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.

***

In the wake of his wife’s death, Donizetti became obsessed with funerals. A dark subject for today’s episode sees excerpts from Donizetti’s setting of “Amore e morte”, a poem about a dying man. Despite the doom and gloom in his personal life, Donizetti was planning a permanent move to Paris – would this precipitate a change in his life and career?

In this YouTube livestream, Flora and Roger also explore the song-writing industry of the 1830s and 40s, and the wider culture of the European salon.

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