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A remarkable success story
Opera Rara’s mission is to rediscover, restore, record and perform the lost operatic heritage of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Opera Rara is a unique combination of opera company, recording label and live operatic archaeologist. We search for neglected operatic masterpieces and restore them to life for contemporary audiences to enjoy. Working with the best singers, conductors, orchestras and musicologists, we are at the cutting edge of the opera world, leading the expansion of the repertoire and encouraging other opera companies to explore new and unknown operatic jewels.

2020 marked Opera Rara’s 50th anniversary, half-a-century of ground-breaking work. Our artistic success has been publicly recognised through major awards, notably at the International Opera Awards (Best Opera Recording) for Rossini’s Semiramide (2019), Donizetti’s Les Martyrs (2016) and Offenbach’s Fantasio (2015); International Classical Music Award for Semiramide (Best Opera, 2019) and for Ermonela Jaho’s debut recital album Anima Rara (Best Vocal Music Recording, 2021); Opus Klassik (Best Recording) for Semiramide (2019) and at the OPER! Awards (Best Recording) for Donizetti’s L’Ange de Nisida (2019).

Opera Rara’s latest studio recording, Donizetti’s, Il Paria, with Albina Shagimuratova, René Barbera and the Britten Sinfonia conducted by Sir Mark Elder, was released in January 2021 to wide critical acclaim.

In June 2022, Opera Rara will present another forgotten gem, Mercadante’s Il proscritto, in partnership with Britten Sinfonia at the Barbican, led by Opera Rara’s Artistic Director, Carlo Rizzi. Restored from its original manuscript, this will be the first performance of one of Mercadante’s most daring and innovative scores since its Naples premiere in 1842. This project is Opera Rara’s 45th full restoration of a forgotten work from opera’s glorious past.

In over 50 years of operatic archaeology, Opera Rara’s mission has been to rediscover and restore neglected works of the highest quality, giving them new life through studio recordings and live performance. The Opera Rara catalogue comprises over 100 titles, including 60 complete opera recordings. Our work has led to a fundamental revaluation of the reputation of Donizetti, Pacini, Offenbach and Mercadante, changing the way in which these composers are perceived internationally. Following our world premiere concerts in July 2018, Donizetti’s L’Ange de Nisida received its first professional staging in Bergamo in November 2019 and Offenbach’s Fantasio has received several stagings throughout Europe since our recording in 2015, including at the Garsington Festival.

Opera Rara / Past performances

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