The Final Act
Donald Macleod follows the irresistible rise of Italian opera composer Gaetano Donizetti. Today, he tells the story of Donizetti鈥檚 prolific and dramatic late years.
Gaetano Donizetti was one of Italy鈥檚 most prolific tunesmiths, with almost 70 operas to his name 鈥� about as many as Rossini, Bellini and Verdi all combined - whose arias still cut straight to the heart today. All this week, 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鈥檚 triumph and tragedy, headaches and heartbreak鈥�
Today, in a tale of two cities, we鈥檒l see unfold the final act of Donizetti鈥檚 career as his productivity ramps up and he gets the long-coveted post of Director of Music to the Austrian Emperor. We hear about his unfortunate fate that mirrored one of his most famous operatic scenes, and the somewhat surprising relic made from his corpse.
Trovatella 鈥淪ovra il campo della vita鈥�
Marie-Nicole Lemieux, soprano
Giulio Zappa, piano
Don Pasquale, Act II: 鈥淐he interminabile andirivieni鈥�
Munchner Rundfunkschor
Munchner Rundfunksorchester
Roberto Abbado, conductor
String Quartet No 18 (i. Allegro)
Revolutionary Drawing Room
Don Pasquale, Act III: 鈥淐om鈥櫭� gentil鈥� Bravo, bravo Don Pasquale鈥�
Frank Lopardo, tenor (Ernesto)
Eva Mei, soprano (Norina)
Renato Bruson, bass (Don Pasquale)
Thomas Allen, bass-baritone (Malatasto)
Munchner Rundfunkschor
Munchner Rundfunksorchester
Roberto Abbado, conductor
Dom Sebastien: Seul sur la terre
Benjamin Bernheim, tenor
Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna
Fr茅d茅ric Chaslin, conductor
Requiem: Offertorio 鈥� Lux Aeterna
Marcel Rosca, bass
Tiziana K. Sojat, soprano
Vittorio Giammarrusco, tenor
Jaroslava Horska-Maxov谩, mezzo-soprano
Zden臎k Hl谩vka, baritone
Prague Chamber Chorus
Prague Virtuosi
Alexander Rahbari, conductor
Produced by Amelia Parker for 麻豆社 Audio Wales and West.
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Gaetano Donizetti
Trovatella "Sovra il campo della vita"
Performer: Guilio Zappa. Singer: Marie鈥怤icole Lemieux.- OPERA RARA : 9293802572.
- OPERA RARA.
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Gaetano Donizetti
Don Pasquale: "Che interminabile andirivieni"
Conductor: Roberto Abbado. Choir: Bavarian Radio Symphony Choir. Orchestra: Munich Radio Orchestra.- RCA : 09026-61924 2.
- RCA.
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Gaetano Donizetti
String Quartet No 18 in E minor (1st mvt)
Ensemble: The Revolutionary Drawing Room.- CPO : 999-282 2.
- CPO.
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Gaetano Donizetti
Don Pasquale, Act 3: Finale
Singer: Renato Bruson. Conductor: Roberto Abbado. Choir: Bavarian Radio Symphony Choir. Orchestra: Munich Radio Orchestra. Singer: Eva Mei. Singer: Frank Lopardo. Singer: Thomas Allen.- RCA : 09026-61924 2.
- RCA.
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Gaetano Donizetti
Dom Sebastien, Act 2: Seul sur la terre
Singer: Benjamin Bernheim. Orchestra: Bologna Municipal Theatre Orchestra. Conductor: Fr茅d茅ric Chaslin.- DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON : 486-196-4.
- DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON.
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Gaetano Donizetti
Messa di Requiem (Offertoria; Lux Aeterna)
Singer: Zdenek Hlavka. Singer: Marcello Rosca. Singer: Tiziana K. Sojat. Singer: Vittorio Giammarrusco. Singer: Jaroslava Horska-Maxova. Choir: Prague Chamber Choir. Orchestra: Prague Virtuosi. Conductor: Alexander Rahbari.- PROFIL MEDIEN : PH08026.
- PROFIL MEDIEN.
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Broadcast
- Fri 20 Mar 2026 16:00麻豆社 Radio 3
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