Simon Boccanegra discography
This is a list of audio and video recordings (discography) of Simon Boccanegra, an Italian opera with music composed by Giuseppe Verdi. The first performance of the work was on 12 March 1857 at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. Verdi subsequently revised the work in an edition reworked by the librettist Arrigo Boito, which was first performed on 24 March 1881 at La Scala in Milan. It is this latter version which is the one most frequently performed today.
Audio recordings of the 1857 original version
| Year | Cast (Boccanegra, Maria, Adorno, Fiesco) |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label[1] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Sesto Bruscantini, Josella Ligi, André Turp, Gwynne Howell |
John Matheson, BBC Concert Orchestra and the BBC Singers (Recording of a concert performance in the Golders Green Hippodrome on 2 August; broadcast on 1 January 1976) |
CD: Opera Rara Cat: ORCV 302 |
| 1999 | Vitorio Vitelli, Annalisa Raspagliosi, Warren Mok, Francesco Ellero d'Artegna |
Renato Palumbo, Orchestra Internationale d'Italia (Recording made at performances at the Festival della Valle d'Itria, Martina Franca, 4, 6, 8 August) |
CD: Dynamic, 268/1-2 |
| 2024 | Germán Enrique Alcántara, Eri Nakamura, Iván Ayón-Rivas, William Thomas |
Mark Elder, The Hallé, Chorus of Opera North, RNCM Opera Chorus (Studio recording, April 2024, Hallé St Peter's, 2022 edition by Roger Parker) |
CD: Opera Rara Cat: ORC65[2][3] |
Audio recordings of the 1881 revised version
| Year | Cast: (Boccanegra, Amelia (Maria), Gabriele Adorno, Jacobo Fiesco) |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label[1] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | Lawrence Tibbett, Elisabeth Rethberg, Giovanni Martinelli, Ezio Pinza |
Ettore Panizza, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & Chorus |
CD: Myto Historical Cat: 981H006 |
| 1951 | Paolo Silveri, Antonietta Stella, Carlo Bergonzi, Mario Petri |
Francesco Molinari-Pradelli, Coro e Orchestra di Roma della RAI |
CD: Warner Fonit Cat: 5050467 7906-2 |
| 1957 | Tito Gobbi, Victoria de los Ángeles, Giuseppe Campora, Boris Christoff |
Gabriele Santini, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma orchestra and chorus |
CD: EMI Cat: CDMB 63513 (Digitally remastered, 1990) |
| 1958 | Tito Gobbi, Leyla Gencer, Mirto Picchi, Ferruccio Mazzoli |
Mario Rossi, Teatro di San Carlo Orchestra and Chorus, Naples (Recorded live, Naples, 26 December) |
CD: Hardy Classics HCA 6002-2 (Also has video version) |
| 1973 | Piero Cappuccilli, Katia Ricciarelli, Plácido Domingo, Ruggero Raimondi |
Gianandrea Gavazzeni, RCA Italiana Opera Chorus and Orchestra |
CD: RCA Records Cat: RD 70729 |
| 1977 | Piero Cappuccilli, Mirella Freni, José Carreras, Nicolai Ghiaurov |
Claudio Abbado, Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala |
CD: DG Cat: 449 752–2 |
| 1988 | Leo Nucci, Kiri Te Kanawa, Giacomo Aragall, Paata Burchuladze |
Georg Solti, Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala |
CD: Decca Cat: 475 7011 |
| 2015 | Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Barbara Frittoli, Stefano Secco, Ildar Abdrazakov |
Constantine Orbelian Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra and Kaunas State Choir |
CD: Delos Cat: DE 3457[4] |
| 2024 | Ludovic Tézier, Martina Rebeka, Francesco Meli, Michele Pertusi |
Michele Spotti Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro di San Carlo, Naples |
CD: Prima Classic Cat: PRIMA069[5] |
Video recordings of the 1881 revised version
| Year | Cast: (Boccanegra, Amelia (Maria), Gabriele Adorno, Jacopo Fiesco) |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label[1] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Tito Gobbi, Leyla Gencer, Mirto Picchi, Ferruccio Mazzoli |
Mario Rossi, Teatro di San Carlo Orchestra and Chorus, Naples (Recorded live, Naples, 26 December) |
