{"id":50097,"date":"2024-11-23T11:25:07","date_gmt":"2024-11-23T10:25:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/a38e08c7-e1a4-4dd0-b1d3-b1515f50e835"},"modified":"2024-11-23T12:09:26","modified_gmt":"2024-11-23T11:09:26","slug":"best-italian-composers-11-of-italys-most-legendary-musical-figures","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/best-italian-composers-11-of-italys-most-legendary-musical-figures\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Italian composers: 11 of Italy’s most legendary musical figures"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By <\/p>

Published: Saturday, 23 November 2024 at 10:25 AM<\/p>

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Italy has undoubtedly produced some of the greatest composers of all time. So who are the best Italian composers? Here is our pick of the ten best Italian composers to have put pen to paper.<\/p>

The 50 greatest composers of all time<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul>
Musically speaking, Italy is perhaps best known as the birthplace of opera. And that makes a lot of sense. From Monteverdi<\/strong><\/a> to Verdi, via Vivaldi<\/strong><\/a>, Rossini<\/strong><\/a> and many others, the country has contributed hugely to the development of the operatic form over the past four centuries.<\/p>

<\/div> <\/figure> But there is much more to the story of classical music in Italy than a few operatic leading lights. We’ve already mentioned Monteverdi, who was a crucial bridge between the distinct musical worlds of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/a-guide-to-renaissance-music\/\">Renaissance<\/strong><\/a> and the Baroque era. A century later, Vivaldi was one of the leading lights of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/baroque-music-guide\">Baroque<\/a><\/strong> era of classical music, providing us with music of wonderful variety, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-is-a-melody\">melody<\/a><\/strong>, drama and sparkle.<\/p> <div class=\"wp-block-group highlight-box is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"> <div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/top-10-baroque-composers\/\">Top 10 Baroque composers<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/what-are-the-different-periods-of-classical-music\">What are the different periods of classical music?<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <\/div> <\/div> A common thread running through many Italian composers is a determination to do things their own way. Take the harmonic adventurousness of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/domenico-scarlatti\">Domenico Scarlatti<\/a><\/strong>. Or the complex mixture of operatic drama and mysticism that permeates Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater<\/em>, or the downright weirdness of Gesualdo’s madrigals. In so many cases, Italian music often has a very distinctive tang of its own.<\/p> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Best Italian composers<\/h2> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-giovanni-pierluigi-da-palestrina-1525-94\">Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-94)<\/strong><\/h3> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina . Pic: DeAgostini\/Getty Images – DeAgostini\/Getty Images <\/figcaption> <\/figure> Composing in the Renaissance era at around the same time as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/quick-guide-talliss-spem-alium\/\">Thomas<\/strong><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/thomas-tallis\"> <\/a><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/quick-guide-talliss-spem-alium\/\">Tallis<\/strong><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/giovanni-pierluigi-da-palestrina\/\">Palestrina<\/a><\/strong> wrote much beautiful sacred music. Arguably, Renaissance <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/polyphony-music-definition\">polyphony<\/a><\/strong> and counterpoint reached a peak with Palestrina’s dynamic, highly melodious compositions. He is now viewed as a key figure in what is termed the Roman School, alongside fellow composers <a title=\"Orlande de Lassus\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/reviews\/choral-song\/lassus-inferno-sacred-choral-works\/\">Orlande de Lassus<\/a><\/strong> and <a title=\"Tom\u00e1s Luis de Victoria\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/reviews\/choral-song\/stile-antico-performs-victoria\/\">Tom\u00e1s Luis de Victoria<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p> <div class=\"wp-block-group highlight-box is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"> <div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/best-classical-music-meditation\/\">The best classical music for meditation<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <\/div> <\/div> Key work:<\/strong> There are various candidates to choose from. But we’ll opt for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/reviews\/sistine-chapel-choir-performs-palestrinas-missa-papae-marcelli-and-motets\/\">Missa Papae Marcelli<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, a wonderful example of Palestrina’s mastery of complex polyphony.