Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848) was among the most important composers of bel canto opera in both Italian and French in the first half of the 19th century. He wrote over 70 operas, many of which are still part of the modern repertoire and continue to challenge singers with their musical and technical demands.

Donizetti studied with the opera composer Simon Mayr in his hometown of Bergamo, Italy, from 1806-1814. He then moved to Naples, where he was active as a conductor and composer during the 1820s and 1830s.

In 1830, Donizetti achieved international fame with his opera Anna Bolena, establishing his reputation as one of the leading contemporary opera composers. That success was followed five years later by a second operatic triumph: Lucia di Lammermoor, based on a novel by Sir Walter Scott. Lucia was hailed as a masterpiece in its time and is still a beloved part of today’s mainstream operatic repertoire, along with Donizetti’s comic operas L’elisir d’amore, Don Pasquale, and La fille du régiment.