Simon Boccanegra

Coming just before the mature final works Verdis Simon Boccanegra along with Un Ballo in Maschera Les Vêpres Siciliennes La Forza del Destino and Don Carlos occupy a strange but fascinating hinterland in the career of the composer Each of the operas influenced by Verdis political involvement in the Risorgimento for the reunification of Italy during the period are very much concerned with the exercise of power but they all rely on typically operatic conventions of bel canto and French Grand Opéra in their use of personal tragedies and unlikely twists of fate to highlight the human feelings and weaknesses that lie behind their historical dramas Written in 1859 but revised by the composer in 1881 Piaves libretto given an uncredited reworking by Arrigo Boito Simon Boccanegra is consequently one of the more interesting works from this period certainly from a musical standpoint Live from Teatro all Scala Milan 2010