# Your top 10 favourite Donizetti operas, in order!



## Don Fatale (Aug 31, 2009)

Donizetti wrote _almost 70_ operas (according to Wikipedia), but alas, I've seen just the 3 most popular them: Lucia, Elisir and Don Pasquale. Perhaps a dozen of the other operas seem to be regularly performed, so they can't be that bad!

My top 10 request is perhaps a little tongue-in-cheek. If someone can rank (not simply select) ten of them I'd be impressed and hopefully enlightened. If not, just rank as many as you can.

Q. Which one of Donizetti's works deserves to join the big three (to make a big four) and why?

Q. I don't see many 'Donizettians' around. Do they exist? Perhaps you are one?


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## Balthazar (Aug 30, 2014)

I've always thought of Donizetti as having a Big Four (the three you mention plus _La fille du régiment)_ along with the Three Queens.

My top 10 would likely include the above plus _Parisina_ plus _Dom Sebastien_ plus ???

But I am not sure I would be comfortable ranking them... I have yet to hear a Donizetti opera I don't like.


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## Don Fatale (Aug 31, 2009)

I'm currently listening to _Linda di Chamounix_ as homework for a Rome performance next month. Sounds like a lot of fun!


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

I've bookmarked your question, answer follows later :tiphat:


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

These are the Donizetti operas I have recordings of, and I note they only amount to 9, though I have three Callas recordings of *Lucia di Lammermoor* and both Janet Baker and Caballe in *Maria Stuarda*. If I place *Anna Bolena* first, it probably has more to do with Callas's thrillingly brilliant performance of the title role than anything else.

I've put them in order, though some of them are probably interchangeable

1. *Anna Bolena* - Callas, Simionato, Raimondi, Rossi-Lemeni; Gavazzeni (La Scala 1957)
2. *Lucia di Lammermoor *- Callas, Di Stefano, Gobbi, Arie; Serafin (EMI 1953), Callas, Di Stefano, Panerai, Zaccaria; Karajan (Berlin 1955), Callas, Tagliavini, Cappuccilli, Ladysz; Serafin (EMI 1959)
3. *Maria Stuarda*- Baker, Tinsley; Mackerras (ENO 1973), Caballe, Verrett; Cillario (La Scala 1971)
4. *L'Elisir d'Amore* - Cotrubas, Domingo, Wixell, Evans; Pritchard
5. *Poliuto* - Callas, Corelli, Bastianini; Votto (La Scala 1960)
6. *Roberto Devereux *- Caballe, Marsee, Carreras (Aix 1977)
7. *La Fille du Regiment* - Sutherland, Pavarotti, Malas; Bonygne
8. *Lucrezia Borgia* - Caballe, Vanzo, Paskalis, Berbie; Perlea (Carnegie Hall 1965)
9. *Don Pasquale* - Saraceni, Schipa, Badini, Polo; Sabajno

I did have once on LP a live recording of Caballe in *Catarina Cornaro*, but I honestly can't remember that much about it.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

I'm not sure I could list 10 but I would definitely add _La fille du régiment_ to your Top Three.

Last year I saw ETO's _L'assedio di Calais_ and I enjoyed it but not sure I could say why.

Opera Rara have recorded many of the lesser known ones.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

This is my list of favorites:

Anna Bolena
L'elisir d'amore
Lucrezia Borgia
Rosmonda d'Inghilterra
Maria Stuarda
Lucia di Lammermoor
Roberto Devereux
Poliuto
La favorite/favorita
Linda di Chamounix


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

I love Donizetti; I think that as a composer he had certain qualities Bellini didn't have (and vice versa). _Lucia di Lammermoor_ is one of my favorite operas of all time; especially when performed uncut I think it's a truly great work. I've always liked _L'Elisir d'amore_ and since seeing it at the Met recently I like it more than I ever did. I haven't heard any of Donizetti's other operas in full, but I do love what I've heard of _Anna Bolena _-- i.e. the final scene.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Don Fatale said:


> Q. Which one of Donizetti's works deserves to join the big three (to make a big four) and why?


I think you may want to explore the so-called Tudor Trilogy ("Anna Bolena", "Maria Stuarda", "Roberto Devereux"). These are wonderful operas, and they are likely to entertain you.

I have selected below some performances in youtube, so you can check first without any costs to your wallet:


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## Don Fatale (Aug 31, 2009)

It certainly seems that the tudor trilogy is getting a lot of exposure these days. Welsh National Opera put them on recently with very mixed results! 

