Simon Boccanegra Tickets

Metropolitan Opera, New York, USA

Scene 2 from the opera "Simon Boccanegra"

Scene 1 from the opera "Simon Boccanegra"

Scene 3 from the opera "Simon Boccanegra"

Scene 4 from the opera "Simon Boccanegra"

Scene 5 from the opera "Simon Boccanegra"

Scene 6 from the opera "Simon Boccanegra"

Scene 7 from the opera "Simon Boccanegra"

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Important Info

Type: Opera

City: New York, USA

Duration: 3h 15min with 1 interval

Acts: 3

Intervals: 1

Sung in: Italian

Titles in: English,German,Italian,Spanish

Ticket delivery: E-Tickets

E-tickets: Print at home or at the box office of the event if so specified. You will find more information in your booking confirmation email.

Can I choose my seats?

You can only select the category, and not the exact seats.
If you order 2 or 3 tickets: your seats will be next to each other.
If you order 4 or more tickets: your seats will be next to each other, or, if this is not possible, we will provide a combination of groups of seats (at least in pairs, for example 2+2 or 2+3).

Cast

Performers

Choose the date to see the peformers

Overview

Audience favorite Ailyn Pérez takes on the touching role of Amelia Grimaldi, with legendary baritone Carlos Álvarez returning to the Met for the first time in more than a decade in the title role. Elegant tenor Joseph Calleja is her lover, Gabriele Adorno, and magisterial bass Dmitry Belosselskiy completes the principal cast as Amelia’s grandfather, Jacopo Fiesco. Carlo Rizzi takes the podium for Verdi’s timeless tale of political and family intrigue.

Production a gift of the Estate of Anna Case Mackay

Additional funding from the Metropolitan Opera Club, the Annie Laurie Aitken Charitable Trust, The Eleanor Naylor Dana Charitable Trust, and Mr. and Mrs. Paul M. Montrone

Revival a gift of the NPD Group, Inc.

World Premiere: Teatro la Fenice, Venice, 1857 (original version); Teatro alla Scala, Milan, 1881 (revised version). Simon Boccanegra is Verdi’s compelling portrayal of a man who is both a leader and an outsider, set against one of the most incisive depictions of politics ever put on the stage. The title character, with his complex relationships with rivals and his long-lost daughter, is one of the summits of the baritone repertoire. The opera’s complicated story and dark tone have proven stumbling blocks for many critics and audiences in America. Yet it remains a rewarding example of Verdi’s genius at its most humane and insightful.

Setting

The opera is based on a historical figure who, in 1339, became doge of the Republic of Genoa.

Music

Even looking at its original 1857 form, Verdi was attempting something new with Boccanegra. He supplied each act with the customary rousing music but insisted that the important parts of the score were found between the applause-grabbing moments. His sophisticated revision more than two decades later further expanded the role of the orchestra and deepened the characterizations.

History

Premiere of this production: 12 March 1857, La Fenice, Venice

Simon Boccanegra is an opera with a prologue and three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play Simón Bocanegra (1843) by Antonio García Gutiérrez, whose play El trovador had been the basis for Verdi's 1853 opera, Il trovatore.

Synopsis

PROLOGUE

Genoa, 14th century. Paolo and Pietro, leaders of the plebeians, are conspiring to overthrow the aristocracy. They name the popular former pirate Simon Boccanegra as their candidate for the office of doge, the chief magistrate of the republic. Boccanegra accepts, hoping that his new position will enable him to marry Maria, the daughter of the patrician Fiesco, who keeps her prisoner because she bore Boccanegra an illegitimate child. Fiesco appears alone, mourning Maria’s sudden death. Unaware she has died, Boccanegra tries to make peace with the patrician, but Fiesco demands that he first be given his granddaughter. Boccanegra explains that the little girl has mysteriously disappeared. The two men part and Boccanegra enters the Fiesco palace in search of Maria. Just as he discovers her body, the crowd proclaims him doge.

ACT I

Twenty-five years have passed. Boccanegra has exiled many of his political opponents and Fiesco lives outside Genoa under the assumed name of Andrea Grimaldi. He is the guardian of a certain Amelia Grimaldi. Abandoned as an orphan, she has been brought up in place of the real Grimaldi daughter, who died at a young age, in order to provide the family with an heiress. Amelia is in reality Maria Boccanegra, the doge’s daughter and Fiesco’s granddaughter, but neither man knows her true identity. Amelia’s lover is the patrician Gabriele Adorno. Together with Fiesco, whom he knows only under his assumed name, Gabriele has been plotting against Boccanegra.

In the garden of the Grimaldi palace, Amelia waits for Gabriele. She warns him against the dangers of his political activities and tells him that the doge wants her to marry his courtier Paolo. Gabriele hopes to marry Amelia himself and is undeterred by her revelation that she is not a Grimaldi but an orphan of unknown background. He leaves, determined to overthrow the doge. Boccanegra arrives to tell Amelia he has pardoned her presumed brothers, the Grimaldi. Impressed by his generosity, she admits her love for Gabriele and talks about her lonely past. From the matching portraits they have of Amelia’s mother, Boccanegra realizes that Amelia is his long-lost daughter. They embrace. The girl leaves and Boccanegra tells Paolo to abandon any hope of marrying her. Paolo plots with Pietro to kidnap Amelia.

