Giuseppe Verdi: Simon Boccanegra
Vienna State Opera, 2002
Simon Boccanegra - Thomas Hampson
Maria Boccanegra - Cristina Gallardo-Domas
Jacopo Fiesco - Ferruccio Furlanetto
Paolo Albiani - Boaz Daniel
Pietro - Dan Paul Dumitrescu
Gabriele Adorno - Miroslav Dvorsky
Un capitano dei balestrieri - John Nuzzo
Un’ancella di Amelia - Songmi Yang
Chor und Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper
Daniele Gatti, conductor
Stage direction: PETER STEIN
Set: Stefan Mayer
Costumes: Moidele Bickel
NTSC
Sound Formats: PCM-STEREO, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1
Picture Format: 16:9
Subtitles: GB, D, F, I, E
Region Code: 0
Running Time: 137min
One of the lesser known works by Giuseppe Verdi, Simon Boccanegra is regarded by most opera lovers as one of his finest. The action takes place in the 14th century and deals with the political and personal rivalry between the corsair Simon Boccanegra, who has been elected Doge of Genoa with the help of the plebeian vote, and the local nobleman, Jacopo Fiesco.
TDK presents a -visually alert, musically sensitive and disturbingly coherent“ (Der Standard) production of the piece on DVD. The staging was directed by one of the giants of the European theatre, Peter Stein, who ran the Berliner Schaubuhne between 1970 and 1985, and later became theatre director at the Salzburg Festival. His production of Simon Boccanegra was first seen at the 2000 Salzburg Easter Festival. Two years later he developed the production in Vienna, using the same sets and costumes as in Salzburg. His fondness for atmospherically dense spaces in which the characters can fully develop is particularly well brought out in his Vienna production, not least because he had at his disposal two remarkable singing actors for the principal male roles.
The American baritone Thomas Hampson is one of the most versatile opera and lieder singers of the present day. He is particularly well known for his performances of Verdi’s Macbeth, Germont and Posa among others. He first sang Simon Boccanegra in Vienna, receiving rave reviews for -using vocal means alone to indicate the decisive moments in the action with the mastery of the lieder interpreter. Rarely are striking theatrical emotions such as faith, love and hope on the part of a reluctant ruler, desperate lover and loving father so credibly realized in music as they are by Thomas Hampson.” (Der Standard)
Boccanegra’s antagonist, Jacopo Fiesco, is played by Ferruccio Furlanetto. A native of Friuli, Furlanetto initially made a name for himself in Mozart, receiving considerable encouragement from Herbert von Karajan. He is now regarded as the foremost representative of the basso cantante repertory and as such is the first choice for all the great Verdi parts such as Philip II of Spain in Don Carlo, Procida in I vespri siciliani, Zaccaria in Nabucco and Fiesco in Simon Boccanegra. In the great closing duet with Thomas Hampson, both singers surpass themselves, and it is impossible to imagine a more touching or affecting performance of this wonderful scene.
Amelia is sung by the Chilean soprano Cristina Gallardo-Domas, who made her European debut in 1993 and is now a regular visitor to all the world’s great opera houses. Among her most successful interpretations are the roles of Puccini’s Cio-Cio-San, Mimi, Suor Angelica and Liu in Turandot.
The Slovakian tenor Miroslav Dvorsky stepped in at the last moment in the role of Gabriele. His performance was appreciated as “secure, splendid and credible” (Der Kurier).
This production of Simon Boccanegra brought a breakthrough for at least one young member of the State Opera ensemble. In the relatively small role of Paolo, the Israeli baritone Boaz Daniel ensured that each of his scenes was of major interest. Since then he has shone in a variety of other roles, including Ford in Falstaff, the Herald in Lohengrin and Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro.
And it was with this production that Daniele Gatti conducted himself into the hearts of the Vienna Philharmonic, largely synonymous with the State Opera Orchestra, so that the forty-year-old Italian maestro was invited to conduct one of their rare subscription concerts - a mark of great distinction for any conductor. In this recording Gatti - who is principal conductor of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna and of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London - shows the qualities that constitute his style of music-making: detailed work on the score is counterbalanced by a sense of the broader picture, with its long musical paragraphs and explosive climaxes that give the players a chance to revel in the score’s sonorities.
The Vienna State Opera’s Simon Boccanegra was a great event in the house’s history, and the beauties of this unique work to blossomed under Gatti’s care. TDK now presents this production for home viewing on DVD accompanied by an extensive booklet with an informative text on the work’s history.
( TDK )