Research of the recent TC top 200 survey has the big three in the top 100
and the following in the 200: La fille du régiment, Maria Stuarda, Anna Bolena & Poliuto. That seems about right. I get the feeling a lot of these can be pretty great with a top singer taking on a role. Witness Roberto Devereux re-emerging at the Met.


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## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

Not sure what my top ten favs would be, but I feel like I've seen them all this past Donizetti-heavy season at the Met. (OK, so it was _only_ five, but still...)


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## Meyerbeer Smith (Mar 25, 2016)

Top ten Donizetti operas:

1. _Lucrezia Borgia_
2. _La favorite_
3._ Imelda de' Lambertazzi_ (dramatic, fast paced, tight; excellent ensembles)
4. _Maria Stuarda_
5. _Lucia di Lammermoor_ (gloomy, though!)
6. _La fille du régiment_
7. _Anna Bolena_ (some great numbers, but less than the sum of its parts; it drags, and the Italian convention that the soprano sings a final aria is boring)

_Dom Sébastien_ needs a Francophone cast, which the Opera Rara production lacks. The plot is a bit scrappy, and the last act is weak. There are several good ensembles, especially the Marche funèbre.

I haven't heard _L'elisir d'amore_ for ages.

I'm not sold on _Roberto Devereux_; there are few numbers that leap out. The only production I've seen is the one with Edita Gruberova, set for some reason in a corporate environment. Seriously, dude! You think desks and offices are more interesting than Tudor Britain?

The overture to _Rosmonda d'Inghilterra_ is exhilarating.

_Maria Padilla_ has a good baritone aria - "Lasciar Maria, sempre adorata".


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## Belowpar (Jan 14, 2015)

The ultimate journeyman Opera Composer? Italian, French, revisions, whatever it took. What is most surprising to me is that his output didn't seem to mature further in terms of Quality, once he'd found some success. The first of his Opera's that most would know was his 36th, Anna Bolena. So he had his own "galley years" roughly 1816-1830. Even after that it seems like a recognised work is then followed by two or more unknowns. But of the 11 I've seen, I enjoyed and value them all.

Anyone know about this organisation?

http://www.donizettisociety.com/index.html

I don't like ranking things, but I've seen Lucia several times and I would say it was his best.

I can't even rank the following 3 comedies.

La fille du régiment
Don Pasquale
L'esir damore

Or pick a best of

Maria Stuarta
Anna Bolena

All the following I've only seen once with no prior knowledge of the music. I would happily go to any of them again and think they do deserve attention and occasional but regular international revivals.

Betly as a single act performed with Pagliachi at Holland Park more than 20 years ago. If only there was another one act Opera needing a pair?

Linda di Chamounix this was put on in 2009 by the ROH in two concert performances conducted by Mark Elder. Again enjoyed it hugely but I don't know of anyone moving to a full production.

Pia D'Tolomei Enjoyed but even though it was this year, I was severely jet lagged and struggle to recall much. But I did feel at the time it was an even and interesting work.

Poliuto A Glyndebourne production which didn't do it any favours. The singing and playing was great however and it Allowed Michael Fabiano to show off with an attractive tone and real power. Without a great Tenor I doubt it would be worth a revival.

La favorite as I wrote here, the predicament of the heroine reminded me of La Traviata and was most moving. I understand there are a couple of European productions coming up, so maybe this one will breakthrough and live on. I hope so.


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## Belowpar (Jan 14, 2015)

From, the Donizetti Society website.


"Opera Magazine ( June 2015) carried a very positive editorial on Donizetti and have kindly given us permission to reproduce it. It relates how Donizetti's reputation and performances of his operas continue to go from strength to strength, the key objective of the Society since its founding."

Opera Magazine Editorial, June 2015
by John Allison (Opera Magazine Editor)

How can one not love him?
By wonderful accident or good design, opera-lovers this month have an unprecedented opportunity to compare Poliuto and Les Martyrs, Donizetti’s Italian work and expanded French grand opéra on the same subject of Christian martyrdom. The first complete studio recording of Les Martyrs has just been released by Opera Rara (see our Disc of the Month, pp. 788-91, for Max Loppert’s review), and audiences at Glyndebourne are currently enjoying the first professional British staging of Poliuto, which plays throughout June (review next month). The intertwined histories of these operas add up to a tale of two great operatic cities, Naples and Paris—not unconnectedly, Donizetti’s two main powerbases.

