Giuseppe Verdi – From La Scala: Simon Boccanegra (1977)

In 1855, the Fenice Theatre of Venice asked Verdi for a new opera, but the contract was signed only a year later, when the composer had already seen the outline of a work by the playwright Antonio Garcia Gutiérrez: Simon Boccanegra. The Maestro started writing his own version while in Paris, where he got Giuseppe Montanelli to shave down and model the libretto Francesco Maria Piave had already finished, communicating to Piave his modifications by letter, fait accompli. The opera opened on March 12th, 1857, with baritone Leone Gilardoni as Simon Boccanegra, bass Giuseppe Etcheverry as Fiesco, baritone Giacomo Vercellini as Paolo, and soprano Luigia Bendazzi as Maria/Amalia. The opera was a clamorous flop, almost as bad as La traviata four years earlier. Twenty-two years later, urged by his publisher and friend Ricordi, Verdi took the old score of Simon Boccanegra in hand once again, turning to Arrigo Boito for the modifications to Piave's libretto. The first act was completely revised; Verdi was inspired by two letters of Francesco Petrarca, one to the Doge of Genoa, Boccanegra himself, and the other to the Doge of Venice, condemning the fratricidal wars between the two republics; Petrarca's letter was to be used not only in the libretto, it was to appear on the stage as well. With this and other modifications Simon Boccanegra was presented to the public at the Scala Theatre in Milan on March 24th, 1881.

Coro E Orchestra Del teatro Alla Scalla
Claudio Abbado: conductor
Piero Cappuccilli: Simon Boccanegra
Mirella Freni: Maria Boccanegra
Nicolai Ghiaurov: Jacopo Fiesco
José Carreras: Gabriele Adorno
José Van dam: Paolo Albiani

cd1:
01. Prologue -[Preludio] Che dicesti? (7:03)
02. L'altra magion vedete? (3:29)
03. A te l'estremo addio…Il lacerato spirito (5:09)
04. Suona ogni labbro il mio nome (6:21)
05. Oh, de' Fieschi implacata (4:04)
06. [Preludio: L'aurora] (2:26)
07. Come in quest' ora bruna (3:52)
08. Cielo di stelle orbato… Vieni a mirar la cerula marina tremolante (7:25)
09. Propizio ei giunge! (5:00)
10. Paolo/Signor (3:24)
11. Orfanella il tetto umile…Figlia! a tal nome io palpito (9:35)
12. Che rispose (1:16)
13. Messeri, il re di Tararia vi porge (6:59)
14. Ferisci! / Amelia! (0:58)
cd2:
01. Amelia, di' come fosti rapita (2:34)
02. Plebe! Patrizi! Popolo…Piango su voi (5:02)
03. Ecco la spada… Sia maledetto! (4:37)
04. Quei due vedesti (2:33)
05. Prigioniero in qual loco m'adduci? (1:50)
06. Udisti? / Vil disegno!… Sento avvampar nell'anima… Cielo pietoso, rendila (5:47)
07. Tu qui? / Amelia (4:33)
08. Figlia! / Si afflitto, o padre mio? (5:54)
09. Oh, Amelia, ami un nemico… Perdon, Amelia (6:55)
10. All'armi, all'armi, o Liguri (1:20)
11. Evviva il Doge (6:49)
12. M'ardon le tempia…Come un fantasima Fiesco t'appar (7:15)
13. Piango, perche mi parla in te (3:47)
14. Chi veggo! (2:43)
15. Gran Dio, li benedici (7:20)

FLAC Part1 – FLAC Part2 – FLAC Part3 – FLAC Part4 – FLAC Part5 – FLAC Part6 – FLAC Part7
MP3 Part1 – MP3 Part2 – MP3 Part3 – MP3 Part4

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