Verdi: Simon Boccanegra (DVD) – Christian Berhaher, Jennifer Rowley

Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
Artists: Christian Berhaher, Jennifer Rowley, Christof Fischesser, Otar Jorjikia, Nicholas Brownlee, Michael Smith, Philharmonia Zürich, Chor der Opera Zürich
Conductor: Fabio Luisi
Director: Andreas Homoki, Michael Beyer
Video Format: 16:9 NTSC
Sound Format: PCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1, dts 5.1
Language: Italian
Subtitles: German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean
Region: All Regions
Number of Discs: 1
Studio: Accentus Music
DVD Release Date: June 25, 2021
Run Time: 140 minutes

Intrigue, family tragedies, power struggles – these words aptly describe Verdi’s opera Simon Boccanegra. The composer himself once said, “The piece is dark because it has to be, but it is gripping.”

The opera has been experiencing a renaissance at the world’s great opera houses in recent years. In December 2020, Andreas Homoki’s new production premiered at the Opernhaus Zürich. Christian Gerhaher made his celebrated role debut as Simon Boccanegra – due to the pandemic, only in front of 50 people in the hall and with the orchestra placed in the rehearsal room at Kreuzplatz, a kilometer away. But the opera was also broadcast live on TV, directed by Michael Beyer.

The critics raved: “One experiences facial expressions and gestures almost up close, realizing only in the close-up how involved the protagonists are in the action down to every blink of an eye.” (FAZ)

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