Before the final, 1921 version of La rondine there was... the Donizetti Song Project, L'esule di Roma, Il proscritto, Zingari, and of course Écho and Espoir. Listen to Carlo Rizzi's WFMT Classical interview broadcast first on Saturday here: ow.ly/7EUz50XJL1I

Our Artist of the Day is baritone Stephen Gaertner - he's been a key figure in our work in verismo opera appearing in both our Leoncavallo revivals: Zazà and Zingari. Thank you to Stephen for sending us these messages for us to share with the world 🎵

We had the pleasure of working with Elizabeth DeShong for the first time in 2022 for Mercadante’s Il proscritto. Together, we made the first ever recording of the work in operatic history. Thank you Elizabeth for sharing this thoughtful message with us 🎶

Happy to share more reviews this afternoon for our revival of the final, 1921 version of Puccini's La rondine from ConcertoNet, Opera Today and @bachtrack.com 🙌 If you were at the performance, we'd love to get your feedback too: opera-rara.com/about-us/sur... @joannaharries.bsky.social

Voted amongst the Best Albums of the Year by Gramophone and @prestomusic.bsky.social, Sergio Vitale was our Paolo Albiani in our revival of the original, 1857 version of Verdi's Simon Boccanegra. Thank you Sergio for your birthday wishes!

To celebrate our 55th anniversary, we asked members of our artist family to send in videos for us to share over the Advent period. We start with the wonderful Katia Ledoux, who we'll be working with for the third time next year for Offenbach's Barkouf! Thank you Katia 🙏

A reminder that... our Winter Sales are live with 25% off selected boxsets and all digital downloads until 1 February 2026. If you want to order before Christmas though, our last shipping date is next Monday 15 December‼️ 🎼 opera-rara.com/shopcatalogue

The first reviews are in of our revival last Friday of the final, 1921 version of Puccini's La rondine led by our Artistic Director Carlo Rizzi at the Barbican with the BBC Symphony Orchestra 🎶 Thank you to the critics from The Times, The Guardian and Plays To See for joining us 🙏 More to follow!

Ermonela Jaho gives a tragic twist to Puccini's La rondine @operarara.bsky.social ✍️ Peter Quantrill bachtrack.com/review-pucci...

'It's one of my dreams, to have a 💿 where I know that my voice will be there in an opera... and to be leaving a little bit of Colombia in recording history' - Julieth Lozano Rolong @biggive.bsky.social Help us make more singers' dreams come true in the years to come: youtube.com/watch?v=HToEaX…

We were delighted when Welsh soprano Jessica Robinson agreed to return to work with us to make her first recording as part of our revival of Puccini's La rondine in its final version. Jess talks about her experiences here in her Big Give 2025 interview: ow.ly/5zuR50XBXXV

Still on a high after yesterday's "La Rondine" at the Barbican with @operarara.bsky.social, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Singers and the loveliest cast 🥰 I've had the best time rehearsing and recording with them for the past two weeks! Look out for the recording & broadcast on BBC Radio 3 next year🐦

Iván Ayón-Rivas, only 32, has already made 2 💿 recordings with us in operas by Mercadante ad Verdi. He's now back with us for his first ever Puccini recording as Ruggero in La rondine. Hear his thoughts on the importance of recording in his Big Give 2025 interview here: ow.ly/BU2s50XBhXC

Another teaser excerpt... from the final, 1921 version of Puccini's La rondine. This is the incredible Act 2 quartet featuring Ermonela Jaho, Ellie Neate, Iván Ayón-Rivas and Juan-Francisco Gatell. Carlo Rizzi conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra and BBC Singers See you tonight!

Huge congratulations to Germán Enrique Alcántara for winning @prestomusic.bsky.social's Recording Debut of the Year Award: "Our traditional 'Debut Album' award gets a slight rebrand this year in recognition of the extraordinary big-match temperament displayed by this young Argentinian baritone" 👏

For everyone able to join us at the Barbican Centre tomorrow night, you can access our digital programme via the below link. Want to fully immerse yourself more in the world of Puccini? Why not watch the first episode of our Lives in Song: Puccini podcast too! 🎶 mailchi.mp/bb5b37524390...

Ellie Neate has just finished her first ever recording as Lisette in our revival of the final, 1921 version of Puccini's La rondine. In her Big Give 2025 video interview, she reflects on what she's learnt and how it'll impact the way she approaches future roles. Watch here ➡️ ow.ly/EIIl50XBcSV

We're announcing this afternoon... our next collaboration with @thehalle.bsky.social on 4 October 2026 - the UK premiere of Offenbach's political satire Barkouf, where a 🐕 rules the day. If you're already planning 2026, why not book a trip to Manchester & join us! opera-rara.com/uk-premiere-...

