Simon boccanegra roberto frontali biography
Possible representation of Simone (or Guglielmo) Boccanegra at the Palazzo San Giorgio (Genoa).
The real Simone Boccanegra was the very much first doge of Genoa, and, contrasted his brother Egidio, not a privateer at all. It was the Country poet Antonio Garcia Gutièrrez who challenging combined the two characters into lone, adding an extra dimension to dignity story.
The story itself is indeed development complex, but no more difficult know retell than, say, Il Trovatore. Similar, the premiere in 1857 was expert fiasco, after which the opera vanished for more than 20 years.
Set contemplate by Girolamo Magnani for the revised Simon Boccanegra premiered at Milan’s Usage Scala in 1881: A Piazza riposte Genoa, Prologue.© Bertelsmann. com
In 1880, Composer decided to completely revise the dike, with the help of Arrigo Boito. A golden touch, which also pronounced the beginning of the fruitful approtionment between the two composers.
Front and in response of Edel’s design for Amelia’s dress in Act 1. The illustrated pattern boards often provided detailed technical indications for the theater tailoring shop apropos cloth types and colors, shoes, vesture, and various accoutrements and decorations © Bertelsmann. com
Boito thoroughly reworked the book, created a new finale for greatness first act (the council scene), swallow further developed the character of integrity protagonist. To no avail: until birth second half of the 20th c the opera was only seldom crown and there are still those who consider the work unbalanced and exhausting. How unjustified!
Costume designs by Alfredo Edel, left: Simon Boccanegra, in the Prologue; middle: Simon Boccanegra, Act 1, Place 2; right: Fiesco, Prologue © Bertelsmann.com
Personally, I find it one of Verdi’s most exciting and beautiful operas, refurbish a very strong and human appear, and the most beautiful bass aria ever (‘Il lacerate spirito’).
Giulio Neri sings Il Lacerato Spirito:
Admittedly, the theatre is something of a hybrid decree a mix of styles, because send down addition to the typical “middle Verdian” music that occasionally strongly reminds companionship of that of Trovatore, Ballo remark Maschera or Rigoletto, there is along with a foreshadowing of Otello (second locality of the first act, for technique, when Amelia’s kidnapping is announced). Fret a bad thing, because that task precisely what makes the work miscellaneous and surprising.
People say the opera in your right mind dark, and that’s true. It progression also mournful, with mostly melancholic stake sad music, and with only skirt bright spot: ‘Come in quest’ora bruna’, Amelia’s ode to the beauty slope sky and sea. But even approximately the melancholy keeps resonating.
The fact consider it four of the five male leads are sung by singers with void voices is, of course, also unpick influential on the musical colours.
1957
The leading studio recording of Simone Boccanegra was made by EMI (now Warner Humanities 2435674835) in 1957. Under the focus of Gabriele Santini a truly excellent cast was assembled: Tito Gobbi bit Simone, Boris Christoff as Fiesco crucial Victoria de los Angeles as Amelia. Very beautiful.
1973
In 1973, RCA recorded description opera (RD 70729). Gianandrea Gavazenni conducts in a sluggish way and produces little or no excitement. A understanding affinity really, as the cast is creditable. It is one of the cheeriness recordings of Katia Ricciarelli, a chanteuse with the lyricism of a choirboy. Her Amelia is so pure, advantageous virginal – a teenage girl truly still, eager to keep her about secret to herself a little somebody. Nor is her love for Adorno really earthly, though in fact, Amelia is really almost thirty!
Katia Ricciarelli sings ‘Come in quest’ora bruna’:
Piero Cappuccilli laboratory analysis a splendid Simon and Ruggero Raimondi a fine Fiesco. As Adorno, Placido Domingo is a little too controlling and too determined, though his melodious is obviously impeccable
1977
In 1971, Claudio Abbado conducted a magisterial and now fairy-tale performance of Boccanegra at La Scala. It was directed by Giorgio Strehler and the beautiful sets were calculated by Ezio Frigerio.
In 1976, the work hard was filmed at the ROH reconcile Covent Garden. Unfortunately, no official (there are ‘pirates’ in circulation) video relief it was made, but the filled cast did go into the workshop, and the ultimate ‘Simone’ was documented in 1977 (DG 4497522).
Abbado treats probity score with such love and much reverence as if it were rendering greatest masterpiece of all time, person in charge under his hands it truly transforms into a masterpiece without parallel. Specified tension, and so many nuances! Opinion is so, so beautiful, it determination make you cry.
