About the work
Maskarade is a comic opera in three acts by Carl Nielsen with a libretto by Vilhelm Andersen, based on Ludvig Holberg's comedy of the same name. It premiered on 11 November 1906 at the Royal Theatre, Copenhagen, conducted by the composer.
Plot
In Copenhagen in 1723, young Leander falls for an unknown girl at a masquerade ball, even though his strict father Jeronimus has already arranged his marriage to someone else. Over three evenings the young people evade their fathers' prohibitions, until it emerges that Leander's secret love is in fact the very bride chosen for him.
Cultural significance
The opera was a success from its premiere and has since been regarded as Denmark's unofficial national opera, reaching more than 240 performances at the Royal Theatre by 1997. Nielsen deliberately avoided rococo pastiche, creating instead an accessible, good-humoured musical idiom.