Category: News

With two ground-breaking performances of bel canto rarities, three new highly-anticipated recording releases, a revelatory Wigmore Hall concert and a series of engaging events, our forthcoming season of live operatic archaeology celebrates the past made new and features the biggest names in opera alongside exciting emerging talent.

We return to the recording studio in May for one of Donizetti’s experimental Neapolitan works, L’esule di Roma. Our 47^th restoration project, the new critical edition was recently completed by Roger Parker and Ian Schofield and will be our 27^th Donizetti revival. Conducted by our Artistic Director Carlo Rizzi and in partnership with Britten Sinfonia, we will present a concert performance of this milestone opera on 11 May 2023 at Cadogan Hall. The recording and performance features Albina Shagimuratova, Nicola Alaimo and Sergey Romanovsky.

Continuing our exploration of Donizetti’s lesser-known works, in September we will begin a multi-year project to record and perform all of Donizetti’s solo songs. The Donizetti Song Project, under the artistic leadership of Carlo Rizzi and curated by internationally recognised Donizetti scholar Roger Parker, will bring to light the nearly 200 songs by the composer who was the main source of inspiration for Opera Rara’s founders over 53 years ago. With eight new recital recordings by some of the world’s greatest bel canto specialists, the project will also include performances at London’s Wigmore Hall as well as a salon series showcasing exciting emerging talent. Lost to time and circumstance, many of these songs will receive their first performance in modern times.

Tenor Lawrence Brownlee and baritone Etienne Dupuis are joined by Carlo Rizzi at the piano on 9 September 2023 for the first of our Donizetti & Friends concerts at Wigmore Hall. Opera Rara’s Artist Ambassadors Ermonela Jaho and Michael Spyres will each record their own recital albums in 2024, and the recordings and performances will continue through the 2025/26 season. Over the course of the project, we aim to record and perform his entire solo song output, expanding the song repertoire for current and future generations. The Donizetti Song Project is generously supported by the Colwinston Charitable Trust, the Cockayne Grants for the Arts of The London Community Foundation and Opera Rara’s Donizetti Syndicate.

We are pleased to welcome H.E. Inigo Lambertini, Ambassador of Italy to the UK, as Opera Rara’s Donizetti Patron, a new patronage created in the 225^th anniversary year of the composer’s birth. With the intention of further strengthening our relationship with the UK’s vibrant Anglo-Italian community, from 2023 to 2026 Ambassador Lambertini will champion our work of restoring, performing and recording the lost and forgotten masterpieces of one of Italy’s best-known composers.

Ambassador Lambertini states: “I am honored to be named Opera Rara’s Donizetti Patron, particularly in this special year that marks the 225th anniversary of Donizetti’s birth. As the Italian Ambassador to the UK, and an opera lover myself, I am passionate about fostering closer cultural ties between our two countries. Opera Rara’s work to revive and promote the forgotten operatic gems of Donizetti – and of many other outstanding Italian authors – is an important part of that. I look forward to championing their efforts over the next four years and sharing the beauty and richness of Donizetti’s music with the large and passionate UK’s Anglo-Italian community.”

The 2023/24 season sees the releases of three complete opera recordings. The first is the highly-anticipated recording of Mercadante’s Il proscritto. Restored from the autograph manuscript and recorded for the first time ever, it will be released worldwide on 14 April 2023, and features performances by Ramón Vargas, Iván Ayón-Rivas, Irene Roberts, and Elizabeth DeShong with the Britten Sinfonia conducted by Carlo Rizzi. In autumn 2023 we will release our recording of Offenbach’s La Princesse de Trébizonde, the first recording of Jean-Christophe Keck’s critical edition. Anne-Catherine Gillet and Virginie Verrez lead the ensemble cast with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Paul Daniel. The recording of Donizetti’s L’esule di Roma will be released in spring 2024.

Adding to our year of operatic restorations, we are pleased to continue our Salon Concert and Opera Insider series as well as our online events. In June 2023, we partner with the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition to present a set of lunchtime concerts exploring undiscovered bel canto treasures from the Foyle Opera Rara Collection held at the College. Mezzo-soprano Kezia Bienek and tenor Julian Henao Gonzalez are joined by pianist James Southall for concerts in the College’s Dora Stoutzker Hall. This will be paired with an exhibition and public tours of the Collection. Bienek, Henao Gonzalez and Southall will also feature in our London salon concert series later in the year alongside other artists.

