Donizetti's opera Lucia di Lammermoor is based on Sir Walter Scott's novel The Bride of Lammermuir, featuring themes of love, revenge, and madness.
Composer Biography
Giuseppe Verdi dominated Italian opera for about 50 years, from his success with Nabucco in 1842 to his last opera, Falstaff, in 1893.
Performer Biography
The Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava), the oldest symphonic ensemble in Slovakia, was founded in 1929 by Milos Ruppeldt and Oskar Nedbal.
Performer Biography
Igor Morosov, the baritone on this album, was influenced by Tchaikovsky's opera Eugene Onegin, a role that secured his entry into the Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory.
Historical Context
Verdi's career coincided with the rise of Italian nationalism, and his name was used as a patriotic acronym for King Vittorio Emanuele, re d'Italia.
Composer Biography
Gioachino Rossini, an earlier generation opera composer, had a relatively short but successful career, writing his last stage work, Guillaume Tell, in 1829 at age 37.
Composer Biography
Gaetano Donizetti, along with Bellini, represents the generation of Italian opera composers between Rossini and Verdi.
