Essential Donizetti
Gaetano Donizetti was one of the most prolific and influential Italian opera composers of the 19th century. With more than 60 operas to his name, he is considered a master of Bel canto and a must-know for any opera lover. Discover his most famous operatic works and get a first glimpse of his chamber music with this playlist.
Read more…Donizetti's stage works are among the most iconic works of the operatic repertoire. Although he was born into a poor family with no connection to music, Donizetti showed remarkable musical talent and became the protegé of German opera composer Simon Mayr. Eventually, he moved to Naples for an apprenticeship, which let to his big break with ‘Anna Bolena’. The overwhelming success of the Tudor queen’s tragic tale was followed by 25 operas written in just eight years, including ‘Maria Stuarda’, the tragedy ‘Roberto Devereux’, the comic melodrama ‘L'elisir d'amore’ as well as ‘Lucrezia Borgia’. In 1834, Donizetti composed what may be his best known opera, ‘Lucia di Lammermoor’, based on Sir Walter Scott's novel ‘The Bride of Lammermoor’. Over the course of his career, Donizetti slowly moved away from Rossini's influence of ornate vocal lines towards a simpler vocal style. After moving to Paris, he composed ‘Les Martyrs’, ‘La fille du régiment’ and the comic opera ‘Don Pasquale’. Towards the end of his life, Donizetti's mental health deteriorated rapidly due to syphilis, and he returned from Paris to Bergamo, where he died at the age of 50.