Sliding marble walls, a mosaic-like fl oor, a leafless tree centre-stage, elegant costumes – with its young cast and a superlative performance by Roberto Frontali as Simon Boccanegra, this production has all the ingredients to leave a lasting impression. The Italian baritone is a regular guest at the world’s major opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala Milan, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Zurich Opera House, the Staatsoper Berlin and Dresden’s Semperoper. Born in 1979 and already principal conductor in Bologna, Michele Mariotti directs the ensemble in a bravura performance. Simon Boccanegra is perhaps not one of Verdi’s best-known operas. The composer himself returned to revise the work on several occasions. The original opera was premiered in Venice in 1857, this revised version not until 1881. Although never considered one of Verdi’s crowd pullers, it remains one of the composer’s most beautiful creations. Verdi’s music underpins this human drama in all its surprising twists and turns … – This captivating performance of the opera is now available on DVD.