A night at the Opera...

while OLY medals were won, or not,

I was sitting in the dark watching The Met's Simulcast Encore of

Verdi's SIMON BOCCANEGRA.

Domingo as Boccanegra

The various acts' scenery very dark, probably hard to light properly for recording.

Scene form the prologue when Simon B. is suggested and voted in as the new Doge.

Even the garden scene seemed to take place at dusk, rather than daylight under a Mediterranean sun.

But the splendor of the period costumes abounding in rich brocades, furs (could NOT tell if real or fake, so PETA please don't get on my case just yet!), glittering jewels and sparkly embroidery made up for the dark.

It was another milestone for the world's beloved tenor, turned conductor, turned opera magnate, Placido Domingo. Five decades into a legendary Met career, Plácido Domingo makes history singing the baritone title role - at times sounding rather tenorial in it ;-)! But overall impressive.
Briefly: Simon Boccanegra, is a gripping political thriller about a father and his lost daughter. The highlights are without doubt, the recognition scenes involving father and daughter, father and grandfather, grandfather and daughter IF movingly sung. But the opera really lives or dies with the thrilling Council Chamber scene, in which the Doge brings about a reconciliation between warring Plebes and Patricians. In which Domingo excelled. Comparisons to 'modern' life politicians such as Mandela, are, IMO, a bit thin. However that IS up to the beholder!

In the cast were, still a, tenor Marcello Giordani, stentorian and yet at times rather lyric as the love interest 'Gabrielle Adorno'; soprano Adrianne Pieczonka, the object of love (manly and fatherly) as 'Amelia/Maria' with lovely sound and a respectable range quite suited to the role;

Bass James Morris, 'Fiesco', as father of Maria, Simon's love and mother of child Maria/Amelia), grandfather (unbeknownst to him until the last minute) of Maria/Amelia, co-conspirator with Adorno, and arch enemy to Boccanegra, who, well, sang and acted 'nobly'! IMO, in the prologue, he seemed a bit 'rusty' with a fairly strong vibrato, which, after having warmed up, later was not there anymore.

Domingo is a relentless singing, acting, conducting, directing or managing machine!

At 69, he is constantly challenging himself to out-do himself, because there simply aren't many more grand singers, conductors, managers or directors, to out-do left ;-)! He takes on this baritone role, after having taken on Heldentenor roles in the past, and plans to do more in the baritone Fach, except perhaps for such villains as Iago in Verdi's 'Otello'. Domingo shines in magisterial - royal roles, tenor or baritone, such as this.

Which, given his age, seem more suited now than portraying the ardent young lovers of the tenor Fach. As a matter of fact, he did seem to have some trouble rising from his knees in the prologue when, per libretto, he portrays a young pirate ;-)!

However, in the death scene, and yes, my friends it was a protracted one, undoubtedly due to the slow acting poison he had ingested much earlier ;-), he collapsed, raised and collapsed and raised himself to lounging positions without too much help by his 'daughter, her lover/husband and even his ex-arch enemy, turned admirer,Fiesco.

This said, it was a sumptuous production, the 'council chamber of the Genovese ruler' boasted a marvellous reproduction of "original ? "ceiling paintings so beloved by the Italian ruling classes. The orchestra under the baton of James Levine played heroically, minor roles and chorus did well.