Pietro Mascagni - Zanetto (Felix Krieger)

Information

Composer: Pietro Mascagni

• Zanetto

Yajie Zhang

Narine Yeghiyan

Chor und Orchestra der Berliner Operngruppe

Felix Krieger, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: Oehms Classics

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Founded in 2013, the Berlin Opera Group has earned recognition for presenting Berlin premieres of operatic rarities, including Donizetti’s Deux hommes et une femme and Betly. This album features a Deutschlandfunk Kultur recording of the company’s 2021 performance of Pietro Mascagni’s Zanetto, captured at the Konzerthaus Berlin. Soprano Yajie Zhang appears in the production and is also noted for her role as Ugo d’Asti in Donizetti’s Dalinda (OC989). The Berlin Opera Group Orchestra performs under the direction of Felix Krieger, continuing the ensemble’s commitment to reviving lesser-known works with artistic distinction.

Born in Anhui, Yajie Zhang completed her studies in Shanghai and Hannover before joining the International Opera Studio at the Bayerische Staatsoper and later the ensemble of Oper Leipzig (2022–2024), where she performed roles including Angelina, Hänsel, and Suzuki. She returns in 2025/26 to sing Maddalena in Verdi’s Rigoletto in Zurich and appears at the Salzburg Easter Festival under Kirill Petrenko. Recent highlights include debuts at the Opéra National de Paris and leading roles in Munich and Beijing. An accomplished concert and recital artist, she has performed widely with major orchestras and is the recipient of numerous prestigious international awards.

Felix Krieger (b. 1975, Freiburg im Breisgau) is a German conductor and composer trained in Hamburg and at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole with Carlo Maria Giulini. He has assisted leading conductors at major festivals and opera houses, including Salzburg, Bayreuth, and the Staatsoper Berlin. Since 2010, he has served as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Berliner Operngruppe, earning acclaim for reviving rare operatic works and producing award-nominated recordings. A frequent guest at prominent international opera houses and with renowned orchestras worldwide, Krieger is also active as a composer, with works premiered in Europe and Brazil and published by Universal Edition Wien.