SIMON BOCCANEGRA. METROPOLITAN OPERA

 The legendary pair of James Levine and Plácido Domingo have defined Verdi’s art for more than four decades. They demonstrate their mastery with this remarkable character study of the wise Doge forced to confront his past. The spectacular cast includes tenor Joseph Calleja and another legend, bass Ferruccio Furlanetto, as Boccanegra’s rival, Fiesco.

In an extraordinary career spanning six decades in the theater, Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901) composed 28 operas, at least half of which are at the core of today’s repertoire. His role in Italy’s cultural and political development has made him an icon in his native country. Librettist Francesco Maria Piave (1810–1876) also worked with Verdi on Macbeth, Rigoletto, La Traviata, and La Forza del Destino, among others. Arrigo Boito (1842–1918), who collaborated on the revision, was a writer and composer who would later create the librettos to Verdi’s final two masterpieces, Otello and Falstaff.

PRODUCTION Giancarlo del Monaco

SET & COSTUME DESIGNER Michael Scott

World premiere: Teatro la Fenice, Venice, 1857 (original version); Teatro alla Scala, Milan, 1881 (revised version).
Met and U.S. premiere: January 28, 1932.

Simon Boccanegra is Verdi’s compelling portrayal of a man who is both a leader and an outsider, set against one of the most incisive depictions of politics ever put on the stage. The premiere was not successful, but more than 20 years later the composer revised the opera. Although Boccanegra remains just outside the core repertory of Verdi favorites, it is a rewarding example of his genius at its most humane and insightful. - http://www.metopera.org/Discover/Synopses/Simon-Boccanegra/#sthash.NjWCC0h5.dpuf