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Rosa Feola on Donizetti
25th Mar 2026by Katherine Cooper
The Italian soprano discusses collaborating with Carlo Rizzi on the seventh instalment of Opera Rara's mammoth Donizetti Song Project, masterminded by musicologist Roger Parker and launched in late 2024.
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Germán Enrique Alcántara on Simon Boccanegra
7th May 2025by Katherine Cooper
The rising Argentinian baritone discusses his recent recording debut on Opera Rara (which saw him stepping in to sing Verdi's troubled Doge at very short notice), his two transformative years on the Jette Parker Artists Programme at Covent Garden, and why it 'takes a village' to raise an opera-singer...
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Verdi's original version of Simon Boccanegra from Sir Mark Elder and Opera Rara
21st Mar 2025by Katherine Cooper
The 1857 incarnation of Verdi's political thriller is brought vividly to life, with outstanding playing from The Hallé and a terrific, committed young cast headed by Argentinian baritone Germán Enrique Alcántara (making his recording-debut in the title-role).
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Lawrence Brownlee on Donizetti's songs
9th Oct 2024by Katherine Cooper
The American tenor introduces the inaugural volume of Opera Rara's mammoth Donizetti Song Project, which sees him joining forces with Carlo Rizzi to revive unpublished and previously-unrecorded songs - several of them written for the composer's friends to sing at parties...
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Carlo Rizzi on Mercadante, Leoncavallo and Donizetti
28th Dec 2023by Katherine Cooper
The Italian conductor looks back on his first few years as Artistic Director of Opera Rara, including recordings of Leoncavallo's Zingari and Mercadante's Il Proscritto - plus a new mission to record the complete Donizetti songs with singers including Lawrence Brownlee and William Thomas.
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Mercadante: Il Proscritto
Ramón Vargas (Giorgio Argyll), Irene Roberts (Malvina Douglas), Elizabeth DeShong (Odoardo Douglas), Sally Matthews (Anna Ruthven), Iván Ayón-Rivas (Arturo Murray), Goderdzi Janelidze (Guglielmo Ruthven) Britten Sinfonia, Opera Rara Chorus, Carlo Rizzi
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Leoncavallo's Zingari on Opera Rara
23rd Sep 2022by Katherine Cooper
Carlo Rizzi conducts a scintillating account of the Pushkin-inspired one-act opera from 1912, starring Krassimira Stoyanova and Arsen Soghomonyan.
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Della Jones on Opera Rara
27th Oct 2021by Katherine Cooper
The veteran Welsh mezzo talks to Katherine about her career and her relationship with the label, which began in the late 1970s with a recording of Donizetti's Ugo, conte di Parigi.
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Donizetti's Il Paria from Opera Rara
15th Jan 2021by Katherine Cooper
Sir Mark Elder conducts a scintillating account of Donizetti's 1829 opera about religious persecution in sixteenth-century India, starring Albina Shagimuratova, René Barbera, and Misha Kiria.
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Ermonela Jaho's Anima Rara
25th Sep 2020by Katherine Cooper
The Albanian soprano's debut solo recording on Opera Rara pays tribute to Rosina Storchio, who created the role of Madama Butterfly and was also muse to Leoncavallo, Giordano and Mascagni.
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Ermonela Jaho on Anima Rara
10th Sep 2020by Katherine Cooper
The Albanian soprano talks to Katherine about her debut solo recording on Opera Rara, focusing on the short but remarkable career of Rosina Storchio, who created the role of Madama Butterfly.
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Opera Rara at 50
2nd Jul 2020by Katherine Cooper
As the label celebrates its half-century, Chief Executive Henry Little talks to Katherine about adventures in 'live operatic archaeology' and upcoming recording projects.
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Ermonela Jaho on Le Willis
19th Sep 2019by Katherine Cooper
The Albanian soprano talks to Katherine about singing the role of Anna on Sir Mark Elder's recording of Puccini's first opera in its original one-act incarnation, released tomorrow on Opera Rara.
