Verdi: Simon Boccanegra (complete opera recorded in 2010)

"His fitness for the role is undeniable. That noble face, that charismatic presence and powerful body: how well they suit the Doge's office...And camera close-ups reveal Domingo the consummate and generous actor...there's plenty of heat in the gutsy orchestra and Antonio Pappano's loving conducting. And above all else there's Domingo: courageous, still eloquent, an artist in a million." The Times, 3rd December 2010 ****

"Domingo fans who enjoyed, or missed, the great tenor-turned-baritone singing the title role of Verdi's tragic hero will covet this live DVD recording of the Royal Opera's lavish Elijah Moshinsky staging. Includes a backstage documentary element fronted by that telly natural, Antonio Pappano." The Observer, 19th December 2010

"No vocal Tarnhelm has suddenly magicked a different-sounding timbre for this voice: here is, simply, Domingo singing - and evidently enjoying singing - a part that's lower down...the bigger difference between the voices [in the confrontations with Fiesco] permits a greater antagonism of the characters and clarity of text...What we might here cheekily call the supporting cast are strong" Gramophone Magazine DVD of the Month, February 2011

"his musicianship, his intelligence and artistry, his commitment, the still-beauty of his voice and the utter lack of strain required for him to sing this role properly are well in evidence...[Calleja] has a true Italianate ring, it is easy at the top, he acts well and his phrasing is both musical and impassioned...Pappano undestands the dark tint of this opera and plays it for all it is worth" International Record Review, January 2011

"The result is far more than a vanity project...overall [Domingo] makes a remarkably moving and complex creation out of it...Summers is worn but malevolent in his sharply etched portrayal of the venomous Paolo. But the vocal honours go to Joseph Calleja, possessor of one of the loveliest tenor voices around, whose singing as Gabriele Adorno is consistently imaginative and discriminating." BBC Music