<\/p> Key recording:<\/strong> We have to opt for the Tallis Scholars under Peter Phillips here. That’s in part because the disc also contains what may be the finest-ever performance of the famous Miserere<\/em> by a slightly later Italian composer, Gregorio Allegri. This must be one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/best-recordings-allegri-s-miserere\/\">best recordings of Allegri’s <\/strong>Miserere<\/strong><\/em><\/a>. It’s largely down to this exquisite performance, in fact, that this disc made our list of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/50-greatest-recordings-all-time\/\">50 greatest classical music recordings of all time<\/strong><\/a>. But the Palestrina is also beautifully sung,<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-carlo-gesualdo-1566-1613\">Carlo Gesualdo (1566-1613)<\/strong><\/h3> Arguably, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/carlo-gesualdo\/\">Carlo Gesualdo<\/a><\/strong>‘s fame owes more to his troubled life than to his strange and often sublime music. An Italian nobleman, Gesualdo famously set a trap to catch his wife, Maria d\u2019Avalos, and her lover, Fabrizio Carafa. He then (with the aid of several collaborators) brutally murdered the two of them.<\/p> Unsurprisingly, the killing caused an uproar in Gesualdo’s native Naples (even though, according to the code of Gesualdo’s aristocracy, he was within his rights!). Details of the crime were circulated in newspapers and lurid rumours abounded.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/11\/Untitled-design-2.jpg\" alt=\"Gesualdo composer\" class=\"wp-image-216451\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Italian composer Carlo Gesualdo. Pic: DeAgostini \/ Getty Images – DeAgostini \/ Getty Images <\/figcaption> <\/figure> All of which should not detract (or should it?) from Gesualdo’s strange and captivating music. Given such a turbulent and unhappy life, we should not be surprised that the composer’s music is often unsettling, with its discordant harmonies that surprise and unsettle.<\/p> Key work:<\/strong> Gesualdo is best known for his six books of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/what-is-a-madrigal\/\">madrigals<\/strong><\/a>. These are non-religious sung works, featuring short poems set to music for small groups of singers. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-is-harmony-in-music\">harmonies<\/a><\/strong> are unexpected, and there is often an otherworldly, slightly dark beauty to these works.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Carlo Gesualdo - Madrigals - Belt\u00e0, poi che t'assenti & O dolce mio tesoro\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bocLlt33YT0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> Key recording:<\/strong> Try the classic recording by Les Arts Florissants, conducted by William Christie. This is a great starter set as it picks some of the most arresting madrigals from across books three to six. Some wonderful singing, too.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-claudio-monteverdi-1567-1643\">Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)<\/strong><\/h3> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/11\/Untitled-design-2024-11-23T094812.156.jpg\" alt=\"Claudio Monteverdi\" class=\"wp-image-216453\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Claudio Monteverdi <\/figcaption> <\/figure> Composing in the later Renaissance and early Baroque era, Claudio<\/strong> Monteverdi<\/strong> made a great impression in two musical forms of his time \u2013 one nascent, the other already centuries old. On the one hand, Monteverdi wrote the first masterpieces in the still-new form of opera. The new style mixing music and speech had originated in Florence in around 1600. But Monteverdi’s Orfeo<\/em>, first performed in 1607, was opera’s first true masterpiece.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/best-renaissance-composers\">The greatest Renaissance composers<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> One of the best Italian composers of all time, Monteverdi also made considerable advances in the church music of the time. His 1610 Vespers<\/em> (see below) is just one of a selection of hugely important sacred and choral works produced by this master composer.<\/p> Key work:<\/strong> Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers<\/em> is a brilliant synthesis of all that was possible in church music at this time. There are opulent psalm settings, showpieces for solo singers, instrumental music designed for interludes during the service. Opera even features, in the style of music used to set the text of the Magnificat.<\/p> Key recording:<\/strong> The classic recording by the Taverner Consort & Players under the direction of Andrew Parrott (Virgin 561 6622) benefits from the full liturgical reconstruction, not to mention (says our reviewer Freya Parr) ‘phenomenally good choral and consort tuning’. It’s one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/best-recordings-monteverdi\">best Monteverdi recordings<\/a><\/strong> out there.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-antonio-vivaldi-1678-1741\">Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)<\/strong><\/h3> The Venetian violinist Antonio Vivaldi (pictured top) left a profound impact, both on late Baroque music and on the emerging <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-concerto\">concerto<\/a><\/strong> form. Specifically, Vivaldi finessed the form of what we now know as the typical three-movement classical concerto with its fast-slow-fast sequencing.<\/p> Incredibly, almost 500 concerti by Vivaldi survive, written for in an impressive variety of instruments. The majority of these are for a solo instrument with string orchestra and continuo, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/instruments\/violin-guide\">violin<\/a><\/strong> alone getting around 230 concertos (no surprise, as Vivaldi was himself a violinist). However, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/instruments\/the-bassoon-a-guide-to-the-orchestras-largest-wind-instrument\">bassoon<\/a><\/strong>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/instruments\/cello\">cello<\/a><\/strong>, viola and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/instruments\/flute\">flute<\/a><\/strong> all have several concertos devoted to them. The remaining works in concerto form feature either two soloists, three or more (making them concerti grossi<\/em>), or are concerti ripieni<\/em> (works without a soloist).<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-cello-concertos-of-all-time\">The ten best cello concertos of all time<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/six-best-vivaldi-works\/\">Vivaldi: Six of his best works<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> All that said, we shouldn’t forget Vivaldi’s contributions to both sacred music and to the emerging opera form.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Vivaldi Four Seasons: Winter (L'Inverno), original version. Freivogel & Voices of Music RV 297 4K\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZPdk5GaIDjo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> Vivaldi’s music is notable for its dynamism and lyricism. A typical Vivaldi concerto will have a thrilling mix of arresting quick music and plangent slower forms. He also shows great gifts for drama, melody and instrumental texture.<\/p> Key work:<\/strong> The Four Seasons<\/em>, a cycle of four violin concerti where each evokes a season of the year, is a fine place to start. Indeed, the rich strand of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/classical-music-inspired-by-nature-six-of-the-best\/\">classical music about nature<\/strong><\/a> begins here.<\/p> Key recording:<\/strong> A discussion of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/the-best-recordings-of-vivaldis-the-four-seasons\/\">best recording of the Four Seasons<\/em><\/strong><\/a> is likely to produce different answers depending on who you ask, as there are so many excellent renditions. It’s hard, though, to get better than the famous 1989 disc featuring Nigel Kennedy and the English Chamber Orchestra. Incidentally, we nominated the effervescent Kennedy as one of our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/four-best-rule-breaking-musicians\/\">favourite rule-breaking musicians<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-more-best-italian-composers\">More best Italian composers<\/strong><\/h2> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-domenico-scarlatti-1685-1757\">Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)<\/strong><\/h3> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/11\/Untitled-design-2024-11-23T095546.446.jpg\" alt=\"Scarlatti composer\" class=\"wp-image-216455\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Domenico Scarlatti <\/figcaption> <\/figure> A native of Naples, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/domenico-scarlatti\">Scarlatti<\/a><\/strong> played an important role in the development from Baroque to Classical styles. Scarlatti was a versatile composer, creating music for a variety of instruments and ensembles. These days, however, his fame leans overwhelmingly on his 555 keyboard sonatas.<\/p> These are notable for their innovative, sometimes unexpected effects, such as discordant passages and unconventional key modulations. Composers from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/frederic-chopin\">Chopin<\/a><\/strong> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/dmitri-shostakovich\">Shostakovich<\/a><\/strong> have drawn on these lively, surprising works.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/shostakovich-facts\">Shostakovich facts: 13 captivating details from one of classical music’s most turbulent lives<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> Key work:<\/strong> We could name you a favourite Scarlatti sonata \u2013 oh, go on then: K141, as seen below played with typical aplomb by the phenomenal pianist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/martha-argerich-2\">Martha Argerich<\/a><\/strong>. However, with each sonata so short – typically between three and five minutes – it’s probably more helpful to recommend you a disc…<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Scarlatti, Sonate K.141 - Martha Argerich\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Gh9WX7TKfkI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> Key recording:<\/strong> … and that would be Jean Rondeau’s handpicked selection of 16 sonatas, played on a harpsichord as they were originally intended. To be honest, it’s worth hearing them on both harpsichord and piano: the two instruments deliver very different effects.