Opera Rara releases its latest recording in the Donizetti Song Project with support from Elena Baturina

LONDON, Sept. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 26, with support from philanthropist Elena Baturina, Opera Rara will release volumes 5 and 6 in the ambitious multi-year Donizetti Song Project, featuring 18 songs in Italian and 19 songs in French.

Opera Rara's double-disc recording release of Donizetti Songs is performed by Ermonela Jaho, internationally acclaimed soprano and Opera Rara's Artist Ambassador. Ermonela Jaho is accompanied by Opera Rara's Artistic Director Carlo Rizzi, one of the world's foremost operatic conductors. 

Many of the songs are unknown and have not been performed since the 19th century. The albums are distributed internationally by Warner Classics, and the songs have been performed in concerts at London's foremost venues.

For Elena Baturina, this project is a way to commemorate her beloved late husband, Mr Yury Luzhkov; two of the songs on the recording - "Eterno amor e fe" and "Au pied d'une croix" - are specifically dedicated to his memory.

Opera Rara's Donizetti Song Project is curated by Repertoire Consultant Roger Parker. Over the course of two years starting in 2020, Parker tracked down nearly 200 of Donizetti's solo songs. His new edition of the Donizetti solo songs will be made publicly available for artists, scholars and audiences alike.

The Donizetti Song Project, one of the most ambitious in Opera Rara's 55-year history, aims to add a substantial body of work to the solo song repertoire through recordings and performances, making a claim that Donizetti is one of the genre's most significant composers in the nineteenth century.

Elena Baturina is a philanthropist and business person whose international career has spanned a spectrum of industries. Elena is a self-made woman who has built her formidable business empire from scratch. For many years Elena Baturina has been involved in charities that prioritise people and their ideas including the Maggie's Centres and the Mayor's Fund for London.

Opera Rara is a unique combination of opera charity, recording label and a live operatic archaeologist which searches for neglected operatic masterpieces and restores them for contemporary audiences to enjoy. The charity's projects have been recognised through major international opera awards. Opera Rara's catalogue comprises over 100 titles, including more than 60 complete opera recordings.