Verdi's Simon Boccanegra
Fabio Luisi (conductor), Jetske Mijnssen (stage director) — With George Petean (Simon Boccanegra), Federica Lombardi (Amelia Grimaldi), Georg Zeppenfeld (Jacopo Fiesco) …
Cast
Jetske Mijnssen — Stage director
Etienne Pluss — Stage sets
Hannah Clark — Costumes
Valerio Tiberi — Lighting
Jean-François Kessler — Movement director
Laura Roling — Dramaturgy
George Petean — Simon Boccanegra
Federica Lombardi — Amelia Grimaldi
Program notes
"Everything about this production is fresh and wonderful," raves Bachtrack in a five-star review of the Dutch National Opera's 2026 staging of Verdi's masterpiece Simon Boccanegra. In this tale inspired by historical events, the plebeian sailor Simon Boccanegra becomes the first elected doge of Genoa just as he loses the woman he loves and their illegitimate daughter — or so he thinks. 25 years later, his long-lost daughter Amelia, unaware of her true parentage, wants to marry Gabriele, who is unknowingly plotting against the father of the woman he loves…
Soprano Federica Lombardi is "absolutely radiant" in "Verdi's most luminous role" of Amelia, joined by a "glorious" Riccardo Massi as Gabriele and George Petean as Boccanegra, who finds "a different tone color… with each new discovery about his situation." While the vocal lineup dazzles onstage, Fabio Luisi and the world-renowned Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra "find every contour in Verdi's characteristically rich dramatic texture."
Photo © Ben van Duin
