Composer of the Week - Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)

Download Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)

Gaetano Donizetti was one of Italy’s most prolific tunesmiths, with almost 70 operas to his name – about as many as Rossini, Bellini and Verdi all combined - whose arias still cut straight to the heart today. Donald Macleod follows his irresistible rise: from a child brought up in a dark, cramped cellar to become a pioneering master of the style known as bel canto. And like any opera plot, there’s triumph and tragedy, headaches and heartbreak…

Music featured:
L’Elisir d’amore
Gloria (from Messa di Gloria)
String Quartet No 5 in E minor
Waltz in G major
Zoraida
Amor marinaro
L’Esule di Roma
Lucrezia Borgia
Lucia di Lammermoor
String Quartet No 16
Maria Stuarda
Messa di Requiem
ll sogno “Nostre misere menti”
Il sospiro “Donna felice, stanca d’amore”
Poliuto
La fille du regiment
Les Martyrs
La fille du regiment
Maria Padilla
Trovatella “Sovra il campo della vita”
Don Pasquale
String Quartet No 18
Dom Sebastien: Seul sur la terre
Requiem: Offertorio – Lux Aeterna

Produced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales and West.

For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002sd9n

And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z

Published on Friday, 20th March 2026.

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