Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
Paolo and Pietro, leaders of the plebeian party, conspire to overthrow the aristocracy. They name the popular former pirate Simon Boccanegra as their candidate for the office of doge, the chief magistrate of the republic. Boccanegra accepts, hoping that his position will enable him to marry Maria. Her father, the patrician Fiesco, keeps her prisoner because she bore Boccanegra an illegitimate child.
Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, revised by Arrigo Boito, based on the play Simón Bocanegra by Antonio García Gutiérrez
World premiere: Venice, Teatro La Fenice, March 12, 1857
Sung in Italian.
Approximate running time 3 hours and 19 minutes.