SAIMIR PIRGU TO MAKE HIS AUSTRALIAN DEBUT AS SHEPHERD IN KAROL SZYMANOWSKI’S KRÓL ROGER AT THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

On January 20, 2017 Saimir Pirgu makes his Australian debut as Shepherd in the premiere of Karol Szymanowski’s Król Roger at the Sydney Opera House in a Kasper Holten production conducted by Andrea Molino.

Pirgu debuted the role in this very same production when it was first unveiled at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in 2015 to unanimously enthusiastic reviews by the international press. The DVD/Blu-Ray of the production has won a nomination for Best Opera Recording at the 2017 Grammy Awards.

Recent successes of the Albanian born and Italian naturalized tenor include Rigoletto at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, La traviata at The Metropolitan Opera New York, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and the Berlin Staatsoper, his first Riccardo in Un ballo in maschera in Tel Aviv conducted by Zubin Mehta, L’elisir d’amore at the Vienna State Opera and at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, The Magic Flute at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, La clemenza di Tito at the Opéra National de Paris, Rigoletto at the Arena di Verona, Verdi’s Messa da Requiem at the Salzburg Festival, at the Musikverein in Vienna, at the Bayerische Rundfunks in Munich and at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. In 2016 Pirgu also embarked in a world tour to promote his solo CD “Il mio canto” (Opus Arte).

Information about Król Roger at the Sydney Opera House:

Michael Honeyman (King Roger), Lorina Gore (Roxana), Saimir Pirgu (Shepherd), James Egglestone (Edrisi), Dominica Matthews (Deaconess), Gennadi Dubinsky (Archiereios).

Andrea Molino (conductor), Kaspar Holten (director)

Performances: January 20, 28, 31; February 2, 4, 8, 11, 15, 2017

[Photo by Keith Saunders]