One of Giuseppe Verdi’s best operas is Simon Boccanegra. Inspired by a true crime story from the 14th Century, it has plenty of love, sex, power, and violence as well as a pleas for the unification of today’s Italy and for toleration and cooperation between the social classes. In August 2022, we have 5 Blu-rays to consider:
Zürich Opera. A+. Accentus. Recorded in 2020, this title has everything you want in a reserved and tasteful updating featuring great singing actors led by Christian Gerhaher. Our review of this also has a good synopsis to help you with the tricky parts of this complicated libretto.
La Scala. A. Arthaus. This imposing production features Plácido Domingo singing baritone in the role of Boccanegra. This is the best traditional Boccanegra we have in Blu-ray.
Regio di Parma. B+ . C Major. A close runner-up would be a traditional Boccanegra that is also a part of the Tutto Verdi project. It was staged by Giorgio Gallione in 2010. This would be best choice for viewers who crave the hot breath of big Italian opera in a small theater.
Comunale di Bologna. B-. Arthaus. This harks back to 2007. This the same Giorgio Gallione production mentioned above except it came first and at a different theater. The Bologna show is good but still distinctly less impressive than the Gallione version that came later at Regio di Parma.
Salzburg Festival. B-. Unitel/C Major. A modern version performed on a giant stage that tends to swallow up the story. It is further degraded with Eurotrash elements that are provided to show how clever somebody was. This is probably worth a C, but a lot of print critics loved it. Wonder if they got free tickets?