'These songs are seemingly simple but to find the right way to then communicate the words to the public, there lies the real challenge.' Watch Ermonela Jaho in conversation with Caro Rizzi talking about their new albums dedicated to Donizetti here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnnH...

News from New York! Team Opera Rara has been spotted at the Met Opera where they heard our Artistic Director Carlo Rizzi conduct Puccini's Turandot 👀 @bachtrack.com - 'the orchestra was at its finest, completely responsive to Rizzi’s every gesture, as he elicited all the colours...' 👏

Also a reminder 📢 today that our Salon Series concert stream feat. @joannaharries.bsky.social and Anna Tilbrook will be leaving our YouTube channel tomorrow evening ‼️ They present rare Italian songs by Donizetti, Bellini, Rossini & Uccelli. Catch it before it leaves: www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyY6...

Last chance today to try @appleclassical.bsky.social for free for two months - see link below for offer ⤵️

An exquisite and enlightening treasure chest' - Forum Opéra ➡️ Donizetti Songs Vols 5&6 are officially out now featuring Ermonela Jaho and Carlo Rizzi This is an excerpt from Vol. 5 - 'Eterno amore a fè' written when Donizetti was still in his 20s - discover it here today: ow.ly/1h0z50X2J3X

Compare and contrast - we're not just about Donizetti here at Opera Rara, truly! Our Recording of the Month is Rossini's La donna del lago starring Kenneth Tarver as Giacomo opposite Carmen Giannattasio's Elena. Listen to his aria "O fiamma soave" here: ow.ly/HiGl50X28rf

Carolina Uccelli (1810-1885) was only 20 when her oratorio Saul was premiered in her native Florence. Pianist, composer & educator, she encouraged many young female musicians to pursue their passion for the arts. This is an excerpt from Il rimprovero sung by @joannaharries.bsky.social

'I'd like to ask Roger and Flora what you love most about the work that you do?' - a question posed by our guest Martin Cullingord of Gramophone magazine in the #AskOperaRara segment of the final episode of Lives in Song: Donizetti. You can watch the full episode here: ow.ly/kbEc50X0LPh

Toi toi toi to our Artistic Director Carlo Rizzi who today helps kick off the Metropolitan Opera in New York's new season with Puccini's final opera Turandot starring Angela Meade and Michael Fabiano He conducts seven performances in total this month and in October: www.metopera.org/season/2025-...

It's release week! And today we're delighted to share 2 Focus Tracks from Vols 5&6 with Ermonela Jaho and Carlo Rizzi - available on YouTube or wherever you stream your music. This tragic song 'Au pied d’une croix' from Volume 6 was completely unknown before our #DonizettiSongProject launched 🎼

Just in time for the weekend - read our first #OR55 newsletter with many updates incl. our Donizetti Song Project with Ermonela Jaho and Carlo Rizzi... And nomination news for our Simon Boccanegra release from the Gramophone Awards and International Opera Awards 👏: ow.ly/32Fb50WZrF3

This time next week join us for the digital launch and premiere of Donizetti Songs Vols 5&6 on our YouTube channel. Both Ermonela Jaho and Carlo Rizzi will be present: youtube.com/watch?v=RnnH... This is the charming 'Au tic tac des castagnettes' from Vol. 6 dedicated to Donizetti's French songs:

Happy Birthday to Saverio Mercadante born #OTD in 1795. Three years ago we revived his opera Il proscritto performing it for the first time since its premiere in 1842. Listen here to the journey we embarked on to bring this opera to life again (c) BBC World Service: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...

And if you're a Gramophone mag subscriber, you'll have spotted that our Simon Boccanegra 💿 has made it to the finals of this year's Awards 🎉 Our Simon - Germán Enrique Alcántara - is 📸 here during the recording sessions. Catch him in Madrid next month making his Spanish debut at Teatro Real ✈️

The Opera Rara stand pictured at last Tuesday's very first Opera Industry Parliamentary drop-in at the House of Commons organised by the UK Opera Association. It was amazing to see so many of our colleagues there showcasing the work we do as sector as a whole 🎶

Happy Friday! Two more pre-release tracks are now available to listen to from Ermonela Jaho & Carlo Rizzi's forthcoming Donizetti Songs releases 💿. If you sign up to @appleclassical.bsky.social today, you can enjoy these tracks & more with their two month free subscription offer: ow.ly/pKrV50WVKFy

