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Lives in Song

Lives in Song

By: Opera Rara
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An Opera Rara podcast exploring the lives of composers through their music. Hosted by Flora Willson, Lives in Song offers listeners a deeper understanding of the music and the people behind opera’s enduring works. www.opera-rara.com

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Episodes
  • Donizetti Sets Eyes on Vienna – “Monseigneur le duc de Bretagne”

    Donizetti Sets Eyes on Vienna – “Monseigneur le duc de Bretagne”
    Sep 24 2025
    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 ParkerChapters:00:00 Donizetti’s Final Chapter: From Paris to Vienna04:22 A New European Sound: Donizetti's Viennese Style07:11 The Preludio to Caterina Cornaro09:41 A Sad Decline: Donizetti's Final Illness13:25 Setting Victor Hugo: La fiancée du timbalier17:15 The Drummer's Bride: La fiancée du timbalier Part 120:18 A Social Networker: How Donizetti Used Music as a Gift23:19 Modern & Fragmented: La fiancée du timbalier Part 225:47 After the Curtain Falls: The Battle for Donizetti's Manuscripts29:43 Special Guest Finale with Martin Cullingford (Gramophone)33:48 Ask Opera Rara: What’s Next for Lives in Song?Get InvolvedREVIEW & SUBSCRIBE: Follow or subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode. And please leave a review to help other opera-lovers discover our work.DISCOVER: Opera Rara's work to unearth, restore, and record lost and forgotten operas by some of music's greatest composers: https://opera-rara.com/SUPPORT: A unique operatic vision and help us create more content like this: https://www.opera-rara.com/supportEXPLORE: The full Opera Rara catalogue: https://opera-rara.com/shopcatalogueFOLLOW Opera Rara:YouTubeInstagramX / TwitterFacebookLinkedInBlueSkySupportersThis season of Lives in Song has been made possible by the generous support ofAndrea 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. Opera Rara's work is only made possible by the support of our loyal family of donors and listeners.For more information about supporting Opera Rara, please visit opera-rara.com/support.CreditsLives in Song is produced for Opera Rara by Creative Kin.Output Editor: Jason CaffreyProducer: Milly MarchExecutive Producer: Zachary Vanderburg
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    42 mins
  • Donizetti and French Culture – “Je ne me plaignis pas”

    Donizetti and French Culture – “Je ne me plaignis pas”
    Sep 23 2025
    When Gaetano Donizetti arrived in Paris in the late 1830s, he entered the undisputed capital of the 19th-century opera world. Driven from Italy by personal tragedy and professional frustration, he launched a veritable invasion, writing simultaneously for the city's three main opera houses and dazzling high society with his incredible creative energy.In this episode, host Flora Willson is joined by opera scholar Professor Roger Parker to explore this remarkable chapter in Donizetti's life.We discover how he adapted his style for the epic scale of French "grand opera" in works like Les Martyrs, and how he crafted a new, sophisticated voice in the intimate songs he wrote for the city's exclusive salons.Along the way, we'll hear two stunning examples of his French songs and uncover a surprising secret: how a melody written for the salon found its way into one of his most beloved comic operas, La Fille du Régiment.Opera Rara's mission is to unearth, restore, and record the forgotten gems of this period. To help us continue this vital work of musical discovery and share it with the world, please consider making a gift by visiting our support page at https://www.opera-rara.com/support."This sort of atmosphere is very common in the French songs of this, a man sort of delighting in the cruelty of the woman... which I think the Italians would have found slightly vulgar, actually." - Roger ParkerChapters00:00 - How Donizetti Conquered Paris04:41 - Inside the 19th-Century Paris Opera Scene09:07 - Deconstructing Donizetti's Grand Opera, Les Martyrs15:28 - How French Salons Shaped Donizetti's Songs20:11 - "I Didn't Complain": A Salon Lament with a Secret27:03 - From Opera to Salon: A Tale of Two Songs32:15 - The Surprising International Market for Salon Music35:05 - Ask Opera Rara: Rediscovering Lost Operas & Donizetti's BrotherGet InvolvedREVIEW & SUBSCRIBE: Follow or subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode. And please leave a review to help other opera-lovers discover our work.DISCOVER: Opera Rara's work to unearth, restore, and record lost and forgotten operas by some of music's greatest composers: https://opera-rara.com/SUPPORT: A unique operatic vision and help us create more content like this: https://www.opera-rara.com/supportEXPLORE: The full Opera Rara catalogue: https://opera-rara.com/shopcatalogueFOLLOW Opera Rara:YouTubeInstagramX / TwitterFacebookLinkedInBlueSkySupportersThis season of Lives in Song has been made possible by the generous support ofAndrea 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. Opera Rara's work is only made possible by the support of our loyal family of donors and listeners.For more information about supporting Opera Rara, please visit opera-rara.com/support.CreditsLives in Song is produced for Opera Rara by Creative Kin.Output Editor: Jason CaffreyProducer: Milly MarchExecutive Producer: Zachary Vanderburg
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    42 mins
  • Love, Death, and Paris - "Amore e morte"

    Love, Death, and Paris - "Amore e morte"
    Sep 22 2025
    In 1837, the death Gaetano Donizetti's beloved wife Virginia sent him into a profound crisis, prompting him to leave Italy for Paris. This tragic turning point also marked a new direction in his music, which became darker, more harmonically complex, and emotionally charged.In this episode, host Flora Willson is joined by opera scholar Roger Parker to investigate this pivotal period.We contrast the extreme, gothic violence of his opera Maria de Rudenz with the subtle, melancholic beauty of his salon song, "Amore e morte" - Love and Death.Along the way, we explore the 19th century's cultural "cult of death" and reveal the story behind the star tenor nicknamed "the tenor of the beautiful death."It’s a fascinating look at how personal grief and cultural trends can shape great art.Opera Rara is dedicated to uncovering the stories behind the music. If you enjoy these deep dives, please consider making a donation to help us continue our work. Learn more at opera-rara.com/support."The tenor... was known as il tenore della bella morte, the tenor of the beautiful death. So he specialised in death scenes... He did a good stagger, you know, and all those kind of things." - Prof. Roger ParkerChapters:00:00 Introduction: Donizetti's Grief and the Move to Paris02:54 A Darker Sound: The Musical Impact of Tragedy07:22 Melodrama & The Gothic: Inside Maria de Rudenz09:31 From the Stage to the Salon: Donizetti's Songs12:01 "Amore e morte": A Song of Love and Death14:48 Romanticism 101: Unpacking "Love and Death"17:41 The 19th-Century's Beautiful Death21:19 A Glimmer of Light?: The Song's Surprising Finale26:01 Ask Opera Rara: Berlioz, Song Titles & Cello CounterpointsGet InvolvedReview & Subscribe: Follow or subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode. And please leave a review to help other opera-lovers discover our work.Discover: Learn about Opera Rara's work to unearth, restore, and record lost and forgotten operas at opera-rara.com.Support: Help us create more content like this by supporting our unique operatic vision at opera-rara.com/support.Explore: The full Opera Rara catalogue is available at opera-rara.com/shopcatalogue.Follow Opera Rara:YouTubeInstagramX / TwitterFacebookLinkedInBlueSkySupportersThis season of Lives in Song has been made possible by the generous support ofAndrea 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. Opera Rara's work is only made possible by the support of our loyal family of donors and listeners.For more information about supporting Opera Rara, please visit opera-rara.com/support.CreditsLives in Song is produced for Opera Rara by Creative Kin.Output Editor: Jason CaffreyProducer: Milly MarchExecutive Producer: Zachary Vanderburg
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    36 mins
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