Such a conjunction of events would have been unthinkable a few decades ago, but is now perhaps the sort of pleasant surprise we are accustomed to seeing sprung on us by what still deserves to be called the ‘Donizetti revival’. It’s a revival that has already changed the operatic landscape beyond all recognition and yet seems to be ongoing, with more performances of Donizetti than ever. The Operabase website lists 19 productions and 58 performances of the composer’s operas this month. Some of these stagings are of popular masterpieces, others are rarities (in which connection it’s worth pointing out that these figures for June do not take into account the end of English Touring Opera’s spring season, which includes both L’assedio di Calais and Il furioso all’isola di San Domingo).

Not bad for a composer who was all but written off 60 years ago as intellectually disreputable— cue noses turned up at melodramatic plots, oom-pah accompaniments and sopranos duetting in thirds with the flute. In an age when Wagner—a composer who wrote one opera every four years—had become god, what chance did a composer have who could write four operas in a year? Devotees of serious music in the first half of the 20th century looked back on Donizetti as an aberration of popular taste. When introducing Donizetti’s Elisabetta in our pages in 1997, the late Andrew Porter—to whom we pay affectionate tribute this month, see pp. 714-19—marvelled at the way he had witnessed Donizetti’s changing fortunes: ‘The schoolboy who had been told that he might never live to see and hear a Donizetti opera became a music critic who has now seen some 30 Donizetti operas (and on radio and record heard many more).’
One ofthe turning points was of course Callas making a speciality of Donizetti heroines at La Scala, not so much the perhaps expected Lucia of 1954 as her 1957 Anna Bolena and 1960 Paolina (Poliuto). Musicology kept pace. The pioneering books of Herbert Weinstock and William Ashbrook appeared in the mid ’60s, and indeed Porter himself played an important role, as he recalled in a New Yorker column on Dom Sébastien: ‘Among the Scribe papers in Paris I discovered an affidavit to the effect that the composer had rewritten the baritone’s principal air, “O Lisbonne”, between the dress rehearsal and the first night … The next day, I found the original air—a beautiful piece—in the baritone’s partbook.’

Donizetti needs star singers, and a new generation is providing the impetus for our latest discoveries: the American tenors Michael Fabiano and Michael Spyres are the respective driving forces behind Poliuto and Les Martyrs. But these new discoveries only confirm what Porter already knew when he paraphrased Dallapiccola on Verdi: ‘“He wept and loved for all of us”, is true also of Donizetti. Remembering Elisir, Don Pasquale and many another comedy … we can add “and laughed, too” … How can anyone not love him?’


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## Don Fatale (Aug 31, 2009)

Belowpar said:


> *Donizetti needs star singers*, and a new generation is providing the impetus for our latest discoveries: the American tenors Michael Fabiano and Michael Spyres are the respective driving forces behind Poliuto and Les Martyrs. But these new discoveries only confirm what Porter already knew when he paraphrased Dallapiccola on Verdi: '"He wept and loved for all of us", is true also of Donizetti. Remembering Elisir, Don Pasquale and many another comedy … we can add "and laughed, too" … How can anyone not love him?'


The last thing Donizetti's works need is obscured and regie productions. Star singers are obviously good to have, but more than this it needs singers and conductors who love his works and who relish the challenge of delivering (above all else) an evening of great singing. And if they can get halfway close to the sound of the singers on my recordings from the 50's and 60's I'd be delighted.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

See a fantastic _La fille du régiment_ at the Met with Lawrence Brownlee was one of the things that got me indelibly hooked on seeing opera live. I had previously mostly ignored comedies and Bel canto; but this was thrilling. I have a lot more to see, and would like to see these a lot more as well. My rankings, at the moment:

Maria Stuarda
Lucia di lammermoor
La fille du régiment
Anna Bolena
Don Pasquale
Roberto Devereux
L'elisir d'amore
Poliuto

I'd consider them all good, the top few great. I've also become a fan of Donizetti's chamber music; he has some really wonderful string quartets.

I have a vinyl copy of _Il campanello di notte_ that I have yet to listen to, and _Lucrezia Borgia_ on video I've yet to watch.

_Don Pasquale_ with Lawrence Brownlee (in the Laurent Pelly production) is probably what I am most excited for in San Francisco Opera's 2016-17 season.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Well I happen to have 9 Donizetti operas on CD. I am not ordering them any particular way, but to group the four queens first and to say my very favorite of them is Maria Stuarda. I have not heard the 4th, more obscure queen as much. I have only heard Poliuto once. And I am trying to like Don Pasquale, but struggling with it.

Maria Stuarda
Anna Bolena
Roberto Devereux
Il castello di Kenilworth
La fille du régiment
L'elisir d'amore
Adelia
Poliuto
Don Pasquale


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## Meyerbeer Smith (Mar 25, 2016)

All the Donizetti operas are on Youtube. Put up by DonGaetanoDonizetti himself.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

SimonTemplar said:


> All the Donizetti operas are on Youtube. Put up by DonGaetanoDonizetti himself.


Had one to many Simon? :cheers:


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## Meyerbeer Smith (Mar 25, 2016)

Yes, I've been quaffing the elisir d'amore! Il segreto per esser felici tra la la...

But...

https://www.youtube.com/user/DonGaetanoDonizetti
https://www.youtube.com/user/DonGaetanoDonizetti1/videos


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

SimonTemplar said:


> Yes, I've been quaffing the elisir d'amore! Il segreto per esser felici tra la la...
> 
> But...
> 
> ...


The last link are treasures Simon, thank you very much!


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## Amara (Jan 12, 2012)

I love Donizetti! He's such a consistent composer for me. I can listen to a work of his for the first time and know there's a very good chance that I'm going to love it.

1. Roberto Devereux
2. Lucia di Lammermoor
3. L'Elisir d'Amore
4. Anna Bolena
5. Don Pasquale
6. Maria Stuarda
7. Lucrezia Borgia
8. La Fille du Regiment


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

1) Maria Stuarda 
2) Lucrezia Borgia
3) Lucia di Lammermoor 

Those are the only ones with which I am familiar enough to feel honest in appraising. wow....I'm really not as familiar with Donizetti as I should be. lmao


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## Meyerbeer Smith (Mar 25, 2016)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> 1) Maria Stuarda
> 2) Lucrezia Borgia
> 3) Lucia di Lammermoor
> 
> Those are the only ones with which I am familiar enough to feel honest in appraising. wow....I'm really not as familiar with Donizetti as I should be. lmao


With Sutherland?

Well, if you like Bellini and early Verdi, you'll like Donizetti!

Nearly 70 operas, in a range of styles and genres; there's a lot of hack work, but he's never less than competent, and even in his weakest operas there'll be something pleasing. His best operas are first rate; get hold of La favorite, one of his most popular operas in the 19th century, and his most consistently inspired score. The comedies range from one act skits written by D himself to witty confections (Fille du régiment ) to more sentimental pieces (Elisir). There are five act French grand operas (the sombre Dom Sebastien ), and experimental works like the intense Imelda de' Lambertazzi or L'assedio di Calais with its massive choruses.

The best books on Donizetti are:







Charles Osborne's Bel Canto Operas (which covers Bellini and Rossini too)

And these are good:


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## Tuoksu (Sep 3, 2015)

I have only seen 7 opera by Donizetti so far, so here's my ranking. My criterion is music rather than plot: 

1. Anna Bolena
2. Lucia di Lammermoor
3. Roberto Devereux
4. La fille du regiment
5. Maria Stuarda
6. L'elisir d'amore
7. Don Pasquale


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

It still changes from day to day, so still no list .


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Florestan said:


> Well I happen to have 9 Donizetti operas on CD. I am not ordering them any particular way, but to group the four queens first and to say my very favorite of them is Maria Stuarda. I have not heard the 4th, more obscure queen as much. I have only heard Poliuto once. And I am trying to like Don Pasquale, but struggling with it.
> 
> Maria Stuarda
> Anna Bolena
> ...


Update:

Got rid of Poliuto, still don't care for Don Pasquale. The past several days I have been concentrating on the queens, particularly the main three, and especially Anna Bolena. Right now I guess the three queens are my favorite of all the Donizetti operas I have.


