Simon Boccanegra is an
operaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
with a prologue and three acts by
Giuseppe VerdiGiuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
to an Italian
librettoA libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, sacred or secular oratorio and cantata, musical, and ballet. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata.Libretto ,...
by
Francesco Maria PiaveFrancesco Maria Piave was an Italian librettist who was Verdi's life-long friend and collaborator. Like Verdi, Piave was an ardent Italian patriot, and in 1848, during Milan's "Cinque Giornate," when Radetsky's Austrian troops retreated from the city, Verdi's letter to Piave in Venice was...
, based on the play
Simón Bocanegra (1843) by
Antonio García GutiérrezAntonio García Gutiérrez was a Spanish Romantic dramatist.After having studied medicine in his native town, he moved to Madrid in 1833, and earned a meager living by translating plays of Eugène Scribe and the Alexandre Dumas, père; lacking success, he was on the point of enlisting when he suddenly...
.
It was first performed at
Teatro La FeniceTeatro La Fenice is an opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of the most famous theatres in Europe, the site of many famous operatic premieres. Its name reflects its role in permitting an opera company to "rise from the ashes" despite losing the use of two theatres...
,
VeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy, the capital of the region Veneto, a population of 271,367 . Together with Padua, the city is included in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area . The city historically was an independent nation...
on 12 March 1857. Given the difficulties with the original plot, a revised version, with text changes by
Arrigo BoitoArrigo Boito , aka Enrico Giuseppe Giovanni Boito, pseudonym Tobia Gorrio, was an Italian poet, journalist, novelist and composer, best known today for his opera libretti and his own opera, Mefistofele.-Biography:...
, was first performed at
La ScalaLa Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal Theatre of La Scala La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally...
,
MilanMilan in Italy, is the capital of the region of Lombardia and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while the urban area is the fifth largest in the E.U. with an estimated population of 4.3 million...
on 24 March 1881. It is this version, with its Act 1 Council Chamber scene as its finale, that is given today.
After the 1857 premiere, the original version was seen in Malta in 1860, Madrid and Lisbon in 1861, and Buenos Aires in 1862.
Simon Boccanegra is an
operaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
with a prologue and three acts by
Giuseppe VerdiGiuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
to an Italian
librettoA libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, sacred or secular oratorio and cantata, musical, and ballet. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata.Libretto ,...
by
Francesco Maria PiaveFrancesco Maria Piave was an Italian librettist who was Verdi's life-long friend and collaborator. Like Verdi, Piave was an ardent Italian patriot, and in 1848, during Milan's "Cinque Giornate," when Radetsky's Austrian troops retreated from the city, Verdi's letter to Piave in Venice was...
, based on the play
Simón Bocanegra (1843) by
Antonio García GutiérrezAntonio García Gutiérrez was a Spanish Romantic dramatist.After having studied medicine in his native town, he moved to Madrid in 1833, and earned a meager living by translating plays of Eugène Scribe and the Alexandre Dumas, père; lacking success, he was on the point of enlisting when he suddenly...
.
It was first performed at
Teatro La FeniceTeatro La Fenice is an opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of the most famous theatres in Europe, the site of many famous operatic premieres. Its name reflects its role in permitting an opera company to "rise from the ashes" despite losing the use of two theatres...
,
VeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy, the capital of the region Veneto, a population of 271,367 . Together with Padua, the city is included in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area . The city historically was an independent nation...
on 12 March 1857. Given the difficulties with the original plot, a revised version, with text changes by
Arrigo BoitoArrigo Boito , aka Enrico Giuseppe Giovanni Boito, pseudonym Tobia Gorrio, was an Italian poet, journalist, novelist and composer, best known today for his opera libretti and his own opera, Mefistofele.-Biography:...
, was first performed at
La ScalaLa Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal Theatre of La Scala La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally...
,
MilanMilan in Italy, is the capital of the region of Lombardia and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while the urban area is the fifth largest in the E.U. with an estimated population of 4.3 million...
on 24 March 1881. It is this version, with its Act 1 Council Chamber scene as its finale, that is given today.
Performance history
After the 1857 premiere, the original version was seen in Malta in 1860, Madrid and Lisbon in 1861, and Buenos Aires in 1862. The revised version of
Simon Boccanegra was first seen in Vienna in 1882 and Paris in 1883. It is now part of the standard operatic repertoire and it is presented regularly.
A concert performance of the 1857 version took place in London in 1975 (probably its first hearing for 100 years), and was broadcast by the BBC on 1 January 1976. This version was performed by the
Royal Opera, LondonThe Royal Opera is London and the United Kingdom's most famous and most wealthy opera company, which, as the Covent Garden Opera Company, began in 1946...
on 28 June 1997. In 1999, as part of its "Viva Verdi!" festival, New York Grand Opera gave the first New York performance of the original version.
Roles
| Role |
Voice type A voice type is a particular kind of human singing voice perceived as having certain identifying qualities or characteristics. Voice classification is the process by which human voices are evaluated and are thereby designated into voice types...
|
Premiere Cast
12 March 1857
(Conductor: — ) |
Revised version
Premiere Cast
24 March 1881
(Conductor: Franco FaccioFranco Faccio was an Italian composer and conductor.Born in Verona, Faccio became known as a conductor of Verdi's music...
) |
Simon Boccanegra, a corsair,
later the first Doge of Genoa |
baritoneBaritone is a type of classical male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek βαρύτονος, meaning 'deep sounding', music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second G below middle C to the F above...
|
Leone Giraldoni Leone Giraldoni was a celebrated Italian operatic baritone. He created the title roles of Gaetano Donizetti's Il duca d'Alba and Verdi's Simon Boccanegra as well as the role of Renato in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera .Giraldoni studied in Florence with Luigi Ronzi and made his début as the High...
|
Victor Maurel Victor Maurel was a French operatic baritone who enjoyed an international reputation as a great singing-actor....
|
Maria Boccanegra, his daughter,
known as Amelia Grimaldi |
soprano A soprano is a singing voice with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music...
|
Luigia Bendazzi |
Anna d'Angeri |
Jacopo Fiesco, a Genoese nobleman,
known as Andrea Grimaldi |
bass A bass is a type of classical male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second F below middle C to the E above middle C . Its tessitura, or...
|
Giuseppe Echeverria |
Edouard de Reszke Edouard de Reszke, born as Edward, was a Polish operatic bass born in Warsaw.Edouard de Reszke learnt singing first in Warsaw, then in Italy. Initially, he did not want to become an operatic singer, but persuaded by his sister, Józefina, he accepted an engagement with the Paris Opéra...
|
| Gabriele Adorno, a Genoese gentleman |
tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
|
Carlo Negrini |
Francesco TamagnoFrancesco Tamagno was an Italian opera singer who performed to enormous acclaim in Europe and America....
|
Paolo Albiani, a goldsmith and the
Doge’s favourite courtier |
bass |
Giacomo Vercellini |
Federico Salvati |
Pietro, a Genoese popular leader
and courtier |
baritone |
Andrea Bellini |
Giovanni Bianco |
| Captain of the Crossbowmen |
tenor |
|
Angelo Fiorentini |
| Amelia’s maid |
mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
|
|
Fernanda Capelli |
| Soldiers, sailors, people, senators, the Doge’s court, prisoners – Chorus |
Prologue
Paolo, the leader of the Plebian party, persuades Pietro to support the nomination of Simon Boccanegra for doge of Genoa. Boccanegra arrives and agrees to stand, thinking that Fiesco would then allow him to wed his daughter, who is being held prisoner in her father's gloomy palace just to prevent such a union and by whom Simon has already a daughter, Maria. Pietro rallies support for Boccanegra. Fiesco enters, stricken with grief over his daughter's death (
Il lacerato spirito – "The tortured soul of a sad father"), but he does not reveal this to Boccanegra who accosts Fiesco and begs his forgiveness. Fiesco promises clemency only if Boccanegra lets Fiesco have his granddaughter. Boccanegra explains he cannot because the child has vanished. As the people hail Simon as the new Doge, he finds the body of his beloved.
Act 1
Scene 1: Twenty-five years later
The doge has exiled many of his political opponents and confiscated their property. In the Grimaldi castle, Fiesco, to avoid discovery, is using the name Andrea Grimaldi, plotting with Boccanegra's enemies to overthrow him. Unknowingly, years earlier, the Grimaldis had adopted Boccanegra's child (and Fiesco's granddaughter) after discovering the orphan in a convent. They called her Amelia, hoping that she would be the heir to their family's fortune, their sons having been exiled. Amelia awaits her lover, Gabriele Adorno (Aria:
Come in quest'ora bruna – "How in the morning light / The sea and stars shine brightly"). He arrives, and she warns him of the dangers of political conspiracy. Word arrives that the doge is coming. Amelia, fearing that a forced marriage to Paolo is to be arranged, urges Adorno to ask her father for permission to marry. Fiesco agrees and reveals that Amelia is actually a penniless foundling. When Adorno says that he does not care, Fiesco blesses the marriage. Boccanegra enters. He pardons Amelia's exiled brothers, but she refuses to marry Paolo. When she tells Boccanegra that she was adopted, the two compare pictures in their lockets and realizes that she is his long-lost daughter. Finally reunited, they are overcome with joy. When Paolo enters, Boccanegra denies permission for the arranged marriage. Furious, Paolo decides to kidnap Amelia.
