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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Flora and Roger take us back to the 1830s, the most successful decade of Donizetti’s operatic career, when the composer was renowned for his remarkable talent in both comic and serious genres. By 1836 he had written most of his greatest Italian operas – works that are still performed all over the world.

In this YouTube livestream, In this episode, Flora and Roger explore two contrasting songs from the 1830s, showcasing Donizetti’s skill for both comedy and tragedy. In “Lamento per Bellini”, Donizetti reflects on the death of his most famous contemporary, Bellini, paying homage by imitating Bellini’s trademark style, while the Neapolitan dialect song “La conocchia” showcases Donizetti’s playful side.

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