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-giovanni-battista-pergolesi-1710-36\">Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-36)<\/strong><\/h3> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1100\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/11\/Untitled-design-2024-11-23T095913.768.jpg\" alt=\"Pergolesi composer\" class=\"wp-image-216456\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Pergolesi <\/figcaption> <\/figure> Sitting rather more squarely in the Baroque era than Scarlatti, despite being born some 25 years later, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/giovanni-battista-pergolesi\">Pergolesi<\/a><\/strong> composed across various different genres. For example, he was a noted composer of an emerging substrand within opera: opera buffa, <\/em>or comic opera. His best-known work in this form is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/reviews\/opera\/pergolesi-la-serva-padrona-livietta-e-tracollo\">La serva padrona<\/a><\/strong><\/em> (The Maid Turned Mistress)<\/i>. This comic tale follows a wily maid and her ageing, credulous master.<\/p> However, Pergolesi also wrote operas of a more serious bent. These include as Il Prigionier Superbo <\/em>(The Proud Prisoner<\/i><\/em>), for which La serva padrona <\/em>was originally a mere <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/intermezzo\">intermezzo<\/a><\/strong> before becoming popular in its own right.<\/p> The composer is probably best known, though, for his sacred music.<\/p> Key work:<\/strong> Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater <\/em>draws on the 13th-century Latin poem that narrates the Virgin Mary\u2019s sufferings at the foot of the Cross. You can find the <a class=\"standard-card-new__article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/stabat-mater-lyrics\/\">Stabat Mater <\/a><a class=\"standard-card-new__article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/stabat-mater-lyrics\/\">lyrics here<\/a><\/strong>. The composer scored the poem for soprano and alto soloists, plus violins, viola and basso continuo<\/i> (cello and organ). The result is a dramatic, compelling piece of sacred music, full of emotional twists and turns.<\/p> Key recording:<\/strong> Our guide to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/pergolesis-stabat-mater-a-guide-to-the-composers-masterpiece-and-its-best-recordings\/\">best recordings of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater<\/strong><\/a> gives you a few choices here. We’ll pick one for you here, and (for its wonderful singing alone) that would be the version from I Barocchisti, with the Coro della Radiotelevisione Svizzera under Diego Fasolis, with soloists Julia Lezhneva and Philippe Jaroussky.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-gioachino-rossini-1792-1868\">Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)<\/strong><\/h3> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1100\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/11\/Untitled-design-2024-11-23T100210.949.jpg\" alt=\"Rossini composer\" class=\"wp-image-216457\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Gioachino Rossini. Pic: Heritage Art\/Heritage Images via Getty Images – Heritage Art\/Heritage Images via Getty Images <\/figcaption> <\/figure> Rossini is the major Italian composer of the first half of the 19th century \u2013 a time when, elsewhere in Europe, the likes of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/ludwig-van-beethoven\">Beethoven<\/a><\/strong> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/franz-schubert\">Schubert<\/a><\/strong>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/felix-mendelssohn\">Mendelssohn<\/a><\/strong> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/robert-schumann\">Schumann<\/a><\/strong> were at their peak.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/beethoven-symphonies-best-recordings\">The best recording of each Beethoven symphony<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/five-essential-works-schubert\">Five of the best: Schubert works<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/what-s-your-favourite-work-felix-mendelssohn\">What’s your favourite Mendelssohn work?<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> Unlike those composers, who are best known for their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/symphony\">symphonies<\/a><\/strong>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/chamber-music\">chamber music<\/a><\/strong> and solo piano output, Rossini continued the Italian strand of being very good at composing for opera. This composer had music in his genes: his father was a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/the-history-of-the-french-horn\">horn<\/a><\/strong> player, and his mother an opera singer.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/20-greatest-symphonies-all-time\">Ranked: classical music’s 20 greatest symphonies<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> For a decade from 1813, Rossini’s operas were the toast of Italy. He composed in both the opera seria<\/em> and opera buffa<\/em> forms. And his more serious operas such as William Tell<\/em> or The Lady of the Lake <\/em>are well respected. However, it’s for comic fare such as The Barber of Seville<\/em> that he is best known.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Il Barbiere di Siviglia: "Largo al factotum" (Peter Mattei)\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-ipb9xbXSAY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> Key work:<\/strong> Definitely start with The Barber of Seville<\/em>. This will introduce you to the wonderful sparkle, exoticism and rhythmic punch that characterise Rossini’s music. As our writer Freya Parr puts it in her piece on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-operas-for-beginners\/\">five best operas for beginners<\/strong><\/a>, the work is a ‘frivolous, fizzy feast of fun, packed full of wit, excitement and vocal fireworks’.