Scene 2: The senate is in session
The doge is interrupted by the sounds of a mob demanding Boccanegra's head. He orders the doors opened, and the crowd bursts in, chasing Adorno. Adorno confesses to killing Lorenzino for the attempted kidnapping of Amelia, ordered by an unknown high ranking official. Adorno guesses it is must be Boccanegra and is about to attack him when Amelia rushes in and stops the fight (Aria:
Nell'ora soave – "At that sweet hour which invites ecstacy / I was walking alone by the sea"). Boccanegra has Adorno arrested for the night (Aria:
Plebe! Patrizi! Popolo! – "Plebians! Patricians! Inheritors / Of a fierce history"). Discerning that Paolo is the actual man responsible, he makes everyone, including Paolo, utter a curse on the real kidnapper.
Act 2
Paolo and Fiesco discuss plans to murder Boccanegra, but Fiesco refuses. Paolo next tells Adorno that Amelia is the doge's mistress, hoping Adorno will murder Boccanegra. Just before Amelia enters, Adorno's anger and jealousy prompts an angry outburst (Aria:
Sento avvampar nell'anima – "I feel a furious jealousy / Setting my soul on fire"). Amelia enters, and Adorno accuses her of infidelity. She claims only to love Adorno, but does not explain that Boccanegra is her father for Adorno's family was killed by the doge. Adorno hides as Boccanegra enters. Amelia vows to Boccanegra that she would die for Adorno. Boccanegra agrees to pardon him. He drinks from a poisoned glass of wine, which Paolo has previously placed on the table, and falls asleep. Adorno tries to kill him, but Amelia stops him. Boccanegra wakes and reveals that Amelia is his daughter. Adorno begs for forgiveness (Aria:
Perdon, Amelia... Indomito – "Forgive me, Amelia... A wild, / Jealous love was mine") and he promises to fight for the doge.
Act 3
Paolo is condemned to death for leading the uprising against the doge. Fiesco is released from prison. Paolo tells Fiesco that he has poisoned Boccanegra. Fiesco confronts Boccanegra, who is now dying. Boccanegra recognizes his old enemy, but is happy to tell him that Amelia is his granddaughter. Fiesco feels great remorse and tells Boccanegra about the poison. Adorno and Amelia, newly married, find her father and grandfather have reconciled. Boccanegra asks that Adorno be named his successor, and after the doge dies, Fiesco proclaims it so.
Selected recordings
| Year |
Cast
(Boccanegra, Maria, Adorno, Fiesco) |
Conductor,
Opera House and Orchestra |
Label |
| 1957 |
Tito Gobbi -Biography:Tito Gobbi was born in Bassano del Grappa and studied law at the University of Padua before he trained as a singer. Giulio Crimi , a well-known Italian tenor of a previous generation, was Gobbi's teacher in Rome. He made his operatic debut in Gubbio in 1935 as Count Rudolfo in Bellini's...
,
Victoria de los ÁngelesVictoria de los Ángeles was a Spanish Catalan operatic soprano and recitalist whose career began in the early 1940s and reached its height in the years from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s...
,
Giuseppe CamporaGiuseppe Campora , was an Italian operatic tenor. Campora was one of the greatest Puccinian tenors of his generation. With his striking blue eyes and histrionic talent, his unique connection with his audience was much talked about during his lifetime...
,
Boris ChristoffBoris Christoff was a Bulgarian opera singer, one of the greatest basses of the 20th century.- Training :...
|
Gabriele Santini Gabriele Santini was an Italian conductor, particularly associated with the Italian opera repertory....
,
Teatro dell'Opera di RomaThe Teatro dell'Opera di Roma is an opera house in Rome, Italy. Originally opened in November 1880 as the 2,212 seat Costanzi Theatre, it has undergone several changes of name as well modifications and improvements...
orchestra and chorus |
Audio CD: EMIThe EMI Group is a British music company. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major publishing arm- EMI Music Publishing- based in New York City...