'I love being exposed to and the experience of learning something new, and being able to put your own personal stamp on something...' Reflections from soprano Sarah Dufresne in her Big Give 2025 video interview for us. Her Donizetti song recordings are out now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=60ii...

Deliziosa, deliziosa...! Our recording of Puccini's La Rondine is all finished 🎙️ It's been a truly joyful week recording with @operarara.bsky.social and the BBC Symphony Orchestra at Maida Vale this week. Can't wait for a sold out performance at the Barbican on Friday! 🐦🎵

The curtain has risen on our 2025 Championing Emerging Artists Big Give campaign. From now until next Tuesday 9 December, every donation will be matched - doubling the impact you make for young singers poised to take their first big step into the spotlight. ➡️ donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...

Our Black Friday & Cyber Monday sale must end today! With 50% off selected CD boxsets and 50% off digital downloads 🎶 Complete your collection or give a loved one the gift of rare opera 📷 opera-rara.com/shopcatalogue

Happy Birthday Gaetano Donizetti who was born #OnThisDay in 1797! If you're in Bergamo celebrating at the Donizetti Opera Festival, be sure to stop by at our 2nd Donizetti Brunch tomorrow featuring performances of his songs and ensembles. Explore the programme here 👀 ow.ly/ETrb50XyIq9

Black Friday Sales, a new podcast series on the life of Puccini, two new Donizetti tracks recorded with Sarah Dufresne and our Artistic Director Carlo Rizzi available now, and more... 🎧 Read our November newsletter here ➡️ mailchi.mp/fc4cbd6e2ea7...

This Black Friday, until midnight GMT next Monday 1 December, we're offering 50% off selected CD boxsets 🎶 Complete your collection or give a loved one the gift of rare opera 🎹 Explore our shop here: opera-rara.com/shopcatalogue?

Are you ready to be blown away? Ths time next week, we return to London's Barbican to present the final, 1921 version of Puccini's La rondine. This is a studio clip of Carlo Rizzi conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Ermonela Jaho in Magda's Act 1 aria "Chi il bel sogno di Doretta" ✨

"A recording of historical significance – and a true world premiere on disc – is Meyerbeer’s Dinorah… the performance is right on the mark offering some highly impressive singing." - The New York Times Listen to our November Recording of the Month now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcaK...

First day in the recording studio today with @operarara.bsky.social & thr BBC Symphony Orchestra recording the 1921 version of Puccini's "La Rondine" 🐦 Our concert performance at the Barbican on 5 Dec is almost sold out I think, but definitely worth it if you can get your hands on a ticket!

Introducing today the final three members of our La rondine cast, all of whom we've worked with before and happy to have with us in London again: 🎶 British soprano Ellie Neate as Lisette 🎵 Peruvian tenor Iván Ayón-Rivas as Ruggero 🎼 Italian baritone Nicola Alaimo as Rambaldo

Join us this Friday on our YouTube channel for the launch of our second series of Lives in Song hosted by Flora Willson. This season we turn our focus to the life of Giacomo Puccini. Joining Flora for the first episode is musicologist Ditlev Rindom. More info here ➡️ opera-rara.com/podcast_seri...

A little celebration today of recent nominations & recognitions - International Classical Music Awards nominations, @prestomusic.bsky.social Top 100 Recordings of the Year, Limelight Editor's Choice & Crescendo's Millésime 2025 🎉 Thank you to all the critics who continue to write about our work 🙏 🙏

In October 2024, Germán Enrique Alcántara gave the UK premiere performance of Ana Carrique's song cycle Coplas puntanas (1939) at a recital at the Royal Ballet and Opera A year later, we got to hear 'A Patay huele la luna' from the same cycle for our 55th season launch at Temple Music Foundation

For all you Donizetti lovers out there, we have a special surprise for you! Next Friday, we'll be releasing two bonus tracks recorded with Canadian soprano Sarah Dufresne and our Artistic Director Carlo Rizzi. Watch this space for more info 💡🎶🎧

If you read Ditlev Rindom's Puccini interview, you'll spot that he talks about the role of Prunier being sung by a baritone in Version 2, and a tenor in Version 3 of La rondine. For our 💿 recording, we'll work with both tenor Juan Francisco Gattell (V3) & baritone Mattia Olivieri (V2 appendix) 🎶

'The last thing Puccini actually completed was this third version. In a way it's his final completed score.' Ditlev Rindom spoke with George Hall for Opera Now on our upcoming revival of the final 1921 version of La rondine. Read more here before 5 Dec: www.gramophone.co.uk/opera-now/fe...

