In the final episode of our season on Gaetano Donizetti, we trace the last chapter of the composer's life. Our Host Flora Willson and Opera Rara’s Repertory Consultant, Prof. Roger Parker, follow Donizetti from the vibrant salons of Paris to the prestigious musical world of Vienna, a move that would profoundly reshape his artistic style. This period of creative evolution, however, was tragically cut short by a devastating illness that would lead to his final, painful years.
Together, we explore the powerful, complex, and surprisingly modern music Donizetti was composing in this late period, focusing on his 1843 masterpiece, La fiancée du timbalier – a dramatic and fragmented setting of a Victor Hugo poem.
To round off the season, we're joined by a special guest, Martin Cullingford, editor of Gramophone magazine, to discuss Donizetti's legacy and the journey of this podcast.
Opera Rara's unique mission is to bring forgotten works like these back to the stage and the studio. If you've enjoyed this journey into opera history, please visit our website to discover how you can support our work and help us share these stories with the world.
"It's extremely, extremely modern. You might almost say it's sort of protomodernist in some ways, that it's about fragmentation." - Prof. Roger Parker
Chapters:
00:00 Donizetti’s Final Chapter: From Paris to Vienna
04:22 A New European Sound: Donizetti's Viennese Style
07:11 The Preludio to Caterina Cornaro
09:41 A Sad Decline: Donizetti's Final Illness
13:25 Setting Victor Hugo: La fiancée du timbalier
17:15 The Drummer's Bride: La fiancée du timbalier Part 1
20:18 A Social Networker: How Donizetti Used Music as a Gift
23:19 Modern & Fragmented: La fiancée du timbalier Part 2
25:47 After the Curtain Falls: The Battle for Donizetti's Manuscripts
29:43 Special Guest Finale with Martin Cullingford (Gramophone)
33:48 Ask Opera Rara: What’s Next for Lives in Song?
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Supporters
This season of Lives in Song has been made possible by the generous support of
Andrea Pessino, Opera Rara's 2024-25 season Donizetti Songs Supporter and the Opera Rara Donizetti Syndicate.
The Donizetti Song Project is supported by the Colwinston Charitable Trust and the Cockayne Grants for the Arts at the London Community Foundation.
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Credits
Lives in Song is produced for Opera Rara by Creative Kin.
Output Editor: Jason Caffrey
Producer: Milly March
Executive Producer: Zachary Vanderburg
