Gaetano Donizetti was one of the most distinguished Italian composers of the first half of the 19th century. At that time, opera was the preeminent musical genre in Italy, and many top composers based their careers on it. Unlike his contemporary Italian opera composers, though, Gaetano Donizetti also devoted his art to chamber music, producing a good number of excellent works. Between 1814 and 1821, he wrote a number of interesting compositions that included both obligato clarinet or two clarinets in C, as well as demanding parts for basset horn. The voices of soprano and tenor are involved, even in a duet (Aria de Torrente). This album is indebted to Nico Bertelli for his research and publications concerning classical and early romantic arias with clarinet, and to Italian researcher Adriano Amore. � Giuseppe Donizetti�(a.k.a. Donizetti Pasha) was Gaetano Donizetti's older brother. He was a talented child and received lessons from Simon Mayr, the same teacher as his brother. In 1825, he became music master of an Austrian regiment stationed in Italy. In 1831, the Turkish sultan asked him to form the military band of his empire along the Central European lines. He managed to win great esteem and favour from the sultan, transferring the musical style of Italian music to the shores of the Bosporus with great success. He died in Constantinople on 12 February 1856. Giuseppe Donizetti wrote a large amount of music for military bands in many different combinations, but only a few of those works reached his homeland. There are also some vocal works and shorter piano pieces, published in Milan and Florence. - Recorded September 2023 in Cesano Maderno and in Ticino, Italy - Booklet in English contains liner notes by Luigi Magistrelli and profiles of the soloists and the ensemble - A delightful program of works featuring the clarinet in various settings by Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848), one of the greatest opera composers of 19th century Italy, and his brother Giuseppe Donizetti (1788-1856), who was a military music master of an Austrian regiment stationed in Italy. In 1831 the Turkish Sultan asked him to form his empire's military band along central European lines. He was able to gain high esteem and favor from the Sultan, transferring the musical style of Italian music on the shores of the Bosphorus with great success. He died in Constantinople on 10 February 1856. - The program is highly varied and ranges from works for solo clarinet to arias for voices, clarinet and piano, and a wind sextet. Brilliantly performed by Luigi Magistrelli, one of the leading clarinet players of Italy, seconded by a fine selection of Italian soloists. Magistrelli made many recordings for Brilliant Classics with works by C.P.E. Bach (95307), Giuliani (95541), Kummer (94472), Archduke Rudolph (94952), Rebay (94171) and Fuchs (96305). 'Luigi Magistrelli is a skilled artist, with the fingers and the enthusiasm for Weber.' Gramophone.

Star tenor Javier Camarena makes his Pentatone debut with Signor Gaetano, together with Gli Originali under the baton of Italian opera specialist Riccardo Frizza, presenting a carefully-curated exploration of Donizetti’s greatest tenor arias. Besides famous excerpts from L’elisir d’amore, Don Pasquale and Roberto Devereux, this project focuses on hidden gems from rarely-recorded works such as Betly, Maria de Rudenz and Il giovedì grasso. Camarena and Frizza’s exceptional sense of style is enhanced by the period instrument playing of Gli Originali. The recording took place at the Teatro Donizetti in the composer’s hometown Bergamo, as part of the yearly Donizetti Festival, of which Frizza is the musical director.

Javier Camarena is one of the most in-demand tenors of his generation, and one of the world’s leading bel canto specialists. Riccardo Frizza frequents major opera houses, was awarded the Best Conductor prize at the International Opera XXI Awards, and returns to Pentatone after having featured on The Three Queens (Donizetti) with Sondra Radvanovsky and Lyric Opera Chicago (2022). Gli Originali was founded within the context of the Bergamo Donizetti Festival, and aims to revive the sound world of early nineteenth-century opera with period instruments and a historically-informed approach.

Zoraida di Granata, a stirring tale of love, betrayal and reconciliation, set in the Moorish kingdom of Granada in Andalusia in 1480, gave the 24-year-old Donizetti his first major operatic triumph. It marked his establishment as a true musical dramatist with a sure sense of craftsmanship and a flair for the dramatic. The opera's virtuosic central roles, fine choruses and powerful set-pieces show Rossini's unavoidable influence, though it is more a presence rather than imitation. This performance of the 1822 edition, not the 1824 revision, is performed on original instruments by Gli Originali and conducted by Alberto Zanardi.

Donizetti's Don Pasquale is one of a triumvirate of 19th-century Italian opere buffe - L'elisir d'amore and Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia being the others - that continue to enchant the world's stages. Don Pasquale represents the high point of the opera buffa tradition, employing figures taken from commedia dell'arte - the blustering old man, his lovesick nephew, the wily widow and the scheming doctor - and brings new life to the genre in this beautifully constructed comic opera full of cabalettas, cadenzas and coloratura, gently tinged with melancholy. This production employs a new critical edition of the work and stars the seasoned baritone Roberto de Candia in the central role, alongside Giulia Mazzola as Norina.

Gaetano Donizetti had big shoes to fill at his debut in Naples in 1823, arriving at the Teatro di San Carlo just after Rossini's departure, full of talent but still seeking his true voice. Alfredo il Grande is influenced by Rossini, but also shows hints of great things to come. The narrative is a celebration of heroism and magnanimous royalty, taking us to 9th century England where King Alfred the Great is on the run from the Vikings. Revived two centuries after the spectacular failure of it's premiere, this little-known opera seria can now stand as a reflection on humanitarian values and gestures of resistance against the destructiveness of war.

In 1835 Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor made it's triumphant debut at the San Carlo in Naples. For it's Parisian appearance four years later as Lucie de Lammermoor, the composer went much further than merely Gallicising the heroine's first name, he subjected the opera to a condensation in which Lucie became the only woman in the entire cast. Donizetti's orchestration remains largely the same but the French influence is audible in new recitatives. This later version is no surrogate or mere abridgement, but, perhaps because of it's greater concision, is more brutal and emotional than the original.

