Simon Boccanegra, Opera by G. Verdi
Written during Giuseppe Verdi's mid-career, Simon Boccanegra is an opera in three acts with a prologue that was set to a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, the same writer who collaborated with the great composer on Stiffelio, Rigoletto and La traviata, among other works, in the preceding years. First performed on 12 March 1857 at Venice's La Fenice opera house, Simon Boccanegra comes to the Florentine stage at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Today, the opera is commonly produced with the reworked version. Verdi was dissatisfied with the original and – in collaboration with Arrigo Boito, famed for his work on the librettos for Otello and Falstaff – he prepared a revised version. The updated Simon Boccanegra, therefore, premiered on 24 March 1881 at La Scala in Milan to resounding success.
The opera is set in 14th-century Genoa. The title character is a former pirate who has previously been outcast from society. Despite his lowly status, Boccanegra ends up being elected the doge of his home city, something that is based on real historical events. The plot of the opera focusses on Boccanegra and his aristocratic rival, Jacopo Fiesco. The two are seemingly locked into a political struggle. In the prologue, audiences learn that Boccanegra is in love with Fiesco's daughter, but she has died suddenly. The pair have a daughter who has disappeared. The prologue ends with Boccanegra's proclamation as doge.
Act One of Simon Boccanegra picks up the action 25 years after the events of the prologue. Boccanegra is still doge but faces unrest from two political factions. His lost daughter has been raised under the name Amelia Grimaldi by her own grandfather, Jacopo Fiesco, who is living under the name of Andrea Grimaldi - facts which are unknown to the doge. It becomes apparent that Amelia is in love with a young nobleman, Gabriele Adorno, who has been plotting against Boccanegra. Meanwhile, Paolo Albiani, who once assisted in Boccanegra's rise to power, becomes a new political enemy. Paolo wants Amelia to marry him but when the doge refuses the match, he vows revenge.
The second act is famous for its council meeting scene, one of the key changes introduced in the 1881 version. In it, tensions come from almost every direction – the ruling council, Genoese noblemen and the plebeian class of ordinary people. Boccanegra delivers an impassioned plea for peace and reconciliation, calling for an end to further bloodshed. As doge, his authority helps to restore order but will it last? Soon, the audience learns that Paolo is not only scheming to have Amelia abducted but is also conspiring to poison the doge.
With themes of reconciliation, statesmanship and the emotions of lost family members, Simon Boccanegra, staged at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, provides soaring music and a thrilling plot.