who is Lidia Fridman?

Fridman arrives with a track record centered on Verdi. According to the announcement, she has performed in:

• "Nabucco"
• "Macbeth"
• "Aroldo"
• "I Lombardi alla prima crociata"
• "Un Ballo in Maschera"

The last title on that list matters most here: Amelia is not a new role for her, which lowers the risk inherent in a short-notice substitution. A singer stepping into an unfamiliar part under a conductor of Daniele Gatti's stature would face a different calculus altogether.

Who else appears on stage?

Fridman joins an established cast that includes:

• Francesco Meli
• Germán Enrique Alcántara
• Yulia Matochkina
• Rosalia Cid

Daniele Gatti conducts, as Fridman's statement confirms, and Angela Denoke directs the production.

What happens to Nicole Car?

Car's withdrawal applies to this run only, on the evidence available. The company said she returns to the production in May, when the staging is revived for a second run. That detail reframes the Oct. 21 change as a single-performance substitution — or at least a substitution confined to the current run — rather than a permanent recasting.

The company has not said whether Fridman sings any performances beyond Oct. 21, and no further dates for her involvement appear in the announcement. What the change does guarantee, for one evening at least, is a debut: a Verdi specialist making her first Semperoper appearance in a role she already knows, under one of the most prominent conductors on the international opera circuit.