Simon Boccanegra

By Giuseppe Verdi
Lyric Opera of Chicago

How do I say this? I've seen Thomas Hampson a solid number of times. He shows up for major parts in big productions with a big cast. And, he gives a good, solid performance. His voice is certainly nice. He does everything asked of him. And, when I'm listening to him - I can almost see him go to the bank after the evening is over and deposit his paycheck with a nice, big smile on his face. He's cashing in on good fortune and hard work, but I never the sense that he absolutely loves what he does. He does it because he can. And, you call him when you want a nice, well-known name and someone who is going to show up and get the job done.

Fortunately, I've never seen anything but surrounded by other very good opera singers. The payroll is usually relatively steep, in general, on nights he sings. Simon Boccanegra was no exception.

Thomas Hampson comes out and he sings and I remember he's actually a very good singer. So, this is going well.

And, then he is followed by a very big aria of the evening performed by Ferruccio Furlanetto, a lament for his dead daughter. It's surprising to have something this heavy-hitting in the beginning of the opera, different from Don Carlo, say - where the major lament is much farther on in the opera. 

So, the tone is set. We are going to have strong masculine voices throughout the opera. It is weighted towards deeper male voices, with a splash of tenor and soprano.

The story is, I think - awkward. It is political but not necessarily relevant for all political times, with a small hint of romance and strong bit of filial love and some class warfare thrown in for good measure. The story is a starter in prohibiting it from being a favorite opera. The balance of voices would also probably be a slight dis-qualifier, although I am a huge fan of Siegfried. So, that's not it - exactly. I think this is an opera you would want to see every 10 years or so, not necessarily more often than that.

I think the enjoyable part of the opera, the hook - is seeing a rivalry of equals. When rivals are equally matched, and in this case they are and they have different strengths, we are interested. So, you get two superstar singers in the part and this opera is dramatically interesting.

This production was a solid offering. It wasn't new or cutting edge or a fresh look at an old story, but it was a solid hit and a reasonable addition to Lyric's season.