Later in 2024, we once again partner with the Hallé for another ground-breaking recording and performance in Manchester. Opera Rara’s former Artistic Director Sir Mark Elder returns to conduct this exciting project. We look forward to sharing information on this and many more discoveries with you throughout the year. We invite you to explore our season and the many ways you can join us on a journey of operatic discovery.

On Friday 17 February, French tenor Loïc Félix returns to London for a concert celebrating the works of Jacques Offenbach at Fidelio Cafe. He is joined by pianist Florent Mourier, and the night includes insightful commentary from Flora Willson, an acknowledged expert in the music of Jacques Offenbach and 19th century French music and senior lecturer at King’s College London. The concert will feature selections from Opera Rara’s rich recording archive including an array from Celebrating Offenbach, Opera Rara Classics’ latest box set which will be released worldwide on the same day. Click here to learn more and to purchase tickets…

PROGRAMME:

Vert-Vert, Overture
Fantasio, ‘Reprenez cet habit mon prince’
La Vie parisienne, ‘Ce que c’est pourtant que la vie’
Maître Peronilla, ‘Pedro le petit bohémien’
La Jolie parfumeuse, ‘Je peins, je crayonne’
Les Deux pêcheurs, ‘Ballade de Castilbêta’
La Belle Lurette, ‘Ce fut à Londres’
La Belle Lurette, ‘Oui, je l’avoue avec fierté’
L’Ile de Tulipatan, ‘Couplets de Canard’

Due to the Royal Mail’s recent cyber incident, we are experiencing major delays with international postal deliveries outside of the UK. Royal Mail are working to resolve this as soon as possible, and shipping has slowly resumed to/from Ireland already.

Royal Mail doesn’t know yet when the traffic will be back to normal; they are currently dispatching parcels sent before 15 January and still refuse new international parcels. We apologize for the inconvenience it causes our customers. If you have questions about your delivery outside of the UK, please contact us at info@opera-rara.com.

On the 225^th anniversary of Donizetti’s birth, Opera Rara are delighted to announce that Ermonela Jaho and Michael Spyres are named as Opera Rara’s Artist Ambassadors.

The new role of Artist Ambassador has been created alongside the role of Honorary Artist Patron, currently held by Renée Fleming. Opera Rara’s Artist Ambassadors work to raise the international profile of the charity, assist in the development of new projects and educational activities and feature in our recording and performance projects.

Henry Little, Chief Executive of Opera Rara said:

“We welcome Ermonela Jaho and Michael Spyres to the new role of Artist Ambassadors. They have both shown a passion for Opera Rara’s work to restore rare and forgotten operas, having both featured on award-winning recordings. It is a part of our mission to work with the world’s greatest artists, and we are grateful for the relationships that have been developed with Ermonela and Michael in the recording studio and on the concert stage. Our artists are a part of the Opera Rara family, and their dedication to Opera Rara’s mission is the backbone of what the company has become known for: sustained artistic excellence. During their period as Artist Ambassadors, Ermonela and Michael will continue their work of sharing operatic rarities with our audiences.”

Michael Spyres states, “Opera Rara is an invaluable institution that has broadened the horizons of the opera world, by rediscovering the great lost works of the past. No other institution has done as much for the world of opera in terms of research, recording, and education than Opera Rara, and we all owe them a debt of gratitude. Countless individuals such as myself have made their careers with the help of Opera Rara, and with your support, a lasting artistic legacy will be possible.”

Ermonela Jaho comments, “I love to work with Opera Rara because they make fabulous operatic discoveries come to life for us all to enjoy. In this noisy world, this beautiful music from the past sings to our inner spirit. I feel that I am a part of a unique family of artists, researchers, and supporters who are passionate about the past made new, and as an Artist Ambassador, I invite you to become a part of the Opera Rara family.”