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## davidglasgow (Aug 19, 2017)

For me,
1 Lucia di Lammermoor
2 La Fille du Regiment
3 Elisir d'amore
4 Anna Bolena
5 La Favorita
6 Poliuto
7 Don Pasquale
8 Lucrezia Borgia
9 Maria Stuarda
10 Caterina Corsaro


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

1) Maria Stuarda
2) Lucrezia Borgia
3) Elisir D'amore
4) Anna Bolena
5) La Fille Du Regiment
6) Imelda de' Lambertazzi
7) Don Pasquale
8) Robert Devereaux
9) Poliuto

Own but have not yet listened:
Lucia Di Lammermoor
Les Martyrs (the french Polutio)

I suspect once I listen to Lucia it will go high on my list, I have heard the first 25 minutes and thought that much was great. The things with all of these Donizetti operas, I've only listened to La Fille Du Regiment more than once!! So it's possible that my opinion will change as I go. I plan on getting into a focused listen to Donizetti in the next 1-2 months, so I'm glad florestan resurrected this thread!


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

1 Lucia by a wide margin. A true masterpiece.

2 L'Elisir. A comic masterpiece
3 Don Pasquale
3 The 3 Queens with Sills
4 Fille
5 the rest


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## Johnmusic (Oct 4, 2017)

Greg 

Your list of operas is top notch. I would have more Sutherland BUT that is my taste.

Regards-John Ruggeri


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

To me, the comedies are always last. The tragedies (sangue! morte! vendetta!) are what make opera *opera!*

Lucia di Lammermoor (Callas!)
Anna Bolena (Callas!)
Roberto Devereux (Caballé)
Maria Stuarda (Caballé!)
Poliuto (Corelli!)
Lucrezia Borgia (Caballé!)
La Favorita
Gemma di Vergy (Caballé!)
Elisir d'amore
La file du regiment

Some of these I know only from recordings (Poliuto, Gemma) but I think I can count 'em in.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Here's mine (very much in line with MAS)

1 Anna Bolena
2 Poliuto
3 Lucia di Lammermoor
4 L'Elisir
5 Lucrezia Borgia
6 Maria Stuarda
7 Gemma di Vergy 
8 Don Pasquale
9 Roberto Deveraux
10 Dom Sebastien

N.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

MAS said:


> To me, the comedies are always last. The tragedies (sangue! morte! vendetta!) are what make opera *opera!*
> 
> Lucia di Lammermoor (Callas!)
> Anna Bolena (Callas!)
> ...


Apologies, *fille* du regiment! Don't know how that file got in there!


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## Rossiniano (Jul 28, 2017)

The list of Donizetti favorites including some favorite performers some only available live. 

1. Lucia di Lammermoor Callas Sutherland
2. Maria Stuarda Sutherland Caballé 
3. La Favorite Prefer it in French but Simionato in Italian works 
4. L'Elisir d'Amore Bergonzi Alva Kraus Flórez Brownlee 
5. Lucrezia Borgia Caballé 
6. Anna Bolena Callas in spite of the cuts
7. Roberto Devereux Sills
8. Poliuto Corelli w/Callas
9. Don pasquale Corena w/ Sciutti Peters Grist
10. La Fille du Régiment Sutherland wPav Kraus


Honorable mention: L'Assedio di Calais (Saw it at Glimmerglass this past summer. Powerful! Prior to that it would have been Dom Sébastien.)


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

This sound familiar? It is from Donizetti's opera, Gianni di Parigi.


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## Dick Johnson (Apr 14, 2020)

I enjoy most of his mature works – those composed from approximately 1830 to the end of his career and would personally rank them as follows:
1.	Poliuto – Brilliant all the way from the unique overture to the stunning conclusion. Nice recording with Carreras. 
2.	Maria Stuarda – my favorite of the 3 Tudor Queen operas. Dramatic with a fine balance of beauty and pathos.
3.	Linda di Chamounix – a “semi-seria” – tragedy with a happy ending. 
4.	La Favorite – lots of great melody.
5.	Parisina – the composer’s favorite. Highly melodic.
6.	Roberto Devereux – 2nd favorite Tudor Queen opera. Great duets.
7.	Lucia di Lammermoor – everybody knows this one. Impossible to know how to rank it compared to the others. 
8.	L’Eliser d’amore – an early comedy with beautiful moments. Lots of good recordings of this one.
9.	Don Pasquale – a late comedy. Good streaming version from the Met. This is sort of the “song of experience” alternative to the “song of innocence” that is L’eliser.
10.	La Fille du Regiment – rounding out the 3 great comedies. This one is melodic and fun. The tone is very light even for a comedy.
11.	Maria di Rudenz – some nice musical moments and taut drama. Dark and gloomy (on purpose) – sort of a gothic novel in opera form.
12.	Maria di Rohan – short tragic opera. High on drama – musical throughout.
13.	L’assedio di Calais – an early, almost entirely forgotten gem. 
14.	Lucrezia Borgia – The Caballe recording is very good.
15.	Il Diluvio Universale – Opera Rara has a nice recording which is good but I don’t know this one as well most of the others.
16.	Anna Bolena – a good opera but just don’t like it as much as the other famous Tudor Queen operas.
17.	Il Campanello – a short one act comedy. There are a couple of good melodies but this one just hasn’t resonated with me yet.

Don’t know well-enough to evaluate: Dom Sebastian, Maria Padilla, Caterina Cornaro, Gabriella di Vergy, Pia, Betly, Marino Faliero, Rosmonda, Torquato Tasso, Belisario, Imelda.

Agree with an earlier comment that the William Ashbrook book is an invaluable resource for those who wish to know more about this composer.


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## Dick Johnson (Apr 14, 2020)

*Donizetti Rank*

I have enjoyed reading many of the above posts ranking the Donizetti operas. I enjoy most of his mature works - those composed from approximately 1830 to the end of his career and would personally rank them as follows:
1.	Poliuto - Brilliant all the way from the unique overture to the stunning conclusion. Nice recording with Carreras. 
2.	Maria Stuarda - my favorite of the 3 Tudor Queen operas. Dramatic with a fine balance of beauty and pathos.
3.	Linda di Chamounix - a "semi-seria" - tragedy with a happy ending. 
4.	La Favorite - lots of great melody.
5.	Parisina - the composer's favorite. Highly melodic.
6.	Roberto Devereux - 2nd favorite Tudor Queen opera. Great duets.
7.	Lucia di Lammermoor - everybody knows this one. Impossible to know how to rank it compared to the others. 
8.	L'Eliser d'amore - an early comedy with beautiful moments. Lots of good recordings of this one.
9.	Don Pasquale - a late comedy. Good streaming version from the Met. This is sort of the "song of experience" alternative to the "song of innocence" that is L'eliser.
10.	La Fille du Regiment - rounding out the 3 great comedies. This one is melodic and fun. The tone is very light even for a comedy.
11.	Maria di Rudenz - some nice musical moments and taut drama. Dark and gloomy (on purpose) - sort of a gothic novel in opera form.
12.	Maria di Rohan - short tragic opera. High on drama - musical throughout.
13.	L'assedio di Calais - an early, almost entirely forgotten gem. 
14.	Lucrezia Borgia - The Caballe recording is very good.
15.	Il Diluvio Universale - Opera Rara has a nice recording which is good but I don't know this one as well most of the others.
16.	Anna Bolena - a good opera but just don't like it as much as the other famous Tudor Queen operas.
17.	Il Campanello - a short one act comedy. There are a couple of good melodies but this one just hasn't resonated with me yet.

Don't know well-enough to evaluate: Dom Sebastian, Maria Padilla, Caterina Cornaro, Gabriella di Vergy, Pia, Betly, Marino Faliero, Rosmonda, Torquato Tasso, Belisario, Imelda.

Agree with an earlier comment that the William Ashbrook book is an invaluable resource for those who wish to know more about this composer.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

My 10 favorite Donizetti operas. Can't order them beyond most favorite and others.

MOST FAVORITE
Don Pasquale
La fille du régiment
L'Elisir d'Amore
Maria Stuarda
Roberto Devereux
Les Martyrs

OTHERS
Anna Bolena
Lucrezia Borgia
La favorite
Adelia


It is noteworty that I like ten Donizetti operas and I like ten Wagner operas. All other opera composers i might like two or three operas.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

SixFootScowl said:


> My 10 favorite Donizetti operas. Can't order them beyond most favorite and others.
> 
> MOST FAVORITE
> Don Pasquale
> ...


How familiar are you with early Verdi? There's a lot of Donizettiesque music in those. Try Due Foscari, Ernani, Attila and I Lombardi.

N.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

The Conte said:


> How familiar are you with early Verdi? There's a lot of Donizettiesque music in those. Try Due Foscari, Ernani, Attila and I Lombardi.
> 
> N.


 Not knowing early from later Verdi, I will list what I have:

Aida
Aroldo
Battaglia di Legnano
Giovanna d'Arco
Il Trovatore
Jerusalem
La Traviata 
Oberto
Simon Boccanegra

Of those I like La Traviata the most, then Il Trovatore. The rest I have not listened to that much.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Lucia di Lammermoor (by a country mile)
Maria Stuarda
Anna Bolena
Lucrezia Borgia


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