Boccanegra urges the city council to preserve peace with Venice. Gabriele runs in, chased by a mob: he has killed a man who was attempting to abduct Amelia. He accuses Boccanegra of plotting the abduction and tries to stab him. Amelia intervenes. She describes her abduction and escape, but refuses to reveal who was responsible. A new argument erupts and Boccanegra again urges peace. He curses Amelia’s kidnappers and commands Paolo, whom he suspects to be the culprit, to repeat his words. The terrified Paolo is forced to obey, even though he is cursing himself.

ACT II

Paolo reflects on the curse and pours poison into Boccanegra’s drinking water. Fiesco and Gabriele are led in, and Paolo tries to convince the old man to assassinate the doge, but in spite of his hatred for Boccanegra, Fiesco refuses to be involved in the plot. When Paolo makes insinuations about Boccanegra’s relationship with Amelia, Gabriele, left alone, breaks into a fit of jealousy. Amelia enters, but before she can explain, Boccanegra appears. Gabriele hides while Amelia asks her father to pardon her lover. Boccanegra agrees. Alone, he drinks the poisoned water and falls asleep. Gabriele, who has heard nothing of the preceding conversation, returns and is about to stab Boccanegra when Amelia rushes in. The doge reveals that he is Amelia’s father and forgives the repentant Gabriele. As a rebellious mob is heard from outside, Gabriele vows to fight at Boccanegra’s side.

ACT III

Genoa is celebrating Boccanegra’s victory over the rebels. Paolo, who is being led to his execution, encounters Fiesco and confesses to him that it was he who poisoned the doge and tried to kidnap Amelia. Boccanegra enters, mortally ill, thinking about his beloved Genoese sea. Fiesco challenges him and then reveals his true identity. When Boccanegra tells him that Amelia is his granddaughter, Fiesco breaks into tears and the two men are reconciled. Amelia and Gabriele enter. The dying Boccanegra blesses the young couple and names Gabriele as his successor.

Time: The middle of the 14th century.
Place: In and around Genoa.

Prologue

(Act 1 in the 1857 original)
A piazza in front of the Fieschi palace

Paolo Albiani, a plebeian, tells his ally Pietro that in the forthcoming election of the Doge, his choice for the plebeian candidate is Simon Boccanegra. Boccanegra arrives and is persuaded to stand when Paolo hints that if Boccanegra becomes Doge, the aristocratic Jacopo Fiesco will surely allow him to wed his daughter Maria. When Boccanegra has gone, Paolo gossips about Boccanegra's love affair with Maria Fiesco – Boccanegra and Maria have had a child, and the furious Fiesco has locked his daughter away in his palace. Pietro rallies a crowd of citizens to support Boccanegra. After the crowd has dispersed, Fiesco comes out of his palace, stricken with grief; Maria has just died (Il lacerato spirito – "The tortured soul of a sad father"). He swears vengeance on Boccanegra for destroying his family. When he meets Boccanegra he does not inform him of Maria's death. Boccanegra offers reconciliation and Fiesco promises clemency only if Boccanegra lets him have his granddaughter. Boccanegra explains he cannot because the child, put in the care of a nurse, has vanished. He enters the palace and finds the body of his beloved just before crowds pour in, hailing him as the new Doge.

Act 1

(Act 2 in the 1857 original)
File:Figlia a tal nome io palpito - Simon Boccanegra.webm

Twenty-five years have passed. Historically the action has moved from 1339, the year of Simon's election in the prologue, forward to 1363, the year of the historical Simone Boccanegra's death – for acts 1, 2 and 3.
The Doge has exiled many of his political opponents and confiscated their property. Among them is Jacopo Fiesco, who has been living in the Grimaldi palace, using the name Andrea Grimaldi to avoid discovery and plotting with Boccanegra's enemies to overthrow the Doge. The Grimaldis have adopted an orphaned child of unknown parentage after discovering her in a convent (she is in fact Boccanegra's child, Maria – known as Amelia – named after her mother, and she is Fiesco's granddaughter). They called her Amelia, hoping that she would be the heir to their family's fortune, their sons having been exiled and their own baby daughter having died. Amelia is now a young woman.
Scene 1: A garden in the Grimaldi palace, before sunrise

Amelia is awaiting her lover, Gabriele Adorno (Aria:Come in quest'ora bruna – "How in the morning light / The sea and stars shine brightly"). She suspects him of plotting against the Doge and when he arrives she warns him of the dangers of political conspiracy. Word arrives that the Doge is coming. Amelia, fearing that the Doge will force her to marry Paolo, now his councilor, urges Adorno to ask her guardian Andrea (in reality, Fiesco) for permission for them to marry: Sì, sì dell'ara il giubilo / contrasti il fato avverso – "Yes, let the joy of marriage be set against unkind fate".

