In 2023, Carlo Rizzi and the British label of Opera Rara resurrected Mercadante’s unjustly neglected “Il Proscritto” – the story of the exile Giorgio Argyll’s return to Scotland and the ensuing, tragic love triangle at the heart of Salvadore Cammarano’s rather unlikely libretto. In 2024, conductor Rizzi turns his attention to another exile: the former tribune Settimio who is the {…}
Opera Rara has announced a cast change for its concert performance of “Simon Boccanegra.” The company said, “We’re sorry to not be able to work with Nicola Alaimo again this year as he’s had to withdraw from ‘Simon Boccanegra’ due to illness. We wish Nicola a very speedy recovery! We’re happy to announce that our Simon will now be Germán {…}
Opera Rara has announced its 2024-25 season. Here is a look at the concert performances and album releases. Concerts The company will open its season with the 1857 version of Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra” in Manchester. Sir Mark Elder conducts The Hallé and Chorus of Opera North. The cast includes Nicola Alaimo (Simon Boccanegra), Eri Nakamura (Amelia), Iván-Ayón Rivas (Gabriele Adorno), {…}
Opera Rara has announced its Spring 2024 performance slate. First up will be the third recital in its Salon Series featuring bass William Thomas as he presented music by Verdi and Donizetti alongside pianist Florent Mourier. Performance Dates: Feb. 22, 2024 Then comes a presentation of the 1857 version of Verdi’s “Simon Bocanegra.” The edition, edited by Roger Parker at Casa {…}
The production history of Jacques Offenbach’s “La Princesse de Trébizonde” is convoluted to say the least. It premiered twice, once in Baden-Baden and once at the Bouffes-Parisiens in 1869. In between both versions, it was reworked extensively; pastiches from the unpublished “La Baguette” were removed and Offenbach wrote a whole new act in a bid to align the narrative of {…}
Opera Rara has announced the launch of the Donizetti Song Project on Sept. 9, 2023. The project will feature Donizetti’s entire song output, around 200 in total, showcased in performance and recordings. First up is “Donizetti & Friends” at Wigmore Hall, starring tenor Lawrence Brownlee and Artistic Director Carlo Rizzi. This event will include songs by Donizetti, Rossini, Bellini, Verdi, {…}
For the first time in its history, a performance by Opera Rara will get a broadcast on an American classical music station. The company revealed that Chicago-based network WFMT will broadcast the recording of Mercadante’s “Il Proscritto” on July 8, 2023 starting at 12 p.m. Central time. Additionally, those who tune in will get to hear interviews with Opera Rara’s {…}
Opera Rara and the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama (RWCMD) have announced that mezzo-soprano Kezia Bienek and tenor Julian Henao Gonzalez will be featured in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World fringe events. The concerts and exhibition are part of RWCMD’s program of fringe events which coincide with the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. The {…}
Opera Rara is set to perform Donizetti’s “L’esule di Roma” on May 11 celebrating the composer’s 225 anniversary. The performance will see the company join the Britten Sinfonia at Cadogan Hall for a performance of Opera Rara’s 27th complete Donizetti revival. Conducted by Opera Rara Artistic director, Carlo Rizzi, the opera will see a cast that includes Albina Shagimuratova, Nicola {…}
Opera Rara has announced its 2023-24 season, which will include the launch of a major multi-year project to perform and record almost 200 rarely-heard Donizetti songs. The season will feature a strong focus on the music of Donizetti as it marks the 225th anniversary of the composer’s birth. Tenor Lawrence Brownlee, baritone Étienne Dupuis, and Opera Rara Artistic Ambassadors, Ermonela {…}
Opera Rara is set to release the new recording of Mercadante’s “Il Proscritto.” In 2020 Carlo Rizzi Opera Rara’s Artistic Director took to restoring the newly found signed score of Saverio Mercadante’s “Il Proscritto.” Once the project was complete leading singers Ramón Vargas, Iván Ayón-Rivas, Irene Roberts, and Elizabeth DeShong, the Opera Rara Chorus, and the Britten Sinfonia recorded the {…}