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Lives in Song

Lives in Song

Auteur(s): 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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  • Puccini: The Making of a Maestro

    Puccini: The Making of a Maestro
    Nov 28 2025

    Giacomo Puccini was the fifth generation of a musical dynasty in Lucca, destined for a quiet life as a cathedral organist.

    But after his father died when Giacomo was just six years old, that lineage was disrupted - and the trajectory of Italian opera was changed forever.

    In this season premiere of Lives in Song, host Flora Willson is joined by opera scholar, Ditlev Rindom, to explore the formative years of the man who would bridge the 19th and 20th centuries and take opera into a bold, new age.

    We examine the political upheaval of the Risorgimento, the towering influence of Verdi, and the Scapigliatura movement that brought a punk-like energy to Milan’s artistic scene.

    Ditlev also introduces us to the upcoming Opera Rara recording of the 1921 version of La rondine, arguing that Puccini’s fear of repeating himself was evident from the very start.

    If you love the history of opera and want to support the discovery of rare works, visit the Opera Rara website to learn more.


    Puccini is "a composer who has absolute fear of repeating himself, but was always looking for a radically new topic." — Ditlev Rindom


    Chapters

    00:00 Introduction: Puccini’s World

    01:53 Ditlev Rindom and the 1921 final version of La rondine

    04:32 Puccini: The Composer Of Two Centuries

    08:33 Early Years In Lucca

    11:36 A New Country: Growing up in the Risorgimento

    14:49 Listening to Verdi: Simon Boccanegra

    17:09 The Crisis in Italian Opera

    21:07 Arrigo Boito & The Scapigliatura Movement

    32:42 Ask Opera Rara: Underrated Composers & La rondine

    37:24 Conclusion


    Get Involved

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    • YouTube


    Supporters Lives in Song is brought to you by Opera Rara and by the generosity of listeners like you. If you love discovery as much as we do, you can help us keep the music alive by making a donation at opera-rara.com/support.


    Credits

    • Host: Flora Willson
    • Guest: Ditlev Rindom
    • Executive Producer: Zachary Vanderburg
    • Producer: Jason Caffrey
    • Audio Engineer: Phoebe Murdoch
    • Videographer: Robin Bharaj


    Lives In Song is produced for Opera Rara by Creative Kin. To find out more visit https://creativekin.co.uk/song
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    40 min
  • 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 min
  • 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
    Voir plus Voir moins
    42 min
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