Gaetano Donizetti

Until the rise of Verdi, whom he profoundly influenced, Donizetti held a dominant position in Italian Romantic opera. Between the premiere of his first opera in Venice in 1818 and the 1843 Parisian premiere of his last stage work, he composed – at a pace breathtaking even for the 19th century – more than 60 works for many of the most important singers of his time. After a dispute with Neapolitan censorship, he moved to Paris in 1838, where he created two outstanding comic operas, La Fille du régiment (1840) and Don Pasquale (1843). The subsequent four years until his death were overshadowed by syphilis: paralyzed and mentally confused, Donizetti could not maintain his output. The composer's fame, who until his illness was considered a warm-hearted and humorous man, has always rested primarily on his comedies (such as L'Elisir d'amore); however, he actually composed mostly serious operas – not only the eternally popular Lucia di Lammermoor, but also others like Maria Stuarda, which are currently enjoying positive re-evaluation and an increasing number of performances.