It's today! Album release day is here for Letters from Scandinavia 💿🎉 You can listen on all the music places including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and Amazon Music etc. You can also order a beautiful, shiny CD, or buy a download of the album! www.joannaharries.com/letters-from-scandinavia

A reminder today that all our programmes since 2021 are available our issuu account including for our @joannaharries.bsky.social and Anna Tilbrook Salon Series recital which you can watch until the end of the month on our YouTube channel. Explore it and more here: issuu.com/operarara

@bloomsburydigital.bsky.social has unveiled collections with @operarara.bsky.social, @wigmore-hall.org.uk & @nationaltheatre.org.uk, enabling access to world-class performances that will enrich experiences of arts & performance for future generations. www.bloomsbury.com/uk/connect/l...

We’re delighted to announce today two new international partnerships at the start of our 55th season The first is with London-based Bloomsbury Publising and the second with the Donizetti Opera Festival, based in Bergamo. Find out more here: opera-rara.com/opera-rara-a...

The wait is over! Lives in Song: Donizetti Episode 6 goes out on our YouTube channel next Friday 19 September, the same day the full series goes out as an audio podcast. Watch this space for more news and register here for a reminder of when the final episode goes live: ow.ly/T0YP50WP5uR

Happy birthday to Belgium soprano Julie Dorus-Gras who was born in 1805... yesterday! She created the roles in many world premieres by Meyerbeer, Auber, Donizetti, Halévy and Berlioz. In 2017, we released Écho, a recital album with Joyce El-Khoury celebrating Dorus-Gras' legacy 🎶

#OnThisDay in 1791, Giacomo Meyerbeer was born. We've recorded three of his operas including his opéra comique Dinorah (1859) which our AD Carlo Rizzi chose as No. 10 in his top 10 Opera Rara recordings for Gramophone magazine. Discover it today: open.spotify.com/playlist/4ox...

This time next month Ermonela Jaho sings Mascagni's Iris at Teatro Real. If you're Madrid based or bound ✈️ don't miss your chance as there are only 2 concert performances. One aria from Iris appears on our Anima Rara 💿 with Ermonela 🎶 open.spotify.com/album/1u5liu...

Our September Recording of the Month is Rossini's La donna del lago which appears in our remastered Rossini in 1819 boxset We caught up with our Elena, Carmen Giannattasio, over the summer to ask her about both her most recent and future engagements 🎶 ow.ly/NpFJ50WP4nc

You may have already heard but we're so happy to share the news that our recording of the original 1857 version of Verdi's Simon Boccanegra has been nominated for a 2025 Gramophone magazine award 🎉 Congratulations to the power house team who made it all possible 🎶

Did you tune into our YouTube stream yesterday? If not, fear not! Our @joannaharries.bsky.social and Anna Tilbrook Salon Series recital will be up for one month so you can keep returning to hear their beautiful selection of Italian songs. This is from the first of Bellini's Tre Ariette 🎶

Happy Friday! We're happy to announce today that Donizetti Songs Vols 5&6 with Ermonela Jaho and Carlo Rizzi are now available to pre-order! Enjoy the two pre-release tracks now from each Volume on YouTube or wherever you stream your music: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecMM...

'A fascinating and valuable recording' said The New York Times of our August album of the month - Donizetti's Maria Padilla recorded with the @londonsymphony.bsky.social It stars Lois McDonall, Della Jones, Graham Clark and Christian du Plessis. Enjoy 🎶 www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ycR...

A reminder today to sign up to receive an alert for this Sunday's YouTube stream from 4pm BST/5pm CET. We present @joannaharries.bsky.social and Anna Tilbrook in rare Italian songs as part of our Salon Series for emerging artists. More info here: opera-rara.com/event/youtub...htt

Happy to see Julieth Lozano Rolong featured as Gramophone's One to Watch in the latest issue of the magazine. As many of you may already know, we'll have the pleasure of working with Julieth two times this coming 55th season. Find out more about Julieth here: www.juliethlozano.co.uk

We have some catch up recommendations this Bank Holiday Monday - listen to Flora Willson's top 5 Puccini 💿 recommendations for BBC Radio 3 Record Review including our recording of his first opera Le Willis: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Happy Friday news from Opera Rara! Our final stream of the summer will go out next Sunday 31 August for one month. We present @joannaharries.bsky.social and Anna Tilbrook in an Italian song recital recorded in London in May... Starting with Rossini's 'La regata veneziana': ow.ly/Z6lR50WK5YP

