Human Tragedy

Giuseppe Verdi spent almost twenty five years to complete the definitive version of Simon Boccanegra (Very Welcome, 27 March 2010). In spite of La Scala's success in 1881 (with Arrigo Boito's extensive re-writing of the libretto and many changes to the score), for decades Simon Boccanegra has been considered a minor opera in the Verdi catalogue. According to several authors, the opera's revival was due to Claudio Abbado's 1971 La Scala production, which traveled all over the world. In 2000, a new and quite different production under Abbado's baton was the hit of the Salzburg festival...