First studio recording of Verdi’s 1857 version of Simon Boccanegra Reviewed

Only released last week (Friday 21 March), reviews for our latest release – the first studio recording of the 1857 version of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra – have been coming in thick and fast! It was also chosen as Presto Music’s Recording of the Week on release day.

Sample a selection of the reviews below and head over to this page here to find out how you can purchase the album which is also available on all the usual streaming platforms: https://opera-rara.com/shopcatalogue/verdi-simon-boccanegra-original-1857-version

And! Until 27 April, in collaboration with Gramophone, Opera Rara followers can sign up for free access to the digital edition of the April issue of the magazine to read the feature on Simon Boccanegra featuring interviews with Roger Parker, Henry Little, Germán Enrique Alcántara and Iván Ayón-Rivas: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8252961/Opera-Rara-Free-access-Gramophone-s-April-issue

This new recording is on another level entirely, with a compelling cast, an orchestra in full glory and a chorus alive to every dramatic moment… it also captures one of the great achievements of Sir Mark Elder’s tenure at the Hallé… Germán Enrique Alcántara makes a wonderful impression in the title role… Eri Nakamura’s Amelia… with the silky flexibility of her voice and her moving, expressive performance are a joy. Iván Ayón-Rivas is a stirring Gabriele, William Thomas a fine Fiesco – and with none of the other singers a weak link, it’s an all-round striking display of excellence… Limelight, Editor’s Choice

All lovers of Verdi will relish this excellent studio recording of the first version of Simon Boccanegra… it is the Hallé that is as much of a star of the show as many of the principals… The Chorus of Opera North, plus tenors and basses of the RNCM, are as full-throated as one could wish… He is a bereaved lover, a tender father, a strong-willed leader and, at the last, a dying man yearning for his old life as a corsair. Alcántara is utterly convincing in all these aspects of his role…. Mark Elder… conducts a performance of such vitality that I kept expecting applause. Gramophone, Editor’s Choice

Baritone Germán Enrique Alcántara takes on the role of Simon with conviction, young Eri Nakamura is moving with an adolescent fragility… Special mention goes to bass William Thomas, a Fiesco of understated authority. This release is not to be overlooked. Opéra magazine

Exceptional vocal performances from Argentinean baritone Germán Enrique Alcántara in the title role, rising bass William Thomas as his foe Jacopo Fiesco and Peruvian tenor Iván Ayón-Rivas as his enemy turned supporter. BBC Music Magazine

The strength of this performance from Mark Elder and the Hallé is the way everything comes off the page with such vigour and immediacy, you believe in it from beginning to end. Especially remarkable is that two of the leads I gather were late replacements, and it’s a fairly young cast… Germán Enrique Alcántara is singing his first major Verdi role as the Doge, and his final scene with William Thomas as his adversary Fiesco in Act III is a marvellous piece of theatre. BBC Radio 3 Record Review, Record of the Week

Germán Enrique Alcántara portrays a firm-voiced Simon… Iván Ayón-Rivas as Gabriele deploys a radiant voice with triumphant high notes… Eri Nakamura gives great depth to this strong character notably in the scene where she describes her abduction. One of the most interesting voices in this recording is young bass William Thomas as Fiesco: a bronze-toned voice full of nobility, whose colouring recalls the great Ghiaurov… let’s hope this artist garners attention for his magnificent voice, which is still blossoming – and which embodies a truly moving Fiesco. The double chorus and orchestra provide a nearly ideal setting for this fine cast… Forum Opéra

Germán Enrique Alcántara is a magnificent Simon. His softly grained, malleable voice sidesteps declamatory pitfalls, speckling the line with affable pathos… Eri Nakamura and Iván Ayón-Rivas are superb as Amelia and Gabriele Adorno. Ayón-Rivas’ rock-solid, bronze-coloured middle register invites comparison to a younger Plácido Domingo, while Nakamura melds the bel canto style of Sì, sì dell’ara il giubilo with profusions of finely spun lyricism. But the real standout is William Thomas whose Fiesco may quite simply be the best in recent memory. He phrases generously, much like Nicola Ghiaurov… OperaWire

Not only does the present recording, conducted by Mark Elder, make the original Simon Boccanegra accessible, the performance itself is riveting with idiomatic orchestral playing for the epoch of the work… The two choirs (Chorus of Opera North and Royal Northern College of Music Opera Chorus) and the soloists are absolutely committed… MusicWeb International     

For all lovers of 19th-century opera, this is now the version of the original Simon Boccanegra to have; it will afford hours of absorbing listening. The greater stylistic consistency and compelling drama of this version are thoroughly convincing. EuropaDisc

