March 30, 2010: Simon Boccanegra in Berlin

2010-03-30 Simon Boccanegra (Verdi), Staatsoper (Berlin)

Simon Boccanegra = Andrzéj Dobber
Maria Boccanegra (Amelia) = Ailyn Perez
Jacopo Fiesco = Ferruccio Furlanetto
Gabriele Adorno = Aquiles Machado
Paolo Albiani = Massimo Cavalletti
Pietro = Alexander Vinogradov
Ein Hauptmann der Bogenschützen = James Homann
Eine Dienerin Amelias = Rachel Frenkel

Daniel Barenboim, conductor



Director - Federico Tiezzi


Set Designer - Maurizio Balò


Costume Designer - Giovanna Buzzi


Light Designer - A. J. Weissbard


Chorus master - Eberhard Friedrich


Dramaturgy - Francis Hüsers
Barbara Weigel




This time my seat is on the 2nd balcony in the middle of the 2nd row. My view is excellent. Of course you see more in the seats of the parkette but here one can see the whole stage at once and even the subtitling at on glance. The Prologue and Act 1 is the same as on March 27, the only other is that I now know what and where is people coming and that I find Ailyn Perez even better. Her Come in quest-ora bruna was superb. During the performance one understood that Achiles Machado is at his limit in Gabriele Adorno but not in the degree that one cannot enjoy his voice throughout the opera.

In act 2 came the great tenor aria "Sento avvampar nell'anima" with Aquiles Machado.

O inferno! Amelia qui! L'ama il vegliardo!...
E il furor che m'accende
M'è conteso sfogar!... Tu m'uccidesti
Il padre... tu m'involi il mio tesoro...
Trema, iniquo... già troppa era un'offesa,
Doppia vendetta hai sul tuo capo accesa.
Sento avvampar nell'anima
Furente gelosia;
Tutto il suo sangue spegnerne
L'incendio non potria;
S'ei mille vite avesse,
Se mieterle potesse
D'un colpo il mio furor,
Non sarei sazio ancor.
Che parlo!... Ohimè!...
Piango!... pietà, gran Dio, del mio martiro!...
Pietoso cielo, rendilà,
Rendila a questo core,
Pura siccome l'angelo
Che veglia al suo pudore;
Ma se una nube impura
Tanto candor m'oscura,
Priva di sue virtù,
Ch'io non la vegga più.

And then the duet with Amelia (Ailyn Perez). Bravi!

I think I must cut short my review of this performance. It was just too good to describe. Andrej Dobber as Simon Boccanegra. Ferruccio Furlanetto as Fiesco, Ailyn Perez as Amelia, Aquiles Machado as Gabriele Adorno. BRAVI!! And honorary mention to the rest of the cast:
Paolo Albiani = Alexander Vinogradov
Pietro = Alexander Vinogradov
Ein Hauptmann der Bogenschützen = James Homann
Eine Dienerin Amelias = Rachel Frenkel

OD Travel + Photos

Original blog post: The end of OD Travel in March: Berlin, Boccanegra and home.

For more reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com If you want to see more photos from my OperaDuets Travels, go to www.operaduetsphotos.com