Founded in 1970[1] by bel canto enthusiasts Patric Schmid[2] and Don White, Opera Rara's recordings are internationally distributed by Warner Classics.
Opera Rara launched in the 1970s with a series of concerts of 19th-century operatic arias performed at the Southbank Centre, St John's Smith Square and Wigmore Hall in London.
In 1978, it released its first: the world premiere recording of Donizetti's Ugo, conte di Parigi starring Janet Price, Yvonne Kenny, Della Jones and Christian du Plessis.
The company has also performed and recorded works by other 19th-century composers, including Bellini, Massenet, Mayr, Mercadante, Meyerbeer, Pacini, Rossini and Ambroise Thomas.
Under artistic director Sir Mark Elder (2011–2019), the company began to explore works by French composers of the same period including Gounod and Offenbach, as well as verismo operas from the turn of the 20th century.
Comprising more than five thousand volumes, the Collection includes first and early editions of 19th-century Italian opera scores by composers such as Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, Puccini, Mayr, Mercadante, Pacini, Ponchielli, Leoncavallo and Mascagni.