Метрополитен Опера Verdi: Simon Boccanegra (2006– ) watch online HD

Plácido Domingo's Simon Boccanegra was broadcast from the ROH Covent Garden earlier this year in a rather dated minimalistic production. I think this production from the Met precedes the ROH version. It is much more lavishly staged although it also looks like a revival of an old production. Director Peter McClintock makes the plot very clear. This is not necessarily a good thing since Boccanegra has Verdi's silliest plot, with the possible exception of Louisa Miller.

Domingo plays Boccanegra in his own sweet way. He is no baritone but the Domingo voice plus his dramatic ability carry the part effectively. The only quibble I have here is that the final act baritone-bass duet between Boccanegra and the Fiesco of James Morris lacks a bit of oomph.

Other roles are not so successful tenor Marcello Giordani, apparently a darling of the Met audiences, sounds strangulated as Adorno. Adrianne Pieczonka is a rather matronly Amelia and would probably make a better Brunhilde.

Boccanegra has a difficult performance history. Verdi called in Arrigo Boito to revise the script and to add the council chamber scene at the end of Act I. This is a powerful scene musically and dramatically but, if anything, it adds to the silliness of the plot. Boccanegra has just found his daughter Amelia who has been missing for 25 years. Instead of giving everyone the good news they keep quiet about it. This leads Adorno, Amelia's lover to suspect that Boccanegra is his rival in love. Thus the scene is set for Adorno to try to kill Boccanegra in Act II.

The real villain Paolo, sung by baritone Stephen Gaertner actually poisons Boccanegra at the start of Act II. In an unintentionally humorous scene he sings "Now I prepare a slow and agonising death for you" as he pours enough white powder to kill a horse into Boccanegra's water jug. Boccanegra does, in fact, have a slow and agonising death throughout the rest of Act II and the whole of Act III. These operatic poisons are something else.

I love Verdi, but while Simon Boccanegra has several beautiful musical moments such as Orfanella in Tetto Umile, the final scene, Fiesco's big aria and Plebe Patrizi... it is due to the convoluted story such as I agree the decision for Boccanegra and Amelia to keep their father-daughter relationship secret not a favourite as such.

This 2010 Met production is good, helped by some lovely hosting from Renee Fleming, but my least favourite Simon Boccanegra. Again, it's not that it is bad, far from it, I just prefer the 1984, 1995, 1991, 2010(ROH) and especially 1978 productions.

Musically I can't fault it, the orchestra play brilliantly and the conducting is very good too. Nor visually too, the costumes and sets are lavish and picture and sound quality excellent too. Staging is good mostly, particularly in Plebe Patrizi however for my liking the father-daughter duet and the duet between Boccanegra and Fiesco were a little stolid in the staging.

Performances are mostly solid. While I prefer Cappuccilli for beauty of tone, Gobbi for interpretation, Milnes for acting and Chernov for sympathy and tone colour, Placido Domingo sings wonderfully and proves himself to be a magnificent actor. Adriane Pieczonka is a beautifully sung and communicative Amelia, it's somewhat true she is rather matronly, then again Tomowa-Sintow in a way was too and she's my favourite in the role.

Marcello Giordani has an appealing voice, but like a lot of Adornos excepting Michael Sylvester and Domingo himself he's rather bland in the acting. Stephen Gaertner is suitably repellent as Paolo, and James Morris is a mostly solid Fiesco if lacking the sincerity of Plishka, Scandiuzzi, Furlanetto, Christoff, Lloyd and particularly Ghiaurov, and his duet with Domingo doesn't quite have the oomph and emotional resonance it should do.

All in all, good and recommendable but I have seen(and heard) better. 7/10 Bethany Cox