When Simon Boccanegra is elected Doge of the City of Genoa, it seems to offer the opportunity of reconciliation between the Patricians and the Plebeians. But he becomes entangled in family tragedies and power plays. Simon Boccanegra is Verdi’s most sombre work, yet enthralling with its strong drive to love and freedom. To unveil the moving score, the Orchestre Dijon Bourgogne is joined by Verdi specialist Roberto Rizzi Brignoli, who is known for an intimiate and precise knowledge of the Italian master’s style.
Il palazzo incantato
Il palazzo incantato (The Enchanted Palace) by Luigi Rossi (1597-1653) has not been performed since its premiere in 1642. In Dijon, Leonardo García Alarcón and Fabrice Murgia bring back to life this unique work with singers, dancers and comedians. The libretto was written by Giulio Rospigliosi, who would later become Pope Clement IX. It is an adaptation of Ariosto’s Orlando furioso, a chivalric epic considered one of the great masterpieces of Italian literature and set to music by numerous other composers like Handel and Vivaldi as well. “A remarkable work of intelligence, and powerfully poetic” (Le Monde).