*Correction* - our very own Prince Raphaël, Virginie Verrez will be joining our Artistic Director Carlo Rizzi this Sunday 24 August at the BBC Proms @bristolbeacon.bsky.social with Orchestra of @welshnatopera.bsky.social It'll be live broadcast on BBC Radio 3 too: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

🥁 We're very happy to reveal today the cover of the next installment of our #DonizettiSongProject recording cycle featuring Ermonela Jaho and Carlo Rizzi. Donizetti Songs Volumes 5&6 will be released officially on Friday 26 September 🎶 Watch the trailer here: youtube.com/watch?v=0lL63J

The end of August is just around the corner which means voting for 2025 International Opera Awards will be closing very soon... If you loved our Donizetti Songs releases, help us by voting for one of them in the Recording (Solo Recital) category! Lawrence Brownlee is featured in Volume 1 🎶

'The interesting thing is that we're much more particular about gender specificity than they were' - Roger Parker talks to Flora Willson about who Donizetti's songs were written for and how it didn't matter in Donizetti's day what voice type you were to sing them💡 #OperaFacts #LivesInSong

'Josh Lovell's performance brimmed with wit and spirit' 'Daniela Barcellona... delivered the role with intelligence and infectious joy.' 'Misha Kiria... delivered the duets and ensembles with warmth and rhythmic vitality.' Congratulations tutti 👏

Only a couple more days left to cast your votes! Until midnight BST this coming Monday 18 August 📣📣📣

#ThrowbackThursday on this summer's day to when we worked with Marie-Nicole Lemieux for the first time to record Donizetti Songs Volume 4 with Giulio Zappa You can sample this album and more on our Opera for the Summer playlist 🎶🎧☀️ ow.ly/NsQP50WG0Vw

Team Opera Rara have been out and about this summer including to Rossini Pesaro Festival to see 'L'Italiana in Algeri' featuring members of the Opera Rara family: Josh Lovell in his role & festival debut 👏, Daniela Barcellona and Misha Kiria who was seen last night driving the pictured truck 👀

'Lawrence Brownlee as Ilo – a quintessential Rossini light tenor role – demonstrated his mastery of the Rossinian style with crystalline coloratura and soaring high notes' 👏

We're not the only ones celebrating a big anniversary this year. The Toscanini International Conducting Competition celebrates its 50th 🎂 anniversary, starting at the end of the month. Did you know that our Artistic Director Carlo Rizzi won the first competition in 1985? toscaninicompetition.it/en/

A shout out today to our colleagues Temple Music Foundation whose Autumn/Winter season has been revealed and General Booking is now open 🎶 Their season of course includes our 2nd collaboration feat. Germán Enrique Alcántara in an evening of rare Italian and Argentinean songs: www.templemusic.org

Are you headed to this year's Rossini Pesaro Festival? Don't miss your chance to hear some of the amazing singers we've worked with over the years incl. Daniela Barcellona, Misha Kiria, Josh Lovell, Marko Mimica, Enea Scala & Lawrence Brownlee Discover more here: www.rossinioperafestival.it/en/

Teamwork and family... that's what we're all about here at Opera Rara and without either, we wouldn't have been able to bring back Offenbach's La Princesse de Trébizonde in the way that we did 🎪 It's No. 9/10 in our AD Carlo Rizzi's essential Opera Rara recordings list for Gramophone magazine

Our August Recording of the Month is quite significant in the history of Opera Rara. We gave Maria Padilla its UK premiere in 1973 and released its world premiere recording in 1981. Renowned Canadian soprano Lois McDonall sings the title role: www.youtube.com/watch?v=81MA...

Rossini, Berio, Verdi, Resphigi, Puccini and a touch of Elgar 🎶 Our Artistic Director Carlo Rizzi heads to BBC Proms @bristolbeacon.bsky.social with the Orchestra of the @welshnatopera.bsky.social and Avery Amereau Don't miss your chance to hear him on 24 August: www.bbc.co.uk/events/ennqwh

This time last week we celebrated our 55th birthday - that's 55 years of bringing back lost and forgotten operas, and giving artists like Michael Spyres their first recording 🎤 opportunities. If you love 💕 what we do, help us keep the passion alive by donating today: ow.ly/aCSc50WzqE2

It's our Repertoire Consultant Roger Parker's birthday tomorrow! Since 2011, Roger has helped us identify many neglected operatic gems and he is of course the mastermind of our current Donizetti Song Project 🎶 Here he tells our Lives in Song host Flora Willson about Donizetti's upbringing: