Verdi - Simon Boccanegra (Original 1857 Version)

£29.40

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Label: Opera Rara

Cat No: ORC65

Format: CD

Number of Discs: 2

Genre: Opera

Release Date: 21st March 2025

Works

Verdi, Giuseppe

Simon Boccanegra

Artists

German Enrique Alcantara
Eri Nakamura
William Thomas
Ivan Ayon-Rivas
Sergio Vitale
David Shipley
Beth Moxon
Chorus of Opera North
Royal Northern College of Music Opera Chorus
The Halle

Conductor

Mark Elder

Works

Verdi, Giuseppe

Simon Boccanegra

Artists

German Enrique Alcantara
Eri Nakamura
William Thomas
Ivan Ayon-Rivas
Sergio Vitale
David Shipley
Beth Moxon
Chorus of Opera North
Royal Northern College of Music Opera Chorus
The Halle

Conductor

Mark Elder

About

The original version of Simon Boccanegra, first performed in 1857, is a masterpiece of concision and spare vocal delivery, having many important differences from the later 1881 version, including one of Verdi’s most innovative central finales.

Sir Mark Elder leads a star cast including Eri Nakimura as Amelia, Iván Ayón-Rivas as her lover Gabriele, William Thomas as Fiesco and the young Argentinian baritone Germán Enrique Alcántara in the title role.

Cast:
- Simon Boccanegra: Germán Enrique Alcántara
- Maria Boccanegra / Amelia Grimaldi: Eri Nakamura
- Jacopo Fiesco: William Thomas
- Gabriele Adorno: Iván Ayón-Rivas
- Paolo Albiani: Sergio Vitale
- Pietro: David Shipley
- Amelia’s maid: Beth Moxon

Sound/Video

Paused

1

Preludio
2

Prologo: Che dicesti?
3

Prologo: Un amplesso... Che avvenne?
4

Prologo: All’alba tutti qui verrete
5

Prologo: L’atra magion vedete?
6

Prologo: A te l’estremo addio
7

Prologo: Suona ogni labbro il mio nome
8

Prologo: Del mar sul lido
9

Prologo: Oh, de’ Fieschi implacata
10

Prologo: Doge il popol t’acclama!
11

Atto 1ᵒ: Come in quest’ora bruna
12

Atto 1ᵒ: Spuntò il giorno!
13

Atto 1ᵒ: Ti veggio alfin!
14

Atto 1ᵒ: Vieni a mirar la cerula
15

Atto 1ᵒ: Ah... Che fia?... Vedi là quell’uom?
16

Atto 1ᵒ: Sì, sì, dell’ara il giubilo
17

Atto 1ᵒ: (Propizio ei giunge!)
18

Atto 1ᵒ: Il nuova dì festivo
19

Atto 1ᵒ: Orfanella il tetto umile
20

Atto 1ᵒ: Che rispose?
21

Atto 1ᵒ: A festa, o Liguri
22

Atto 1ᵒ: Sull’arpe, sulle cetere
23

Atto 1ᵒ: Prode guerrier
24

Atto 1ᵒ: Tradimento... Quali grida
25

Atto 1ᵒ: Ella è salva!
26

Atto 1ᵒ: Amelia, racconta qual fosti rapita
27

Atto 2ᵒ: Quei due vedesti?
28

Atto 2ᵒ: Udisti?... Vil disegno!
29

Atto 2ᵒ: Ciel pietoso, rendila
30

Atto 2ᵒ: Tu qui?... Amelia!
31

Atto 2ᵒ: Figlia!... Sì afflitto padre mio?
32

Atto 2ᵒ: Doge! Ancor proveran la tua clemenza
33

Atto 2ᵒ: Perdon, Amelia
34

Atto 2ᵒ: All’armi, all’armi
35

Atto 3ᵒ: Vittoria, vittoria!
36

Atto 3ᵒ: Dal sommo delle sfere
37

Atto 3ᵒ: Pietro, m’ardon le tempia
38

Atto 3ᵒ: Delle faci festanti al barlume
39

Atto 3ᵒ: Come un fantasima
40

Atto 3ᵒ: Piange, perché mi parla
41

Atto 3ᵒ: Chi veggo!
42

Atto 3ᵒ: Grand Dio li benedici

Europadisc Review

Of all musical art forms, it is surely opera that is most subject to external contingencies: the fashions of the day, the capabilities of a particular theatre, the availability and suitability of certain singers. No wonder, then, that operas have, from Monteverdi to the present day, been subject to so much revision by their composers. Think of the Prague and Vienna versions of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, or the Dresden and Paris versions of Wagner’s Tannhäuser. Among Verdi’s extensive output for the operatic stage, Don Carlos/Don Carlo may present some of the knottiest problems, but it is Simon Boccanegra – first performed in 1857 to a libretto by Piave, and revised 24 years with the help of Arrigo Boito – that is one of the most fascinating examples of the operatic rewrite.