Ermonela Jaho and Michael Spyres will record solo albums of newly restored songs of Gaetano Donizetti as a part of the Donizetti Song Project, a multi-year programme of recordings and performances to present the complete songs of Gaetano Donizetti. Throughout their time as Artist Ambassadors, audiences in London and abroad will be able to enjoy this new partnership in performances, recordings and educational events.

Based on a poem by Alexander Pushkin, Zingari is a tale of passion, jealousy and crime. Marking Leoncavallo’s return to the verismo style of Pagliacci, this one-act opera showcases rich, colourful orchestral music with powerful choral moments and seductive arias. Krassimira Stoyanova brings life to the beautiful temptress Fleana, who encourages and later rejects the passionate advances of aristocrat Radu, powerfully sung by tenor Arsen Soghomonyan. The American baritone Stephen Gaertner completes the fatal love triangle as Tamar, the brooding poet. Read the rave reviews below and purchase your copy of our latest release HERE…

“Krassimira Stoyanova is tremendous as the fiery Fleana, igniting flames of passion in the gypsy camp. The Bulgarian soprano is in voluptuous voice, yet is always tasteful, with exquisite soft notes. Arsen Soghomonyan is less subtle as her noble lover, Radu, but their duet is excitingly sung. The Armenian tenor excels when Radu realises Tamar is luring his woman away, becoming increasingly unhinged. Stephen Gaertner – a latish replacement for the originally scheduled Carlos Álvarez – lends his firm baritone to the role of Tamar (having sung Cascart in Opera Rara’s 2015 Zazà), while Łukasz Goliński makes the most of his limited opportunities as the gypsy chief. Rizzi is fabulous in this sort of repertoire and he draws committed playing from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.” – Gramophone

“As expert an interpreter of Italian opera as one will find anywhere, conductor Carlo Rizzi seeks out the score’s full potential and his musical forces – the Opera Rara Chorus and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – respond with constant dynamism… Krassimira Stoyanova attacks independent-minded Roma woman Fleana with fearless tone and vocal subtlety. The troubled prince Radu… is ideally personified by Arsen Soghomonyan. Fleana’s original Roma lover is impressively realised by Stephen Gaertner.” – ★★★★★ BBC Music Magazine

“That the performance ultimately comes across as so dramatic and gripping, often with electrifying tension, is also due to the absolutely right sense with which Carlo Rizzi conducts. He spurs his ensemble on to dramatic, powerfully breathed and intense music-making, whereby, in addition to the performances of the soloists, those of the chorus and above all the orchestra, make a positive impression.” – Pizzicato, Supersonic Award

“It is Opera Rara who have done so much for lesser-known Italian repertoire who now present a new recording of Zingari based on Leoncavallo’s original score of 1912… One must start by noting the praiseworthy work of Carlo Rizzi who conducts both a sizeable orchestra and chorus. Arsen Soghomonyan’s lyrical performance as Radu is in keeping with the rest of his colleagues including Stephen Gaertner as Tamar and Łukasz Goliński as Il Vecchio… It is Krassimira Stoyanova however who is likely to catch the listener’s attention the most: her performance as Fleana is a model of assimilation, highly musical and passionate from her opening phrase… an inspiring opera that should be revived.” – Scherzo

“As always, Opera Rara’s performance and accompanying packaging are of the highest quality. Krassimira Stoyanova makes a spirited Fleana, torn between the attentions of Arsen Sogmonyan’s Radu and his baritonal rival Tamar, Stephen Gaertner. Carlo Rizzi conducts a rich-toned Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.” – ★★★★ Financial Times

The BBC World Service followed Opera Rara’s Artistic Director Carlo Rizzi as he revived Mercadante’s Il proscritto after 180 years of neglect.

In the most recent episode of In the Studio, Luke Whitlock journeys with Carlo Rizzi as he prepares Il proscritto to be heard at the Barbican in London, after nearly 200 years of silence.

From collaborating on a new performance edition, heading into the studio to record the opera for commercial release, to journeying to London’s Barbican to rehearse and perform the work before a 21st-century audience, this creative process has been a labour of love.

