Cast & Characters

The Cast

Conductor: James Levine
Amelia Grimaldi: Arianne Pieczonka
Gabriele Adorno: Marcello Giordani
Simon Boccanegra: Plácido Domingo
Jacopo Fiesco: James Morris

The Characters

Amelia Grimaldi (soprano): Originally named Maria after her mother, Amelia is Simon Boccanegra’s long lost daughter. She was adopted by the Grimaldi family to be their heir, and is Fiesco’s ward. Her true identity as a Boccanegra is not revealed until the middle of the opera.

Gabriele Adorno (tenor): A young, passionate nobleman who is initially aligned with Jacopo Fiesco in an attempt to overthrow the Doge. He is in love with Amelia Grimaldi.

Simon Boccanegra (baritone): A seafaring hero and Plebeian who becomes Doge of Genoa. He fathered an illegitimate child—Amelia— with Fiesco’s daughter.

Paolo Albiani (baritone): Formerly the political leader of the Plebeian Party, Paolo chooses Simon Boccanegra as the candidate for Doge of Genoa. He becomes a manipulative courtier in the service of the Doge and the Plebeian party.

Pietro (baritone): A leader in the Plebeian party who chooses Simon Boccanegra as the candidate for Doge of Genoa.

Jacopo Fiesco (bass): A Patrician. He forbids his daughter, Maria, to marry Simon Boccanegra and imprisons her in his palace where she dies of a broken heart. He disguises himself as a nobleman named Andrea, plotting revenge on Simon.