Opera Holland Park, London
The composer himself wrote off his second opera. In this OHP semi-staging, there are sumptuous musical moments but the major plot problems are baked in

You have to admire the optimism of any opera company that chooses to stage Puccini’s biggest flop. Edgar – his second opera – was dismally received at its world premiere, failed to persuade in a revised version and was eventually condemned by the composer himself as “warmed-up soup”, its subject “rubbish”.

In the rediscovered-gems stakes, though, Opera Holland Park isn’t just any opera company. It stages rarities as a matter of course, often from the verismo tradition and often with impressive results. Puccini’s first opera Le Villi featured in OHP’s 2022 season, so perhaps Edgar – even rarer, with bags more sensationalism – seemed a logical next step.