Un bel dì vedremo the arrival of Pinkerton's ship, but it proves to be her last; Butterfly learns that Pinkerton has married another woman, and at the end of the opera the distraught Butterfly takes her own life. "Un bel dì vedremo" is especially significant as it appeals to audiences with its emotive melody but also encapsulates the tragedy at the heart of the opera, foretelling Cio-Cio San's inevitable demise. The aria was first performed by the well-known soprano Rosina Storchio at the premiere of "Madama Butterfly" on 17 February 1904 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. In the revised version of the
Maria Maksakova Jr. de Perles" by Georges Bizet), among others. In 2002 Maksakova was among the Yelena Obraztsova Young opera singers competition's winners and a year later she joined the Bolshoi as a guest soloist, appearing as Oscar ("Un ballo in maschera" by Giuseppe Verdi) and Musetta ("La Boheme" by Giacomo Puccini). In 2006 she joined the Moscow Helikon-Opera and there appeared as The Princess in Antonín Dvořák's "Rusalka", Rosina in "II Barbiere di Siviglia", Susanna in Mozart's "Le nozze di Figaro" and others. In 2011 Maksakova joined the Mariinsky Opera Company where she sings Dorabella ("Cosi fan tutte"), Cherubino ("Le nozze di