VHS Video, PAL only: Hardy Classics Cat: HCA 60002-2 (Also has audio version) |
| 1976 | Piero Cappuccilli, Katia Ricciarelli, Giorgio Merighi, Nicolai Ghiaurov |
Oliviero De Fabritiis, NHK Symphony Orchestra and Union of Japan Professional Choruses, Tokyo (Recorded live, Tokyo, October) |
DVD: Premiere Opera 5173; VAI 4484 |
| 1984 | Sherrill Milnes, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Vasile Moldoveanu, Paul Plishka |
James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus (Production: Tito Capobianco; recorded live, Metropolitan Opera House, 29 December) |
DVD: Pioneer Classics PIBC 2010; DG 073 4403[6] Streaming video: Met Opera on Demand[7] |
| 1995 | Vladimir Chernov, Kiri Te Kanawa, Plácido Domingo, Robert Lloyd |
James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus (Production: Giancarlo del Monaco; recorded live, Metropolitan Opera House, 26 January) |
DVD: DG 00440 073 0319 Streaming video: Met Opera on Demand[8] |
| 2007 | Roberto Frontali, Carmen Giannattasio, Giuseppe Gipali, Giacomo Prestia |
Michele Mariotti, Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro Comunale, Bologna (Stage director: Giorgio Fiorato; recorded live) |
DVD: ArtHaus Musik Cat: 101 307[6] |
| 2010 | Plácido Domingo, Adrianne Pieczonka, Marcello Giordani, James Morris |
James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus (Production: Giancarlo del Monaco; recorded live, Metropolitan Opera House, 6 February) |
DVD: Sony Cat: 780664 HD video: Met Opera on Demand[9] |
| 2010 | Plácido Domingo, Marina Poplavskaya, Joseph Calleja, Ferruccio Furlanetto |
Antonio Pappano, Royal Opera House Orchestra and Chorus (Stage director: Elijah Moshinsky; recorded live, July) |
DVD: EMI Classics Cat: 917825-9[10] |
| 2018 | Ludovic Tézier, Maria Agresta, Francesco Demuro, Mika Kares |
Fabio Luisi, Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus (Director: Calixto Bieito; recorded live, Opéra Bastille) |
HD video: Paris Opera Play[11] |
| 2019 | Luca Salsi, Marina Rebeka, Charles Castronovo, René Pape |
Valery Gergiev, Wiener Philharmoniker (Stage director: Andreas Kriegenburg; recorded live, Großes Festspielhaus, Salzburg Festival) |
HD video: Unitel Cat: 802704[12][13] |
| 2020 | Christian Gerhaher, Jennifer Rowley, Otar Jorjikia, Christof Fischesser |
Fabio Luisi, Philharmonia Zurich, Chorus of Zurich Opera (Stage director: Andreas Homoki; recorded live, December) |
Blu-ray: Accentus Music[14] Cat: ACC10510[15] |
References
- ^ a b c Recordings of Simon Boccanegra from operadis-opera-discography.org.uk
- ^ The 2024 recording of the 1857 version is available as CD/download/streaming. The download version includes a digital booklet with the libretto in Italian and English. The performance uses Roger Parker's 2022 critical edition of the 1857 score.
- ^ Mark Pullinger, "Setting sail into Verdi: Opera Rara and the 1857 Simon Boccanegra", Gramophone, April 2025, p. 24.
- ^ Judith Malafronte (July 2015). "Verdi: Simon Boccanegra". Opera News. Vol. 80, no. 1.
- ^ Ashley, Tim. Review of recording. Gramophone, February 2026, p. 86.
- ^ a b John Steane, "The underdog can't always win the day - and in this case the Met is superior", Gramophone, October 2008, p. 113.
- ^ Met Opera (29 December 1984), Met Opera on Demand.
- ^ Met Opera (26 January 1995), Met Opera on Demand.
- ^ Met Opera (6 February 2010), Met Opera on Demand.
- ^ Royal Opera, 2010 DVD review: Mike Ashman, "Who Let the Doge Out?", Gramophone, February 2011, p. 95.
- ^ Paris Opera (2018), Paris Opera Play.
- ^ Ken Meltzer, Review of 2019 Salzburg video, Fanfare, January/February 2021.
- ^ David Shengold, Review of 2019 Salzburg video, Opera, May 2021, pp. 642–643.
- ^ Zurich Opera, 2020, Blu-ray: OCLC 1277021443.
- ^ Hugo Shirley, Review of 2020 Zurich Opera video, Gramophone, October 2021, pp. 96–97.