Reviews – Simon Boccanegra

“The orchestra not only followed Elder as if by telepathy, it brought out colours - beguilling woodwind solos, authentically Italianate brass, light but incisive string timbres - that you rarely hear in the theatre.”

“The quite outstanding precision and co-ordination of this one-off performance was doubtless the legacy of the Hallé's collaboration with Opera Rara, making a prior recording of this original version in a new edition by Roger Parker. But it also showed the legacy of Elder's magnificent 24-year period at the Hallé, which has restored this great orchestra to the fame it once enjoyed in the halcyon days of John Barbirolli.”

“It was probably one of the greatest triumphs of Elder’s near quarter-century as musical director of the Hallé, with a mainly youthful cast, as perfectly suited to their roles as could be hoped for, singing superbly for him, the Chorus of Opera North and the Royal Northern College of Music Opera Chorus in full voice, the orchestra playing with intensity and idiomatic skill, and it received a deserved standing ovation at its close.”

“Elder, for his part, paced the drama to perfection, dismissing with apparent ease any reservations about the validity of this early version of the opera. This week’s studio recording from the same forces should be well worth looking out for on Opera Rara. ”

“Sir Mark Elder marshalled his vast forces with typically sure-footed panache, drawing burnished, coppery tone from the Hallé strings in particular, and vivid, precise performances from both choruses.”