Based on a poem written in 1827 by Alexander Pushkin, Zingari is a tale of passion, jealousy and crime in a Gypsy camp on the banks of the Danube.

This one-act opera was a huge success immediately after its creation in London in 1912 and had an incredibly long run, both in London and the United States. Marking Leoncavallo’s return to the verismo style of Pagliacci, Opera Rara’s version of Zingari showcases rich, colourful orchestral music with powerful choral moments and seductive arias.

The great Bulgarian soprano Krassimira Stoyanova brings life to the beautiful temptress Fleana, who encourages and later rejects the passionate advances of aristocrat Radu, powerfully sung by tenor Arsen Soghomonyan. The American baritone Stephen Gaertner completes the fatal love triangle as Tamar, the brooding Gypsy poet.

“It's hard to imagine a better rendering of Leoncavallo’s fiercely sensual opera about a Gypsy love triangle than Opera Rara and the Royal Philharmonic gave in this concert performance. [...] Zingari will linger in the memory as superb achievement.” – Tim Ashley, The Guardian (December 2021)

“The performance gave the work a terrific send-off and I look forward to hearing the disc.” – Planet Hugill (December 2021)

“Carlo Rizzi demonstrated that the music attains considerable emotional power with some memorable themes and colourful textures. [...] Rizzi brought out the ebullience of the music with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - particularly the resounding choruses of Gypsy folk, emphatically projected by the Opera Rara Chorus as well as the slow-burn passion of the love music for Radu and Fleana” – Curtis Rogers, Classical Source (December 2021)

“The hour-long score, articulated in two acts punctuated by an intermezzo, is almost relentlessly colourful and packs in a variety of idioms [...]. It is never less than engaging and certainly not short of sensuous or gripping moments” – Yehuda Shapiro, Opera (February 2022)

Cast:
- Fleana: Krassimira Stoyanova (soprano)
- Radu: Arsen Soghomonyan (tenor)
- Tamar: Stephen Gaertner (baritone)
- The Old Man: Łukasz Goliński (bass-baritone)