This Simon Boccanegra is a triumph: musically rich, theatrically bold, and imaginatively staged. With a top-tier cast, innovative design, and some of Verdi’s finest music, it is an unmissable production.
Verdi’s opera, based on the real-life 14th-century Doge of Genoa, is notorious for its tangled plot. One critic famously confessed that, even after reading the libretto six times, he still couldn’t make sense of it. The Prologue alone—set 25 years before the main action—features a secret love affair, a child born out of wedlock, and a sudden rise to power. What follows is a maze of political machinations and emotional betrayals.
Yet if the drama is convoluted, the music is sublime. Boccanegra offers some of Verdi’s most stirring writing for baritone, along with two magnificent bass-baritone duets. The original 1857 version was a failure, but Verdi’s 1881 revision (with Arrigo Boito) rescued the opera, adding the famous Council Chamber scene and enriching the dramatic texture. That scene alone—drawing from Petrarch’s Canzone 128—is a stirring cry for peace, anchored in the Doge’s call: “E vo gridando pace.”
Grange Park Opera’s revival of David Pountney’s acclaimed 1997 WNO production is inspired. Wasfi Kani, the company’s visionary founder, has restored it with care, complete with Ralph Koltai’s powerful, sculptural sets. Two towering, mobile walls dominate the stage—one cracked and fractured, the other bronze-hued, translucent, or opaque depending on Tim Mitchell’s masterful lighting. These vast panels shift fluidly to become palaces, sea walls, and council chambers, with scene changes that are brisk and cinematic.
One especially moving piece of stagecraft links the Prologue and Act I: the body of Maria, suspended in a tower of Fiesco’s palazzo, ascends heavenward as her daughter Amelia dons her mantle—a beautiful, symbolic gesture uniting past and present. The costumes, traditional in period but striking in hue—particularly Boccanegra’s royal blue and Amelia’s vivid reds and greens—contrast richly against the darkness of the set.
The climactic Council Chamber scene is both pared down and intensified. A single desk and chair sit in an otherwise bare space as shadows loom and angry citizens storm in, slamming axes onto the Doge’s desk. As he sings “Plebe! Patrizi!”, Simon quietly removes the weapons—a haunting metaphor for peace wrested from the jaws of violence.
Performances
Sir Simon Keenlyside delivers a compelling portrayal of Boccanegra. While not a natural Verdi baritone—he lacks the dark, burnished voce nera of a Cappuccilli—he compensates with dramatic intelligence and expressive nuance. His voice is in fine form, and his emotional range—especially in scenes with Fiesco and Amelia—is affecting. His “Plebe! Patrizi!” is delivered with commanding conviction.
James Cresswell makes a memorable debut as Fiesco. His opening aria, “Il lacerato spirito”, is delivered with sonorous authority and profound sadness. His low notes are superb, particularly the final “me,” held beyond the score’s requirements with both control and resonance. It’s an outstanding performance.
Elin Pritchard gives Amelia more assertiveness than is often seen, thanks to the fuller, darker quality of her soprano. She softens it beautifully in tender moments, such as the exquisite close of “Parla in tuo cor” and the impassioned duet with Adorno.
Otar Jorjikia, as Adorno, is another revelation. His dramatic tenor combines power and precision with ravishing pianissimi. His performance brims with passion, vocal agility, and emotional depth.
Jolyon Loy, as the villain Paolo, unfortunately disappoints. His voice lacks focus and edge, failing to bring out the menace and sharp definition the role requires.
Despite being relatively small in number, the chorus produces a thrilling, full-bodied sound, contributing to a powerful final ensemble (“Piango perché mi parla”) that is genuinely moving.
This production succeeds on every level: superb singing, elegant direction, inventive design, and Verdi’s glorious score at its centre. Grange Park has delivered a Simon Boccanegra to remember.
Music by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Libretto Francesco Maria Piave/Arrigo Boito
Based on play Simón Boccanegra by Antonio Garcia Gutiérrez
Conducted by Gianluca Marciano
Directed by David Poutney
Sets by Ralf Koltai
Lighting Tim Mitchell
First performance Teatro de la Fenice, Venice 12th March 1857
Revised 1881 version in collaboration with Arrigo Boito
First performance La Scala 18th March 1881
Cast includes Sir Simon Keenlyside, James Cresswell, Elin Pritchard, Otar Jorjikia,
Jolyon Loy, David Shipley, Rosa Sparks, Sam Utley
Grange Park Opera Theatre in the Woods.
Until 11 July 2025
Running Time Two hours 35 minutes (with one 90 minutes interval)
Photo Credit Marc Brenner