Cat: CDMB 63513
(Digitally remastered, 1990) |
| 1973 |
Piero Cappuccilli Piero Cappuccilli was an Italian operatic baritone, particularly associated with Verdi roles, especiallyMacbeth and Simon Boccanegra; he was renowned for his extraordinary breath control and smooth legato, and is widely regarded as one of the finest Italian baritones of the second half of the 20th...
,
Katia Ricciarelli-Biography:Born at Rovigo, Veneto to a very poor family, she struggled during her younger years when she studied music.She studied at the Benedict Marcello conservatory in Venice, won several vocal competitions in 1968, and made her professional debut as Mimì in La bohème in Mantua in 1969,...
,
Plácido DomingoJosé Plácido Domingo Embil , better known as Plácido Domingo, is a Spanish tenor, known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range. In March 2008, he debuted in his 128th opera role, giving Domingo more roles than any other tenor...
,
Ruggero RaimondiRuggero Raimondi is an Italian Bass-Baritone opera singer and sometime screen actor.-Early training and career:Ruggero Raimondi was born in Bologna, Italy. His voice matured early into its adult timbre, and at the age of 15, he auditioned for Francesco Molinari-Pradelli, who encouraged him to...
|
Gianandrea Gavazzeni Gianandrea Gavazzeni was an Italian pianist, conductor , composer and musicologist.Gavazzeni was born in Bergamo. For almost 50 years, starting from 1948, he was principal conductor at La Scala, Milan, in 1966-68 being its music and artistic director.He had his Metropolitan Opera debut on 11...
,RCA Italiana Opera Chorus and Orchestra |
Audio CD: RCA RecordsRCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1983 and a partner from 1983 to 1986.-The RCA family of labels:RCA is the name of three different co-owned record...
|
| 1977 |
Piero Cappuccilli Piero Cappuccilli was an Italian operatic baritone, particularly associated with Verdi roles, especiallyMacbeth and Simon Boccanegra; he was renowned for his extraordinary breath control and smooth legato, and is widely regarded as one of the finest Italian baritones of the second half of the 20th...
,
Mirella FreniMirella Freni is an Italian opera soprano much admired for the youthful quality of her voice, her phrasing and thoughtful character interpretations and acting skills. Her repertoire encompasses some forty roles, Verdi and Puccini in particular but also Mozart and Tchaikovsky...
,
José CarrerasJosep Maria Carreras i Coll , better known as José Carreras, is a Spanish Catalan tenor particularly known for his performances in the operas of Verdi and Puccini...
,
Nicolai GhiaurovNicolai Ghiaurov was a Bulgarian opera singer and one of the most famous bass singers of the postwar period. He was admired for his powerful, sumptuous voice, and was particularly associated with roles of Verdi.Ghiaurov married the Italian soprano Mirella Freni in 1978. The two singers...
|
Claudio Abbado Claudio Abbado, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , is an Italian conductor. Claudio Abbado has served as music director of the La Scala opera house in Milan, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, principal guest conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, music director of the Vienna...
,
Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala |
Audio CD: Deutsche GrammophonDeutsche Grammophon is a German classical record label, now part of the Universal Music Group. It is also UMG's oldest active label.-History:...
|
| 1995 |
Vladimir Chernov Vladimir Chernov is a Russian baritone, particularly associated with the Russian and Italian opera repertories.Vladimir Nikolaïevitch Chernov was born in a small village near the city of Krasnodar in southern Russia. He studied at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. After graduating, he...
,
Dame Kiri Te KanawaDame Kiri Janette Te Kanawa, ONZ, DBE, AC is a New Zealand soprano who had a highly successful international opera career between 1968–2004. Possessing a warm full lyric soprano voice, Te Kanawa sang a wide repertoire that encompassed works from the 17th to the 20th century in Italian, French,...
,
Plácido DomingoJosé Plácido Domingo Embil , better known as Plácido Domingo, is a Spanish tenor, known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range. In March 2008, he debuted in his 128th opera role, giving Domingo more roles than any other tenor...
,
Robert Lloyd |
James Levine James Lawrence Levine is an American conductor and pianist. He is currently the music director of the Metropolitan Opera and of the Boston Symphony Orchestra...
,
Metropolitan OperaThe Metropolitan Opera Association of New York City, founded in April 1880, is a major presenter of all types of opera including Grand Opera. Peter Gelb is the company's general manager. The music director is James Levine....
orchestra and chorus |
DVD: Deutsche GrammophonDeutsche Grammophon is a German classical record label, now part of the Universal Music Group. It is also UMG's oldest active label.-History:...
Cat: 00440 073 0319 |
External links