Listen to the episode here…

Opera Rara and the London Philharmonic Orchestra are pleased to announce that Dame Harriet Walter, the acclaimed British actress best known for her roles in Downton Abbey, Killing Eve, Ted Lasso, Succession and The Crown, will join the cast of Offenbach’s La Princesse de Trébizonde for the performance on Friday 16 September at the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall. Walter will narrate an English adaptation of Offenbach’s original dialogue created by theatre director Jeremy Sams in this one-night-only performance of one of the composer’s funniest, yet little-known works.

Harriet Walter has appeared in over 60 shows on television and has been featured in numerous movies including Sense and Sensibility, The Young Victoria, Rocketman and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. She has received a Laurence Olivier Award and has been nominated for a Tony Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Walter is joined by an ensemble cast of singers including Anne-Catherine Gillet, Virginie Verrez, Christophe Gay, Antoinette Dennefeld, Josh Lovell, Katia Ledoux, Christophe Mortagne and Loïc Félix. Conductor Paul Daniel leads the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Opera Rara Chorus in the UK premiere of the new critical edition of Offenbach’s La Princesse de Trébizonde by Jean-Christophe Keck.

For further information or to book your tickets, please click here…

“Opera Rara holds a unique place in the music world: from last December’s recording of the original 1912 London version of Leoncavallo’s Zingari to our performance of Mercadante’s Il proscritto earlier this week which had not been heard since 1842, it has been, and will continue to be a privilege to lead this special organisation in its ongoing journey of operatic discovery”, said Rizzi.

The restoration and revival of Il proscritto was spearheaded by Rizzi who discovered Mercadante’s original autograph score during the first lockdown of 2020. The Times, which gave the performance at the Barbican on Tuesday night with Britten Sinfonia 5 stars, said: “Il proscritto proved a most worthy rediscovery, especially when singers and musicians generated enough gusto, electricity, and brute force to loosen the Barbican’s foundations. Look out for the forthcoming recording.” Prior to the release of Il proscritto in March 2023, Opera Rara will release Leoncavallo’s Zingari on Friday 23 September.

Carlo Rizzi was appointed Opera Rara’s Artistic Director in 2019 and his new contract, starting today, will extend to June 2025. In addition to maintaining his current commitment to leading Opera Rara’s restoration projects and engaging with friends, followers and supporters through concerts, recording releases, special events and initiatives such as the online “Carlo Talks” series, Rizzi will help the company continue to forge new artistic partnerships and give a platform to emerging operatic talent. Internationally renowned for his interpretations of both famous and lesser-known Italian operas, Donizetti’s oeuvre, which has remained Opera Rara’s heartland for over 50 years, will be a key focus for Rizzi.

“On behalf of the Trustees of Opera Rara, it gives me great pleasure to share this news,” said Charles Alexander CBE, Opera Rara’s Chairman. “In the last three years, Carlo’s dedication to Opera Rara has been inspiring. We are grateful that he has accepted our invitation to work with us for the next three years.”

“I am thrilled that Carlo Rizzi has accepted Opera Rara’s invitation to work with us until 2025,” said Henry Little, Opera Rara’s Chief Executive. “Carlo has been a positive and energetic force within our small team helping us navigate the challenges of the recent years. I look forward to continuing to work with him.”

To learn more about supporting Opera Rara’s work of operatic discovery, please click here.

For the month of June, we’re celebrating Saverio Mercadante. On the 28th of June at the Barbican Hall, Opera Rara return to the works of Mercadante with his Il proscritto, an opera once thought lost that has not been heard since 1842. In celebration of our composer of the month, our recording of Mercadante’s Virginia, a work composed in 1846, is discounted 15%. Follow us on our social media channels for insights into this composer’s works and Opera Rara’s upcoming recording and performance of Mercadante’s Il proscritto.

Born in 1795, Mercadante studied in Naples, attracting the attention of Rossini. His first opera, L’apoteosi d’Ercole, was well received in 1819 at the Teatro San Carlo. Others quickly followed. Having begun in the heyday of Rossini, Mercadante’s career extended well into the middle of Verdi’s. In fact, he was slightly embittered at being eclipsed by Verdi, on whom his music had some influence. He died in 1870, having put his name to close on sixty operas. Read more and see our Mercadante recordings here…