In its original 1857 form Simon Boccanegra was a return to an Italianate operatic language after the French grand opera world of Les Vêpres siciliennes (1855). Yet this convoluted tale of the bonds between father and daughter set in 14th-century Genoa took on dark, lean contours thanks to an austere approach which largely eschewed the customary lyricism characteristic of contemporary bel canto in favour of a more declamatory vocal style. The result was that the first production, at Venice’s La Fenice theatre in March 1857, was no more than a qualified success; further productions in Reggio Emilia, Rome and Naples were more positively received, but other performances (notably at La Scala, Milan, in 1859) were fiascos.

One of the chief sticking points was the pezzo concertato ensemble at the end of Act I, which prompted outright derision in some productions. It was replaced in 1881 with the celebrated Council Chamber scene, with its topical appeal for Italian unity, which also helped bolster the moral stature of the titular doge. Yet in the right hands the original 1857 version of Simon Boccanegra can still make an impact as one of Verdi’s most compelling scores from his middle period. Since its modern revival in 1975 (masterminded by the late Julian Budden), the original version has occasionally appeared in the concert hall, on stage, and even on disc, but remains a relative rarity. It is still the revised version of 1881 that is most frequently encountered on both stage and record.

Now, however, Opera Rara present a new recording of the 1857 Boccanegra, featuring a thoroughly researched new edition of the score by their recording consultant, Verdi expert Roger Parker. Conducted by Mark Elder (himself a seasoned exponent of the composer’s operas) with The Hallé and the Chorus of Opera North as well as the RNCM Opera Chorus, it features a strong cast who make the best possible case for this ‘dark horse’ of Verdi’s middle period. (Opera Rara had previously issued the 1975 revival, featuring BBC forces under John Matheson, in 2004.)

This is exactly the sort of darkly punchy work which brings out the best in Elder’s conducting, combining thoughtfulness with austere passion, and moments of crystalline beauty like the beatific harp roulades that accompany the chorus’s calls for justice in the closing pages of Act I. He knows just when to push on, and when to give the music more space, and he is matched by superbly responsive orchestral playing, and full-throated engagement from the chorus.

The cast is headed by Germán Enrique Alcántara as Simon Boccanegra, perhaps a tad less characterful than such classic impersonations as Tito Gobbi or Piero Cappuccilli, but exuding benevolent nobility and fatherly love. Boccanegra’s brief soliloquy in Act II (deftly accompanied by Elder), and his death at the end of the opera, are intensely moving. Soprano Eri Nakamura is radiantly moving as his long-lost daughter Amelia, tenor Iván Ayón-Rivas ringingly heroic and impassioned as her lover Gabriele. The dark, authoritative bass of William Thomas as Fiesco/Andrea completes this particularly strong central quartet, more than equal to the particular demands (musical and dramatic) of this challenging score. Baritone Sergio Vitale makes a menacingly slippery central antagonist (Paolo), and David Shipley and Beth Moxon offer excellent support.

With some 50% of music in the first half of the opera different from the ‘standard’ 1881 version, this is essential listening for every Verdian, recorded with theatrical immediacy (imagine a medium-sized opera house, close to the stage), splendidly documented, and with commendably legible libretto and translation. For all lovers of 19th-century opera, this is now the version of the original Simon Boccanegra to have; it will afford hours of absorbing listening. The greater stylistic consistency and compelling drama of this version are thoroughly convincing.

Reviews

All lovers of Verdi will relish this excellent studio recording of the first version of Simon Boccanegra. ... Boccanegra, with no aria of his own, must be a difficult character to portray. He is a bereaved lover, a tender father, a strong-willed leader and, at the last, a dying man yearning for his old life as a corsair. Alcántara is utterly convincing in all these aspects of the role. ... Eri Nakamura as Amelia displays a soprano that is light but strong enough to stand out in the ensembles. ... Mark Elder makes the best possible case for this rarity, conducting a performance of such vitality that I kept expecting applause. Richard Lawrence

Gramophone May 2025

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Verdi - Simon Boccanegra (Original 1857 Version)

Usually available for despatch within 5-8 working days

Despatch Information

Contents

Works

Artists

Conductor

Works

Artists

Conductor

About

Sound/Video

Paused

Europadisc Review

Reviews