Bass
World
“As for Michele Pertusi, for this inexhaustible artist only adjectives have been exhausted.
Put it this simply, there are two ways of singing Verdi: his own and the wrong way.”
(Alberto Mattioli on La Stampa about Pagano in I lombardi alla prima crociata at Festival Verdi Parma)
Acclaimed as one of the greatest singers in the present world lyric scene, Michele Pertusi was born in Parma, where he studied piano and singing at the Conservatory “A. Boito”. Then he continued his studies with Arrigo Pola, Carlo Bergonzi and Rodolfo Celletti.
In February 2005 he won the Grammy Award for the Best Opera Recording in the title role of Verdi’s Falstaff, with the London Symphony conducted by Sir Colin Davis (LSO LIVE). In 1995 he was awarded the “Abbiati International Prize”. His recording of Il turco in Italia conducted by Riccardo Chailly for Decca was awarded the Gramophone Award. He has also been the recipient of the Golden Medal as Cultural Benemeritus by the President of the Italian Republic. In 2018 he was awarded the prestigious “Rodolfo Celletti” prize at Festival della Valle d’Itria in Martina Franca.
He collaborated with most of the world leading conductors, including Riccardo Muti, Carlo Maria Giulini, Zubin Metha, Georg Solti, Daniel Barenboim, James Levine, Kazushi Ono, Myung-Whun Chung and Antonio Pappano and he has appeared at the most important opera houses, concert houses and festivals all over the world.
In recent years Michele Pertusi has established himself as a outstanding interpreter of Verdi’s roles such as Filippo II in Don Carlo (Vienna State Opera, Teatro Real Madrid, Festival Verdi, La Scala), Attila (La Scala, La Fenice Venice, Festival Verdi, Opéra de Liege), Pagano in I Lombardi alla prima crociata (Festival Verdi, Monte-Carlo), Sparafucile in Rigoletto (Festival Verdi, Vienna), Fiesco in Simon Boccanegra (Vienna, Turin, Parma), Padre Guardiano in La forza del destino (Liège), Conte Walter in Luisa Miller (Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, Opera di Roma), Da Silva in Ernani (La Scala, Palermo, Venice), Massimiliano in I masnadieri (La Scala, Valencia), Zaccaria in Nabucco (Festival Verdi, Arena di Verona), Banco in Macbeth (Festival Verdi), Procida in Les vêpres siciliennes (Rome), Ramfis in Aida (Arena di Verona), and Messa da Requiem under the baton, among others, of Riccardo Chailly, Zubin Metha, Myung-Whun Chung, Daniele Gatti.
Refined and outstanding interpreter of Rossini’s roles, Michele Pertusi is a regular guest of Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, where he made his debut in 1992 as Assur in Semiramide, followed by Moïse et Pharaon, Maometto II, Guillaume Tell, Il viaggio a Reims, Le siège de Corinthe, Torvaldo e Dorliska, La gazza ladra and Il barbiere di Siviglia. For his achievements at ROF, he was awarded the “Rossini d’oro” Prize.
His discography includes, among others, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, Stabat Mater, Cantata per Pio IX and La Cenerentola conducted by Riccardo Chailly (Decca), Don Giovanni and Così fan tutte conducted by Georg Solti (Decca), Le nozze di Figaro under Zubin Mehta’s baton (Sony), Semiramide and Maometto II (Ricordi), Don Giovanni conducted by Daniel Barenboim (Erato), La damnation de Faust and Falstaff conducted by Colin Davis (LSO live).
LATEST PERFORMANCES: La forza del destino at Opéra de Lyon; Verdi’s Messa da Requiem with Staatskapelle Dresden conducted by Daniele Gatti; Petite Messe Solennelle with Daniele Gatti at Teatro alla Scala; Simon Boccanegra at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma with Michele Mariotti and at Teatro San Carlo di Napoli; Mosè in Egitto in Modena and in Piacenza; Macbeth at Festival Verdi Parma; Turandot at Teatro La Fenice Venice; Il barbiere di Siviglia at Rossini Opera Festival Pesaro; Turandot at La Monnaie Brussels; Verdi’s Messa da Requiem at Salzburg Easter Festival with Antonio Pappano and Accademia di Santa Cecilia; Don Pasquale in Hamburg, in Tokyo and at Vienna State Opera; Guglielmo Tell with Michele Mariotti and Don Carlo, season opening with Riccardo Chailly, at Teatro alla Scala; Nabucco at Arena di Verona.
FORTHCOMING PROJECTS: Verdi’s Messa da Requiem at Maggio Musicale Fiorentino with Zubin Mehta; Attila at Teatro La Fenice Venice; Norma at Teatro alla Scala; La forza del destino at Aix-en-Provence Festival; Turandot at Puccini Festivalin Torre del Lago; recital at Rossini Opera Festival; La forza del destino at Opernhaus Zurich; Nabucco at Teatro San Carlo di Napoli and at La Scala; Lucia di Lammermoor at Opéra du Capitole de Toulouse and at La Scala