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Donizetti's L'Ange de Nisida
22nd Mar 2019by Katherine Cooper
Sir Mark Elder conducts the world premiere of Donizetti’s opera semiseria from 1839, composed for a theatre which closed down before the opening night, but subsequently heavily revised as La favorite.
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Donizetti: L’Ange de Nisida
Joyce El-Khoury (Countess Sylvia de Linarès), David Junghoon Kim (Leone de Casaldi), Laurent Naouri (Don Gaspar), Vito Priante (Don Fernand d’Aragon), Evgeny Stavinsky (The Monk / Father Superior) Royal Opera Chorus & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Sir Mark Elder
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Sir Mark Elder on Donizetti's L’Ange de Nisida
21st Mar 2019by Katherine Cooper
The conductor talks to Katherine about the world premiere recording of Donizetti’s 1839 opera, released tomorrow on Opera Rara with Joyce El-Khoury in the title-role.
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Donizetti: L’Ange de Nisida
Joyce El-Khoury (Countess Sylvia de Linarès), David Junghoon Kim (Leone de Casaldi), Laurent Naouri (Don Gaspar), Vito Priante (Don Fernand d’Aragon), Evgeny Stavinsky (The Monk / Father Superior) Royal Opera Chorus & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Sir Mark Elder
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Albina Shagimuratova and Daniela Barcellona on Semiramide
26th Sep 2018by Katherine Cooper
Katherine talks to the Russian soprano and Italian mezzo who star as mother and estranged son on Sir Mark Elder's new, uncut recording of Rossini's great opera seria.
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Rossini: Semiramide
Albina Shagimuratova (Semiramide), Daniela Barcellona (Arsace), Mirco Palazzi (Assur), Barry Banks (Idreno), Gianluca Buratto (Oroe), Susana Gaspar (Azema), David Butt Philip (Mitrane), James Platt (L’ombra di Nino) Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment & Opera Rara Chorus, Sir Mark Elder
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Rossini's Semiramide from Mark Elder
7th Sep 2018by Katherine Cooper
Rossini's final Italian opera seria receives a taut, compelling reading on period instruments in an interpretation which plays up its baroque pedigree to great effect.
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Rossini: Semiramide
Albina Shagimuratova (Semiramide), Daniela Barcellona (Arsace), Mirco Palazzi (Assur), Barry Banks (Idreno), Gianluca Buratto (Oroe), Susana Gaspar (Azema), David Butt Philip (Mitrane), James Platt (L’ombra di Nino) Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment & Opera Rara Chorus, Sir Mark Elder
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Michael Spyres on Espoir
5th Sep 2017by Katherine Cooper
The American tenor talks to Katherine about his tribute to the pioneering French tenor Gilbert Duprez, out on Friday on Opera Rara.
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Joyce El-Khoury on Écho
28th Aug 2017by Katherine Cooper
The Lebanese-Canadian soprano talks to Katherine about her tribute to the French singer Julie Dorus-Gras, out next week on Opera Rara.
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Daniele Rustioni on Bellini's Adelson e Salvini
2nd Mar 2017by Katherine Cooper
The young Italian conductor talks to Katherine about recording Bellini's first opera, due for release tomorrow on Opera Rara.
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Bellini: Adelson & Salvini
Daniela Barcellona (Nelly), Enea Scala (Salvini), Maurizio Muraro (Bonifacio), Leah-Marian Jones (Madame Rivers), Simone Alberghini (Lord Adelson), Kathryn Rudge (Fanny), Rodion Pogossov (Struley), David Soar (Geronio) BBC Symphony Orchestra, Opera Rara Chorus, Daniele Rustioni
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Ermonela Jaho on Leoncavallo's Zazà
9th Jun 2016by Katherine Cooper
Katherine talks to the Albanian soprano about singing the title-role on Opera Rara's forthcoming recording of a little-known verismo gem.