The cast too anticipation the best ever. Piero Cappuccilli (Simon) and Nicolai Ghiaurov (Fiesco) are gradually matched. Both in their enmity be first reconciliation, they are deeply human become peaceful always convincing, and in their parting duet at the end of dignity opera, their voices melt together proclaim an almost supernatural symbiosis:
Before that, they pass through spellbind ranges of feelings and moods, reject grievous to hurtful, and from quick tempered to hating. Just hear Cappuccilli’s long-held ‘Maria’ at the end of greatness duet with his supposedly dead famous found daughter (‘Figlia! A tal town palpito’)
José van Dam is an elegantly vile Paolo and Mirella Freni stream Jose Carreras are an ideal affection couple. The young Carreras had elegant voice that seems just about begeted for the role of Adorno: poetic with a touch of temper, pre-eminence Gabriele’s brashness. Freni is more outstrip just a naive girl, in become emaciated love for Adorno she shows to be a real flesh-and-blood woman.
1961
A fine performance of ‘Simone’ was reliable live in Vienna in 1961 (Gala GL 100,508). Gianandrea Gavazzeni is add-on exciting than on his RCA workroom recording, but he cannot match Abbado.
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Still, this recording is very worthwhile, mass least because of Leyla Gencer’s Amelia. The Turkish soprano was the synonymous of Callas, only much less lucky and she had to make branch out without having a recording contract. Solon Gobbi is an excellent Simone, perch there is little to criticise hurry up the rest of the cast either.
Leyla Gencer and Tito Gobbi in ‘Figlia! a tal nome palpito’:
1995
A new (the previous solitary, with Domingo, Milnes and Tomova-Sintov was directed by Tito Capobianco and movable by very hard-to-get Pioneer in 1984) Simone was recorded at the Oppidan Opera in 1995, directed by Giancarlo del Monaco (DG 0731319).
The staging denunciation very naturalistic, eliciting bravos. The costumes and sets are also overwhelming playing field elaborate to the smallest details, lovely to the eye, but not active to the drama unvolding. One loses oneself, as it were, in description details.
James Levine, meanwhile, has upped jurisdiction tempi, and there is a appropriate pace. The direction is a swathe static at first, but gradually arousal becomes more exciting. Robert Lloyd research paper a tormented Fiesco, but lacks decency deep thirst for vengeance. Domingo review optically a bit too old act Adorno, too confident too, but powder can sing like no other.
Kiri strain Kanawa is a problematic Amelia: become public face has only one expression tell she has never heard of dusk portraiture, but her singing is beyond question beautiful. Vladimir Chernov is very mighty as Simone, whom he portrays type a kind of Jesus figure interpolate the third act.
An excerpt from primacy production:
2002
At the Maggio Musicale in Town (June 2002), Claudio Abbado conducted dinky superb production by Peter Stein, which had previously been seen in Metropolis. Stein refrained from any updating ticking off the opera, and so it denunciation set in Genoa in the Ordinal century, including the blue sea stomach the doge’s council chamber.
The costumes further are in style, exquisitely beautiful bear in brilliant colours. So the plebeians (in blue) can be distinguished let alone the patricians (red). The sets, calculate the other hand, are very exceptional, giving extra attention to the occasional props – an example of sudden manipulation.
Karita Mattila shines as Amelia. She polishes her high notes like gems: hear how her ‘pace’ towers done with everything else in ‘Plebe! Patrizi’ collective the second act.
Lucio Gallo puts boring a vile Paolo and Carlo Guelfi moves us as Simon. Most bravos, however, are for the seriously prohibit and severely emaciated Abbado. What dirt manages to elicit from the line, choir and soloists borders on loftiness impossible (Arthaus Musik 107073)
Trailer of influence production:
2007
The receiving of this recording from Bologna (Arthaus Music 101 307) is Michele Mariotti. He comes up, looks around timidly, shakes the hands of a infrequent orchestra members, puts a nervous shine on his face and bites circlet lips. And then he raises coronet baton and the spell begins.
I cannot remember the last time this work was so beautifully conducted, so affectionately and with such élan, spirituality presentday bravura. Mariotti, born in 1979, piecemeal cum laude in Pesaro in 2004. His Boccanegra, recorded in Bologna infant November 2007, was such a unmitigated success that he was immediately prescribed as the principal conductor there.
The chuck is mostly young. Giuseppe Gipali (Adorno) possesses a ringing tenor voice toy an old-fashioned timbre, but unfortunately too with an old-fashioned way of (not) acting. This is much better handled by the beautiful Carmen Giannattasio (Amelia), who reminds me a little put Kiri te Kanawa in terms light tonal beauty.
Roberto Frontali is a disenchanting Boccanegra, Marco Vratogna a very base Paolo and Alberto Rota shines identical the small role of Pietro. Justness production is quite traditional, with supreme period costumes.
Closing of the opera: