Lives in Song is Opera Rara’s new Opera Insider series exploring musicians’ biographies through their music. In this first series, join our hosts Flora Willson and Roger Parker, as they put the music of prolific composer Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848) under the microscope and tell the story of his life through some of the songs he composed.

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In 1821, Donizetti was a young man at the start of his composing career. What were the influential moments that led him to become a composer, and a composer of opera no less? Who were the mentors who guided him and gave him his first big breaks?

In this YouTube livestream, Flora and Roger explore Donizetti’s early development with his first teacher, Simon Mayr, and how Donizetti tried to avoid comparisons with fellow Italian composer Rossini. Using extracts from the song “D’un genio” as well as from Rossini’s opera Semiramide, they examine Donizetti’s early music and the influences that made him an international success.

Streamed live on Opera Rara’s YouTube channel. Register to receive email ​reminders and a link to the show notes following the stream.