Initially composed for performance during the season of Lent, Donizetti's Il diluvio universale ('The Great Flood') takes a Biblical story and mixes it with the human nature of the main characters, creating a uniquely intense drama. Performed here with a stellar cast in it's acclaimed 2023 revival at the Festival Donizetti in Bergamo, this production transports Donizetti's opera into the present day. In this staging collective and individual destinies are interwoven, urging us to reflect on issues such as the environmental crisis and climate change.

This box set concludes the recording of all 18 String Quartets by Gaetano Donizetti, who loved these works as if they were his own children. The Mitja Quartet is the first Italian ensemble to have recorded these works in their entirety.

Winner of the 2016 Abbiati Prize, baritone Nicola Alaimo is one of the leading singers of his generation, with a supreme versatility that is explored in full in this Donizetti recital. Honorable, heroic and romantic characters are all vividly brought to life in Alaimo's interpretations, such as the tragic figure of Enrico, Duke of Chevreuse from Maria di Rohan, whose discovery that his wife is in love with his friend brings out the most intense feelings of any solo passage in European opera of the day.

Saving the imagination. This was one of the secrets of good composition (“sparing the imagination and conducting a piece with a few ideas”) according to Donizetti. Indeed, this economy of invention proved especially effective in chamber music, particularly in its noblest formation: the string quartet. This second box marks a further step towards the recording of the complete opera released by the strings of the Mitja Quartet.

The Mitja Quartet was founded in 2008 by four musicians from Naples, Cosenza, Potenza and La Serena (Chile). The ensemble was formed in the most prestigious academies in Europe (the Fiesole Music School, the European Academy of the Quartet of Florence, the W. Stauffer Academy of Cremona, the Pro Quartet Academy of Paris, the Jeunesse Musicale Deutschland of Weikersheim, the International Piano Academy Incontri col Maestro di Imola), studying with internationally renowned musicians and ensembles, such as the Artemis Quartet, the Alban Berg Quartet, the Casals Quartet, the Kuss Quartet, the Cremona Quartet, Antonello Farulli , Andrea Nannoni and Alfred Brendel.

Country boy Nemorino is determined to win the haughty Adina's heart, but she refuses to give him the time of day. Can Doctor Dulcamara's so-called 'elixir of love' work it's magic? Conductor Sesto Quatrini makes his house debut, as does soprano Nadine Sierra in the role of Adina. She is joined by Liparit Avetisyan, Boris Pinkhasovich and the incomparable Bryn Terfel as the genial wheeler-dealer Doctor Dulcamara.

Known primarily as a prolific opera composer, Gaetano Donizetti also wrote nearly 300 songs, which were destined for intimate gatherings of friends, professionals and wealthy amateurs. Though Donizetti was seemingly blase about his songs, they contain much of interest. Their melodic beauty and structural surety are invariably captivating, whether in ballades or canzonettas, theatrical ariettas, or poignant love laments. Setting poets from Pietro Metastasio to his contemporaries allowed Donizetti full rein to explore a wide variety of subject matter with wit, sentiment, long vocal lines, and quasi-orchestral piano accompaniment. A digital-only single of Lamento per la morte di V. Bellini is also available to stream and download (9.70399).

Discover the allure of Gran Teatro La Fenice, one of Italy's most iconic theatres and among Europe's grandest opera houses. Known for hosting groundbreaking opera premieres in the 19th century, La Fenice has staged legendary works from the masters of the Bel Canto era-Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, and Verdi. Each year, a quarter-million visitors from around the globe are drawn to this historic venue, while the Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro La Fenice now perform worldwide, including a celebrated appearance at Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie in July 2024. Now, Teatro La Fenice proudly presents a collection of it's finest opera recordings from the past 30 years, available for the first time on CD. Featuring between 10 and 15 carefully selected operas each year, these recordings bring the magic of La Fenice's world-renowned performances to your home. Indulge in the timeless beauty of Italian opera at it's best.

Maria Callas is credited with changing the history of opera. Known as La Divina, she continues to fascinate as a supreme artist, but also as a woman and an icon of style. Her interpretations were as compelling for their dramatic truth as for their musical integrity. Her voice, with it's extraordinary range, was as distinctive as her infallible sense for a phrase. A magnetic presence, she brought operatic heroines to vivid life, magically shaping and colouring her tone, and making insightful use of the text of the libretto.

ECHO

Classical Music

To celebrate the 225th anniversary of Gaetano Donizetti's birth, Opera Rara has restored L'esule di Roma (1828), an opera which is considered a milestone in the composer's illustrious career. Set in Imperial Rome, L'esule di Roma is filled with political conspiracy, romantic intrigue and great sacrifice. Vocal fireworks flies in this opera, punctuating remarkable ensembles and touching arias. Carlo Rizzi, Opera Rara's Artistic Director, leads a star cast with soprano Albina Shagimuratova, The Times' "new queen of bel canto", Nicola Alaimo in one of Donizetti's finest roles for bass-baritone, and tenor Sergey Romanovsky in the title role.

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Classical Music

Royal Opera favourite Bryn Terfel heads the cast for this exhilarating production of Donizetti’s comedy of domestic drama across two generations. Don Pasquale is the witty story of a middle-aged man whose supposed young wife runs rings around him – with her own ulterior romantic purpose in mind – and has long delighted and surprised audiences, not least as presented with the sparkle of its music and the virtuoso skill of its performers. Damiano Michieletto’s production shows how contemporary the characters still are and how immediate and touching the story remains.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music