Described by baritone Leon Warnock as “one of the most beautiful songs to sing” is Puccini’s ‘Questo amor, vergogna mia’ from his opera ‘Edgar’. This powerful and painful declaration of unrequited love emerges when Frank sings to his childhood friend Tigrana, who refuses his pleas, feeling it their long friendship makes it impossible.

The first performance of ‘Edgar’ was given at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan in 1889. The opera was not a success and Puccini repeatedly revised it, before eventually giving up in frustration, declaring the work irredeemable.