Search - G. Verdi :: Simon Boccanegra-Comp Opera

Historical recording of a masterful performance

Abel | Hong Kong | 10/27/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This live performance 50 years ago and conducted by Mario Rossi adds much interest to this comparatively neglected work by Verdi.

Tito Gobbi in the title role is moving and heroic, an outstanding example of Verdian baritone in every respect. The duet with his lost daughter is affecting while the scene in the Council Chamber is commanding, heroic and awe inspiring all in one.

The late Leyla Gencer as Amelia (Maria Boccanegra) reveals why she used to be nicknamed 'La regina' alongside with Callas' La divina and Sutherland's La stupenda: she possessed one of the best timbre for Verdian sopranos together with Renata Tebaldi in a voice that is both lyrical and forceful.

Mirto Picchi is a daunting Gabriele, a role reprised later by Carreras, and lately recorded in Villazon's most recent album in the form of an excerpt. Picchi in 1958 sounded a bit different from his 1952 recording of Norma with Maria Callas, but nonetheless this was a wonderful lyrical tenor of the highest calibre.

Crowning this terrific cast is Mario Rossi, who conducted the work with zeal and vigor, in a rhythm that was able to bring out the drama of this rather short and terse work to the full, as compared to the rather dragging rhythm of Claudio Abbado in the classic recording of this opera in the 1970s."