Viotti

“I saw my dad conduct it, though I can’t remember where, when I was 5 years old, and I didn’t know you could die onstage and still live,” Mr. Viotti said in a recent phone interview.

“There’s something here that is beautiful because Daniele worked with my father when they were young,” Mr. Viotti said.

In addition to Mr. Abbado and Mr. Viotti, “Simon Boccanegra” has remained an important opera for many, including the baritone Luca Salsi, 48.

And for the conductor Lorenzo Viotti, 33, the son of the celebrated conductor Marcello Viotti, who died in 2005, the new “Simon Boccanegra” — his first time conducting it — also has a personal connection.

Urgently conducted by Lorenzo Viotti and well sung by a youthful cast, Puccini’s thriller here moves with a swiftness that anticipates the slasher flick.