5 Star Reviews for Simon Boccanegra

Our revival of the original 1857 version of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra last week in Manchester has received 5 stars from many of the UK’s leading classical music and opera critics. Read some of the quotes below:

It was delivered by the superbly prepared Hallé Orchestra, the rampant Opera North chorus, dozens of students from the Royal Northern College of Music and an exceptional cast under the direction of Mark Elder. He still has a few weeks left of his 24-year reign at the Hallé, but this Boccanegra was surely a crowning glory… The soloists too brought the story to life — none better than the young Argentinian baritone Germán Enrique Alcántara in the title role: a beautifully suave timbre and volatility to go with it. A young tenor, Iván Ayón-Rivas, was thrillingly ardent as her lover Adorno, and William Thomas’s imposing bass ideal for Fiesco. The Times

The result was a triumph with a standing ovation… Eri Nakmura’s Amelia had no trouble standing out with her shining brilliance and total security… the tenor Iván Ayón-Rivas as Gabriele rang out ardently in his love for Amelia while at the bottom of the range William Thomas plumbed the depths as Fiesco, Sergio Vitale was a cool Paolo Albiani, and Germán Enrique Alcántara as Boccanegra himself was magnificently drawn as a tortured man who sings that fire burns through his veins and finally consumes him… The Daily Telegraph

If ever more evidence were needed of Sir Mark Elder’s untiring zest for exploration and love of the thrill of live opera performance, it was this ground-breaking collaborative event with Opera Rara – a performance coupled to a new studio recording of the original version of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra… And this is where one must pay tribute to the star qualities of this remarkable cast, beginning with Eri Nakamura as Amelia. She despatched that ending with fire and brilliance of rare quality and brought the house down. Boccanegra himself, Argentinian baritone Germán Enrique Alcántara was equally adept at portraying his pirate-turned-statesman-and-devoted-father role in all its aspects, and his voice quality is rich and multi-faceted. Iván Ayón-Rivas was Gabriele Adorno, Amelia’s lover – an ardent tenor of superb timbre for a young hero and capable of expressing fury, passion and despair.
The Arts Desk

Entirely unsurprisingly, though, this superb performance joins the esteemed ranks of some memorable evenings over the years… Leading an unwaveringly strong cast was Argentinian baritone Germán Enrique Alcántara in the title role. He traced a remarkable character development through the evening, from rapturous reunion with long-lost daughter Amelia in Act 1, culminating in an exquisitely tender blessing of her wedding from his deathbed. Eri Nakamura’s Amelia was elegantly sung with fine control throughout her range… Elder, for his part, paced the drama to perfection, dismissing with apparent ease any reservations about the validity of this early version of the opera. Bachtrack     

What stands out though in the memory is just how well the voices blend and contend in a work which does not seek to enthrone solo display… It is good to know that a recording of this fine ensemble will be forthcoming on the Opera Rara label, and I would thoroughly recommend it on the basis of this evening. It is hard to see how a better case could be made for this version of the opera. Plays To See

Stepping in at relatively short notice to replace the previously announced Nicola Alaimo, Alcántara gave a hugely commanding performance as Boccanegra and demonstrated a gloriously rich voice, elegance and real star charisma. Nakamura (again stepping in to replace Eleonora Buratto) sang beautifully and was given a fine opportunity to showcase that wonderfully pure soprano voice – full of warmth and colour – working beautifully with Ayón-Rivas, surely one of the finest and most exciting young tenors singing today. Outstanding work too from fellow rising star Thomas who showcased a strong and assured bass voice… A thrilling night of extraordinary music and vocal performances with Elder demonstrating an absolute mastery of control, leading the magnificent orchestra and Chorus of Opera North in a truly outstanding performance of Verdi’s dramatic and richly detailed score. The Arts Shelf