Plebe Patrizi Popolo!

SIMON BOCCANEGRA
Melodramma in un prologo e 3 atti
Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
Librettist: Francesco Maria Piave, after Antonio Garcia Gutiérrez’s ‘Simón Boccanegra’; revised by Arrigo Boito
First performance: Teatro La Fenice, Venice, 12 March 1857
Revised version: Teatro alla Scala, Milan, 24 March 1881

SETTING: Genoa, 1339 and 1364

PLOT: From the people who brought you Trovatore – Verdi II: This time it’s complicated. In 1339, the corsair Simon Boccanegra becomes Doge of Genoa, but the woman he loves dies; her father, Jacopo Fiesco, vows vengeance. Twenty-five years pass; in that time, Boccanegra exiles many of his enemies; Fiesco takes the name of Andrea Grimaldi and passes off a girl as his daughter Amelia – not knowing that she is his illegitimate granddaughter. Paolo, the Doge’s favourite courtier, tries to abduct Amelia, but her boyfriend, Gabriele Adorno, rescues her. Paolo poisons Boccanegra. The dying Boccanegra is reconciled with Fiesco, and he names Gabriele his successor.

No. 9 – Finale 1
• Scena del Consiglio: ‘Messeri, il re di Tartaria vi porge’ (Simone, Paolo, Coro)
• Sommossa: ‘Qual clamor!’ (Pietro, Paolo, Simone, Gabriele, Amelia, Coro)
• Racconto: ‘Nell'ora soave che all'estasi invita’ (Amelia, Coro)
• Pezzo d'assieme: ‘Plebe! Patrizi! Popolo’ (Simone, Amelia, Pietro, Paolo, Gabriele, Fiesco, Coro)
• Recitativo: ‘Ecco la spada’ (Gabriele, Simone, Paolo)
• Maledizione: ‘V'è in queste mura un vil che m'ode’ (Simone, Paolo, Coro)

The Doge presides over a meeting in the Council Chamber. He asks the councillors to consider peace with Venice, and reminds them that Adria and Liguria have a common homeland. Outside, the plebeians rise up (a revolt organised by Paolo). The Doge notices that Paolo is about to leave, and orders the doors to be guarded; anyone who leaves is a traitor. As the crowd outside calls for the Doge’s death, the commoners in the Council Chamber draw their swords. Boccanegra orders the commoners to be admitted. Gabriele enters, and announces that he killed Amelia’s kidnapper. Before he died, the villain said a powerful man organised the crime, and Gabriele thinks Boccanegra is that man. Amelia tells how she was kidnapped, and recognises (but does not name) Paolo. The plebeians and patricians start to fight, but Boccanegra quells them. He makes Paolo curse himself.

Simon Boccanegra, primo Doge di Genova / Doge of Genoa (baritone): Piero Cappuccilli
Jacopo Fiesco, nobile genovese, poi sotto il nome di Andrea Grimaldi / Genoan nobleman, later under the name of Andrea Grimaldi (bass): Nicolai Ghiaurov
Maria Boccanegra, figlia di Simone, sotto il nome di Andrea Grimaldi / Simon’s daughter, later under the name of Amelia Grimaldi (soprano): Mirella Freni
Gabriele Adorno, gentiluomo genovese / Genoan gentleman (tenor): José Carreras
Paolo Albiani, cortigiano favorito del Doge / the Doge’s favourite courtier (baritone): José van Dam
Pietro, cortigiano / a courtier (bass): Giovanni Foiani

Conductor: Claudio Abbado
Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala
Milan, 1977