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Lives in Song

Lives in Song

By: 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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Episodes
  • Puccini's Le Willis
    Jan 30 2026

    In 1883, a young Giacomo Puccini entered a one-act opera competition in Milan. He lost. But that failure - his first opera, Le Willis - caught the attention of the powerful Ricordi publishing house, launching the career of the man who would become Italy’s greatest post-Verdi composer.

    In this episode of Lives in Song, host Flora Willson is joined by opera scholar Alexandra Wilson to uncover the fascinating origins of Le Willis. Together, they explore Puccini’s student days in Milan, his early symphonic ambitions, and the supernatural legend of the Willis - ghosts of jilted brides who dance men to death. Featuring extracts from Opera Rara’s complete recording, discover the energy of La Tregenda - the witches’ dance - and the melodic genius that signalled the arrival of a new operatic master.

    To support Opera Rara’s mission to restore and record lost operatic masterpieces, please visit opera-rara.com/support.


    "It's incredible to think that symphonic music, orchestral music, was new music as far as Puccini's generation were concerned. I mean, I don't think a Beethoven symphony was heard in Italy until Puccini's teenage years." - Alexandra Wilson


    Chapters:

    00:00 Introduction: Uncovering Puccini’s Debut Opera

    04:15 Escaping to Milan: Bohemian Life and Musical Education

    07:27 The Sonzogno Competition: Failure and Opportunity

    11:11 Symphonic Ambitions: Listening to the opening of Le Willis

    12:40 The Legend of the Willis: The Ghosts of Jilted Brides

    17:39 La Tregenda: Analysing Puccini’s witches’ dance

    26:05 The Premiere of Le Willis and Ricordi’s Intervention

    33:37 Ask Opera Rara: Essential Reading and Puccini’s Legacy


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    SUPPORTERS

    Lives in Song is brought to you by Opera Rara and supported by the generosity of listeners like you.

    Opera Rara is all about uncovering and sharing the hidden gems of the operatic world, giving new life to music that deserves to be heard.

    Your generosity helps us share rare operas and songs with audiences around the world.


    CREDITS

    Lives In Song is produced for Opera Rara by Creative Kin. To find out more, visit creativekin.co.uk/song

    • Host: Flora Willson
    • Guest: Alexandra Wilson
    • Executive Producer: Zachary Vanderburg
    • Producer: Jason Caffrey
    • Audio Engineer: Phoebe Murdoch
    • Videographer: Robin Bharaj
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    39 mins
  • 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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    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 mins
  • 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 mins
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