On December 10, 2017 Saimir Pirgu will make his debut as Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at the Zurich Opera, in a new production by Ted Huffman under the musical direction of Maestro Daniele Rustioni, the first of a series of eleven performances running through January 10, 2018. He will share the stage with Svetlana Aksenova in the title role, Brian Mulligan as Sharpless and Judith Schmid as Suzuki.

Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton is the fourth Puccini role that Saimir Pirgu is adding to his repertoire. At the beginning of his career he sang Edmondo in Manon Lescaut in a new production at the Wiener Staatsoper. As Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi he could be heard at many of the most prestigious opera stages, such as the Metropolitan Opera for his 2009 Met debut, the Los Angeles Opera in a new production by Woody Allen, the Paris Opéra Bastille and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. Rodolfo in La bohème is one of the most important roles of the tenor’s current repertoire that has recently led him to the Gran Teatre del Liceu and the Washington National Opera.

After this Madama Butterfly, Saimir Pirgu’s 2017/2018 schedule includes the reprise of familiar roles such as Roméo in Roméo et Juliette at the Grand Teatre del Liceu Barcelona, Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore at the New National Theatre Tokyo, Duca di Mantova in Rigoletto at the Bavarian State Opera Munich and the soloist tenor part in Verdi’s Messa da Requiem at the Halle aux Grains Toulouse.

Information about Madama Butterfly at the Zurich Opera:

Cio-Cio-San: Svetlana Aksenova; Suzuki: Judith Schmid; Pinkerton: Saimir Pirgu; Sharpless: Brian Mulligan; Goro: Martin Zysset; Yamadori: Huw Montague Rendall; Bonzo: Ildo Song; Il commissario imperiale: Stanislav Vorobyov; Kate Pinkerton: Natalia Tanasii

Daniele Rustioni (conductor); Ted Huffman (Stage director)

Performances: December 10, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 2017; January 5, 7, 10, 2018

[Photo by Fadil Berisha]