With Sir Mark Elder, Opera Rara has found a conductor for this production who brings a new freshness, passion and fire to Verdi’s music. The Argentinian baritone Germán Enrique Alcántara sings the title role with absolute aplomb, a great, multi-faceted voice and plenty of dramatic power. The Japanese soprano Eri Nakamura shines as Amelia with a beautifully pure soprano voice, full of warmth and color, and gripping expressiveness. The role of Gabriele Adorno is sung by Peruvian tenor Iván Ayón-Rivas, a tenor with an outstanding heroic timbre who is able to express his emotional outbursts without restraint. The British bass William Thomas shines as Jacopo Fiesco with a strong and secure bass voice. This opera recording is an all-round success, with an excellent cast, magnificent orchestral sound and convincing choral singing. Pizzicato

This new recording is not just remarkable but even unique, in a way representing the first modern performance of a score that Verdi himself had once withdrawn… Elder draws not only an immense richness of colour from The Hallé but also a strong dramatic force. From the very first bars of the preludio composed in 1857 to Boccanegra’s death scene, the entire performance is one long, electrifying musical gem—Italian operatic drama of the highest order, with a wealth of nuances and phrasing… When it comes to timbre, vocal colours, nuances, and conveying emotions, this young Argentine baritone [Germán Enrique Alcántara] delivers an interpretation that many seasoned singers would envy!… Iván Ayón-Rivas once again proves to be an outstanding singer… The full sound of the recording is a delight, and the presentation is as elegant, clear, and solid as we have come to expect from Opera Rara. Opus Klassiek      

Mark Elder conducts with his customary superb attention to detail. He is not one to rush a phrase, but at the same time manages to keep musical tension. The Hallé plays magnificently, and the two choruses are also excellent… Germán Enrique Alcántara was a stand‑in for the title role and proves most impressive. His baritone is youthful and rich, the phrasing long and with a great range of colours. Act II shows him at his very best, when Boccanegra falls into a reverie from which he bursts with thrilling tone before leading the trio that ends the act. It is a most impressive assumption. Alcántara is up against a formidable Fiesco in William Thomas, whose bass also has the bloom of youth and a suave resonance reminiscent of Nicolai Ghiaurov (and I know no higher praise). ConcertoNet      

With his long operatic experience, Sir Mark Elder conducts a scrupulously prepared performance cast with young voices. Germán Enrique Alcántara has the right grit and authority for the plebiaen Doge of Genoa Boccanegra… Iván Ayón-Rivas is convincing as the Genoese nobleman Gabriele Adorno and William Thomas belies his youth as aristocrat Jacopo Fiesco. Financial Times

You know you’re in for something special with the prelude’s stabbing opening chords: an early sign that Elder knows exactly how to generate tension… The singers, also deliver the goods. Germán Enrique Alcántara’s flexible baritone easily weathers the hero’s switches from corsair to patrician to tender father, while Eri Nakamura, as Boccanegra’s long-lost daughter, makes beautiful sounds in a score with relatively few set arias. Meanwhile, Iván Ayón-Rivas’s impassioned tenor voice finds perfect home in the role of Gabriele… The Chorus of Opera North and RNCM Opera Chorus contribute with gusto, helped along by spatial separations that impart stage atmosphere to this vivid recording… this splendid resurrection of the original can’t be ignored. The Times

At the heart of it all is the Argentinian baritone Germán Enrique Alcántara, who stepped into the project at very short notice to make his recording-debut and first appearance in a major Verdi role. It sounds like Boccanegra has been in his repertoire for years: no nuance is lost on him (the recognition-scene with his daughter and his eventual death-throes will make your eyes prickle), and the high tessitura of the role holds no terrors. Let’s hear more from him on record as soon as possible. Presto Music, Recording of the Week

The casting of the four main roles is particularly striking: Argentinian baritone Germán Enrique Alcántara lends the title role a darkly velvety fullness; Japanese soprano Eri Nakamura, though vocally fragile, brings passionate intensity to Amelia; Peruvian spinto tenor Iván Ayón-Rivas is a robust and powerful Gabriele, her lover; and British bass William Thomas, with a timbre reminiscent of Ghiaurov, is an imposing Fiesco. Their performances do more than just convince – they are bound to make any opera lover’s heart beat faster. In the supporting roles, Sergio Vitale (Paolo Albiani), David Shipley (Pietro), and Beth Moxon (Amelia’s maid) deliver solid performances. Online Merker

Sir Mark Elder conducts with great fluidity and care in volumes a very light-sounding orchestra and chorus in a score without the evident drama of the revision. The 1857 vocals are more bel canto and high in the baritone roles of Simon and Paolo. Germán Enrique Alcántara (Simon) sings with flexibility and good phrasing… Lyric soprano Eri Nakamura’s Maria/Amelia reflects a brighter part in the middle and high than in 1881. Tenor Iván Ayón-Rivas (Gabriele) shows good projection and a velvety middle with ease in the high. Baritone Sergio Vitale is an attractive Paolo in interpretation and technique. Opéra Actual