Name: Ermonela Jaho & Carlo Rizzi: Donizetti and Friends
Start: 2024-05-23T13:00:00
Location: Wigmore Hall

Ermonela Jaho

Carlo Rizzi

Marco Rizzi

Opera Rara

Opera Rara’s final Salon Series recital of its 55th season sees British tenor Robert Lewis join forces with British-Iranian soprano Soraya Mafi at London’s Bechstein Hall on 23 April 2026. They will be accompanied once again by the series’ featured collaborator and pianist Anna Tilbrook.

Winner of the 2025 Tenor Viñas Competition’s Domingo Prize, Robert Lewis will make his Opera Rara debut singing the role of Gobin in the final, 1921 version of Puccini’s La rondine at London’s Barbican Centre in December 2025. Opera Rara’s studio recording of Puccini’s opera will also mark Lewis’s recording debut.

Soraya Mafi, Robert Lewis and Anna Tilbrook Salon Concert

Bechstein Hall

In the later years of his life, Giacomo Puccini produced fewer works, but those he did complete—the lyrical La rondine, the remarkable miniatures of Il trittico and the grand, unfinished Turandot—reveal a composer still constantly evolving. These operas, staples of the repertory today, showcase Puccini experimenting with new harmonic language, dramatic structures, and emotional depth—and are all deeply embedded in the shifting cultural landscape of the early 20th century.

In this episode, musicologist Flora Willson is joined again by music historian and editor of Opera Rara’s restoration of the final 1921 version of La rondine, Ditlev Rindom, to examine the composer’s mature style. Together, they unpack how Puccini’s later works challenge conventional narratives, balancing lush romanticism with modernist impulses—and even asking what it means to compose opera in a rapidly changing world.

Lives in Song: Puccini – EPISODE 5 – “Puccini’s Later Years”

Puccini’s later years were punctuated by illnesses – his chain smoking would eventually lead to throat cancer – and the deaths of Giulio Ricordi, his editor and publisher, and the librettist Giuseppe Giacosa. Despite his prowess as an operatic composer and a warm reception from critics and audiences alike, his 1917 opera, La rondine, proved to be one of his least popular works. Puccini subsequently revised it twice, in 1920 and 1921 – this final version being his last complete operatic work.

Flora and music historian Ditlev Rindom take us through the painstaking process of restoring the final 1921 version of La rondine, revealing the fascinating work that goes into creating a critical edition. They also explore the final years of Puccini’s life and reflect on the composer’s unique legacy today.

Lives in Song: Puccini – EPISODE 6 – “La rondine – the final 1921 version”

Join us on YouTube for the launch of Opera Rara’s final volume of Donizetti Songs. Opera Rara’s Artistic Director Carlo Rizzi is joined by bass-baritone Nicola Alaimo to celebrate the release of Volume 8 of Donizetti Songs. Roger Parker, editor of the songs, and others will delve further into these neglected and forgotten works on the eve of the recordings’ worldwide release.

Donizetti Songs Recording Launch: Nicola Alaimo

Praised internationally for his commanding stage presence and vocal artistry, Italian bass-baritone Nicola Alaimo makes a welcome appearance at Wigmore Hall in a program that brings together the wit, elegance and lyricism of early 19th-century Italian song.

Donizetti & Friends: Nicola Alaimo and Carlo Rizzi with Hetty Snell

Wigmore Hall, London

What happens when man’s best friend becomes head-of-state? Opera Rara and the Hallé team up once again to present Offenbach’s opera Barkouf, where a dog rules the day.

Offenbach’s Barkouf

The Bridgewater Hall

In demand across the world, Ermonela Jaho is best known for her portrayals of Verdi and Puccini’s heroines. She returns to her bel canto roots in a recital of rare songs by Gaetano Donizetti, alongside a selection by his contemporaries, with Opera Rara’s Artistic Director and pianist Carlo Rizzi. They will explore repertoire that has been recently restored and rarely, if ever, performed. The programme is complete with two works for violin and piano by Donizetti performed by brothers Marco and Carlo Rizzi.