Including pieces by:

Donizetti, Meyerbeer, Carafa, Coccia, Nicolini and Portogallo.

This recital displays the versatility of Yvonne Kenny's lyric coloratura soprano to wonderful effect. She is accompanied by the Philharmonia Orchestra under David Parry

Here for the first time the two versions of this delightful opera in which Donizetti wrote for Naples.

Betrayed by her fiancé and abandoned by her father, Emilia has turned her back on the world. In a most operatic coincidence, her financée apears on the same day as her father returns to England.

Cast
EMILIA - Yvonne Kenny, CANDIDA - Anne Mason, LUIGIA/BETTINA - Bronwen Mills, DON ROMUALDO/COUNT ASDRUBALE - Sesto Bruscantini, CLAUDIO DI LIVERPOOL - Geoffrey Dalton, FEDERICO/COLONEL VILLARS - Chris Merritt, COUNT/CIACOMO - Christopher Thornton-Holmes, GEOFFREY MITCHELL CHOIR, DAVID PARRY - Conductor

In Offenbach's 1867 version loosely based on Daniel Defoe's classic, Robinson Crusoe is a hopeless romantic who runs away to sea only to be shipwrecked. His finacee and her two servents set out to find him and themselves fall into mishap. With the help of Man Friday the whole company is rescused from drunken pirates and waltzing cannibals.

The excellent English translation is superbly sung by a strong cast accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Alun Francis.

Cast
ROBINSON CRUSOE - John Brecknock, EDWIGE - Yvonne Kenny, SIR WILLIAM CRUSOE - Roderick Kennedy, LADY DEBORAH CRUSOE - Enid Hartle, SUZANNE - Marilyn Hill Smith, TOBY - Alexander Oliver, MAN FRIDAY - Sandra Browne, JIM COCKS - Alan Opie, WILL ATKINS - Wyndham Parfitt, GEOFFREY MITCHELL CHOIR, ALUN FRANCIS - Conductor

Meyerbeer's elaborate use of vocal and orchestral forces is seminal in the development of 19th-century opera. Opera Rara's edition features all the music written for productions the composer supervised.

In the opera Adriano, a Knight of Rhodes, comes to Egypt in search of his nephew Armando, whom he believes may have died in battle. In fact he has married Palmide, daughter of the Sultan of Egypt and she has converted to Christianity. The furious Sultan throws everyone in jail, but all is forgiven when Armando intercedes in a plot to overthrow his father-in-law. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is conducted by David Parry.

Cast
ALADINO - Ian Platt, PALMIDE - Yvonne Kenny, ARMANDO - Diana Montague, FELICIA - Della Jones, ADRIANO - Bruce Ford, ALMA - Linda Kitchen, OSMINO - Ugo Benelli, GEOFFREY MITCHELL CHOIR, DAVID PARRY - Conductor

Opera Rara chose this most obscure of Donizetti's operas on the strength of its many beautiful and intricate ensembles.

A convoluted plot culimnates in the magnificent poison scene, conceived as a vehicle for the talents of the great singing actress Giuditta Pasta. Della Jones, Janet Price, Eiddwen Harrhy and Yvonne Kenny make their recording debuts in this first of Opera Rara's Donizetti revivals. The Philharmonia Orchestra is conducted by Alun Francis.

Cast
LUIGI V - Della Jones, EMMA - Eiddwen Harrhy, BIANCA - Janet Price, ADELIA - Yvonne Kenny, UGO - Maurice Arthur, FOLCO DI ANGIO - Christian du Plessis, GEOFFREY MITCHELL CHOIR, ALUN FRANCIS - Conductor

Mayr's masterpiece, based on the Euripedes tragedy, was his most widely produced opera.

Medea arrives in Corinth hoping to persuade Jason to return to her. When Jason spurns her, she uses her supernatural powers with murderous results, killing their two children and setting fire to the city.

The dramatic title role, originally written for Isabella Colbran, is here thrillingly sung by the British dramatic soprano Jane Eaglen. The Philharmonia Orchestra is conducted by David Parry.

The first volume in Opera Rara's survey of 19th century Italian opera features the music of: Pasiello, Mayr, Pucitta, Cimarosa, Zingarelli, Paër, Nicolini, Winter, Mosca and many others.

This period, 1800-1810, saw the beginnings of the transition from the classical to the romantic in opera.

The second volume in Opera Rara's continuing survey of Italian opera features arias and ensembles from the operas of Donizetti, Rossini, Mercadante, Meyerbeer, Coccia, Pacini, Manfroce, Carafa and others.

In the third volume of Opera Rara's acclaimed anthology, listeners can explore the music of Rossini, Cordella, Bellini, Balducci, Conti, Carafa, Coccia, Donizetti and Meyerbeer.

Throughout nineteenth-century Europe, one of the most important institutions of social and artistic life was the salon.

Here Opera Rara presents the music enjoyed by Europeans at home nearly two hundred years ago. These eight songs and four duets by Mercadante truly rival the more familiar Serate Musicale by Rossini.

The first Opera Rara collection features over 70 minutes of unique and fascinating selections from the Opera Rara catalogue.

Featuring selections from:
Donizetti - Gabriella di Vergy, Rosmonda d'Inghilterra, Ugo Conte di Parigi, L'Assedio di Calais, Emilia di Liverepool, Maria de Rudenz, Mayr - Medea in Corinto, Mercadante - Orazi e Curiazi, Virginia, Il Brindisi, Meyerbeer - Dinorah, Il crociato in Egitto, Nicolini - I Baccanali di Roma, Offenbach - Christopher Columbus, Robinson Crusoe, Pacini - Maria regina d'Inghilterra, Pucitta - La caccia di Enrico IV, Rossini - Ricciardo e Zoriade, Armida.