1857 original version: the duet ended with a cabaletta (set to the same words as the 1881 text) then "a coda and a battery of chords followed by applause."
Fiesco reveals to Adorno that Amelia is not a Grimaldi, but a foundling adopted by the family. When Adorno says that he does not care, Fiesco blesses the marriage. Boccanegra enters and tells Amelia that he has pardoned her exiled brothers. She tells him that she is in love, but not with Paolo, whom she refuses to marry. Boccanegra has no desire to force Amelia into a marriage against her will. She tells him that she was adopted and that she has one souvenir of her mother, a picture in a locket. The two compare Amelia's picture with Boccanegra's, and Boccanegra realizes that she is his long-lost daughter. Finally reunited, they are overcome with joy. Amelia goes into the palace. Soon after, Paolo arrives to find out if Amelia has accepted him. Boccanegra tells him that the marriage will not take place. Furious, Paolo arranges for Amelia to be kidnapped.

Scene 2: The council chamber

1881 revision: This entire scene was added by Verdi and Boito in place of the 1857 scene, which took place in a large square in Genoa.
The Doge encourages his councillors to make peace with Venice. He is interrupted by the sounds of a mob calling for blood. Paolo suspects that his kidnapping plot has failed. The Doge prevents anyone leaving the council chamber and orders the doors to be thrown open. A crowd bursts in, chasing Adorno. Adorno confesses to killing Lorenzino, a plebeian, who had kidnapped Amelia, claiming to have done so at the order of a high-ranking official. Adorno incorrectly guesses the official was Boccanegra and is about to attack him when Amelia rushes in and stops him (Aria: Nell'ora soave – "At that sweet hour which invites ecstasy / I was walking alone by the sea"). She describes her abduction and escape. Before she is able to identify her kidnapper, fighting breaks out once more. Boccanegra establishes order and has Adorno arrested for the night (Aria: Plebe! Patrizi! Popolo! – "Plebeians! Patricians! Inheritors / Of a fierce history"). He orders the crowd to make peace and they praise his mercy. Realizing that Paolo is responsible for the kidnapping, Boccanegra places him in charge of finding the culprit. He then makes everyone, including Paolo, utter a curse on the kidnapper.

Act 2

(Act 3 in the 1857 original)
The Doge's apartments

1881 revised version: There are some small adjustments in this act which include expanding Paolo's opening aria, thus giving him greater stature in the work: Me stesso ho maledetto! / "I have cursed myself", the wording of which was originally: O doge ingrato ... ch'io rinunci Amelia e i suoi tesori? / "O ungrateful Doge! ... Must I give up Amelia and her charms".
Paolo has imprisoned Fiesco. Determined to kill Boccanegra, Paolo pours a slow-acting poison into the Doge's water, and then tries to convince Fiesco to murder Boccanegra in return for his freedom. Fiesco refuses. Paolo next suggests to Adorno that Amelia is the Doge's mistress, hoping Adorno will murder Boccanegra in a jealous rage. Adorno is furious (Aria: Sento avvampar nell'anima – "I feel a furious jealousy / Setting my soul on fire"). Amelia enters the Doge's apartments, seeming to confirm Adorno's suspicions, and he angrily accuses her of infidelity. She claims only to love him, but cannot reveal her secret – that Boccanegra is her father – because Adorno's family were killed by the Doge. Adorno hides as Boccanegra is heard approaching. Amelia confesses to Boccanegra that she is in love with his enemy Adorno. Boccanegra is angry, but tells his daughter that if the young nobleman changes his ways, he may pardon him. He asks Amelia to leave, and then takes a drink of the poisoned water, which Paolo has placed on the table. He falls asleep. Adorno emerges and is about to kill Boccanegra, when Amelia returns in time to stop him. Boccanegra wakes and reveals to Adorno that Amelia is his daughter. Adorno begs for Amelia's forgiveness (Trio: Perdon, Amelia ... Indomito – "Forgive me, Amelia ... A wild, / Jealous love was mine"). Noises of fighting are heard – Paolo has stirred up a revolution against the Doge. Adorno promises to fight for Boccanegra, who vows that Adorno shall marry Amelia if he can crush the rebels.

Act 3
(Act 4 in the 1857 original)
1857 original version: Act 4 opened with a double male voice chorus, and a confused dialogue involving references to details in the original play.
Inside the Doge's palace

The uprising against the Doge has been put down. Paolo has been condemned to death for fighting with the rebels against the Doge. Fiesco is released from prison by the Doge's men. On his way to the scaffold, Paolo boasts to Fiesco that he has poisoned Boccanegra. Fiesco is deeply shocked. He confronts Boccanegra, who is now dying from Paolo's poison. Boccanegra recognizes his old enemy and tells Fiesco that Amelia is his granddaughter. Fiesco feels great remorse and tells Boccanegra about the poison. Adorno and Amelia, newly married, arrive to find the two men reconciled. Boccanegra tells Amelia that Fiesco is her grandfather and, before he dies, names Adorno his successor. The crowd mourns the death of the Doge.

Venue Info

Metropolitan Opera - New York
30 Lincoln Center

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