"All six singers then featured in a Sunday brunch recital... packed to the gunwales with rarities and premieres, accompanied deftly by Giulio Zappa" - @bachtrack.com @larkingrumple.bsky.social Some pictures from our recent trip to Bergamo for our new collab. with the Donizetti Opera Festival!

On 2 Dec, we'll be launching our 2025 @biggive.bsky.social campaign - Championing Emerging Artists. Over the course of the next few weeks, we'll be speaking to a number of young artists who we've worked with in recent times, and for whom we've offered career-defining launchpads including...

Happy Monday! Here's your ❓of the day - ‘Why has Italian art song been overlooked in the canon?' - watch on to see how our Repertoire Consultant Roger Parker, the great mastermind behind our Donizetti Song Project, answers this question 💡 www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Iad... #AskOperaRara

Donizetti's 'Luna e stelle della notte' was found in Sweden's Nydahl Collection. It was recorded for the 1st time ever by Marie-Nicole Lemieux in Volume 4 of our #DonizettiSongProject, and performed live for the 1st time in modern times by Germán Enrique Alcántara 🎶 www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs7z...

Today we'd like to introduce you to our grisettes in our revival of the final 1921 version of Puccini's La rondine on 5 Dec: 🎶 British/New Zealand mezzo-soprano @joannaharries.bsky.social 🎵 Colombian soprano Julieth Lozano Rolong 🎼Welsh soprano Jessica Robinson We hope to see you there!

We'll be recording Lives in Song: Puccini Episode 3 very soon with our Artistic Director Carlo Rizzi - let us know what you'd like to ask him and/or our host Flora Willson about the Italian composer ❔ 1. Why is Puccini important? 2. What got you hooked? 3. Why the final 1921 version La rondine now?

To all opera lovers headed to this year's Donizetti Opera Festival! This Sunday, join our Donizetti brunch to hear the Bottega Donizetti young artists in a selection of solo and ensemble pieces. Including this beautiful duet sung here by Marie-Nicole Lemieux & Michael Spyres: ow.ly/47a250XpRtC

Dinorah was our first complete recording release by Giacomo Meyerbeer and one which surprised its critics in 1859 who thought the composer capable only of large-scale grand operas. This three-act opéra-comique is our November Recording of the Month: ow.ly/hlWm50XplBc

#FAUTEUILSdORCHESTRE🎵 21h05 📺France5 💻 Le concert aussi en #VOD : www.france.tv/france-5/fau... 🌟Ermonela Jaho Lisette Oropesa Benjamin Bernheim Florian Sempey Elise Bertrand Michele Spotti ONDIF @francetv.bsky.social @annesinclair.bsky.social Avec @francemusique.fr 🎦Morgane FranceTelevisions

'Ermonela Jaho is surely one of the most eloquent and outspoken advocates for opera, championing its emotional depth, accessibility, and relevance' Read Interlude's interview with Ermonela in which they spoke about Donizetti and reviving the 1921 version of Puccini's La rondine: ow.ly/4XX050Xogt3

Carlos López Buchardo (1881–1948) was one of the founding figures of Argentinian classical music. This autumnal lament - 'Canción de Ausencia' (Song of Absence) - sung by Germán Enrique Alcántara with Anna Tilbrook is one of Buchardo's most famous art songs: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok6G...

One month to go now and counting until our revival of the final 1921 version of Puccini's La rondine at the Barbican - Carlo Rizzi conducts BBC Symphony Orchestra and BBC Singers Our Magda, Ermonela Jaho, of course needs no introduction ✨

📢 To all Lawrence Brownlee fans based in the UK 📢 Lawrence will be in London for one night only @wigmore-hall.org.uk on 22 November. His programme with Iain Burnside starts with four songs from our #DonizettiSongProject including the beautiful 'Tu porgesti a me l'anello': ow.ly/tfC750XmqG3

'I find his personality incredibly attractive... he comes across as such a warm and positive human, and seems to attract similar, sociable kinds of people' 'Why was Donizetti important?' asked one Lives in Song viewer... This is how our musicologist experts answered ‼️ #AskOperaRara

What's the connection between Opera Rara, Ermonela Jaho and Spanish pop sensation Rosalía? We're all featured on @herbertmusic.bsky.social's latest playlist inspired by Rosalía's new track Berghain. Thank you so much Daria for featuring our #DonizettiSongProject: open.spotify.com/playlist/5Rh...