Giuseppe Verdi’s 1857 opera, “Simon Boccanegra”, about the Genoese doge who in the 14th century strove for settlement and peace – an allegory for Italy’s modern battle for freedom -was unsuccessful. It was not until 24 years later that he was able to produce a new version together with his librettist, Arrigo Boito, who made the plot more appealing to the audience. But it is primarily in the music that Verdi now dares to pursue new avenues which although had already been established, are now to be consistently followed: arias and recitatives are replaced by a style of declamation that pervades the entire work. The orchestra too is ennobled from an accompanying ensemble to a commentarial one. In the production of the second version by Peter Stein, one of the biggest theatre directors of the 20th century, the production becomes a rediscovery of this opera. Claudio Abbado competently conducts the soloists and the choir and orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and yields an extraordinary sound.