<\/p> Key recording: <\/strong>Joyce DiDonato leads a vintage cast in the supremely sung production from the Royal Opera House Orchestra and Chorus, under the baton of Antonio Pappano. And yes, we’ve gone for a DVD. It’s opera, after all, and much of the joy \u2013 especially in such a fun work as this \u2013 is visual.<\/p> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-best-italian-composers-the-19th-century-opera-giants\">Best Italian composers: the 19th-century opera giants<\/strong><\/h2> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Gaetano Donizetti (1794-1848)<\/strong><\/h3> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/gaetano-donizetti\">Donizetti<\/a><\/strong> composed around 70 operas. Of these, the most popular are L\u2019elisir d\u2019amore<\/em>, Lucia di Lammermoor<\/em>, La fille du r\u00e9giment<\/em> and Don Pasquale<\/em>, which all still get regular performances around the world to this day. Donizetti took on the bel canto<\/em> style popularised by Bellini, but added a broader emotional palette and dynamic range.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-giuseppe-verdi-1813-1901\">Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)<\/strong><\/h3> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2012\/04\/Untitled-design-2024-10-22T114207.396.jpg\" alt=\"Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi\" class=\"wp-image-214704\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> A young Giuseppe Verdi. Pic: Leemage\/Corbis via Getty Images – Leemage\/Corbis via Getty Images <\/figcaption> <\/figure> When it came to works for large-scale public performance, the Romantic era in Germany, Austria and the rest of central Europe was all about the symphony and concerto, with composers such as Beethoven, Schumann, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/johannes-brahms\">Brahms<\/a><\/strong> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/antonin-dvorak\">Dvo\u0159\u00e1k<\/a><\/strong> all contributing major works to both these large orchestral forms.<\/p> Italy, however, continued its love affair with opera right through the Romantic era. At the forefront here was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/giuseppe-verdi\/\">Giuseppe Verdi<\/a><\/strong>, one of the century’s most important composers in any form and certainly a shoo-in to any list of the best Italian composers. Born the same year as another giant of Romantic opera, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/richard-wagner\">Richard Wagner<\/strong><\/a>, Verdi made his first steps in opera at a time when a major Italian operatic tradition, the <a class=\"md-crosslink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/what-bel-canto\/\">bel canto<\/strong><\/a> form popularised by Rossini, Bellini and others, was just starting to decline.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/best-romantic-composers\">15 of the best Romantic composers<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> Verdi introduced an opera style that was much more harmonically adventurous. It also tackled larger, more serious or more exotic themes. These included the Ancient Egypt of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/when-and-why-did-verdi-write-aida\">Aida<\/strong><\/a><\/em> or the Shakespearean worlds of the two late, great operas Otello<\/em> and Falstaff<\/em>.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/classical-music-inspired-shakespeare\">These 11 Shakespeare plays have inspired some of the greatest classical music<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> Key work: <\/b>Like other Romantic composers such as Brahms and Dvo\u0159\u00e1k, Verdi also wrote a beautiful and stirring <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/verdis-requiem-guide\/\">Requiem<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. Theatrical and at times terrifying, Verdi’s is one of the most dramatic and (unsurprisingly?) certainly the most operatic mass for the dead ever composed.<\/p> <div class=\"wp-block-group highlight-box is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"> <div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/verdis-requiem-best-recordings\/\">Verdi’s Requiem<\/em> – The best recordings…<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> Key recording: <\/b>Fellow Italian Claudio Abbado conducted and recorded a wonderful version during his tenure at the Berlin Philharmonic. Whom, incidentally, we nominated one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/worlds-best-orchestras\/\">world’s best orchestras<\/a>. <\/b><\/p> <\/div> <\/div> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-giacomo-puccini-1858-1924\">Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)<\/strong><\/h3> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1100\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/11\/Untitled-design-2024-11-23T101137.849.jpg\" alt=\"Puccini composer\" class=\"wp-image-216459\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Puccini: his talents lit up the opera world. Pic: Getty Images – Getty Images <\/figcaption> <\/figure> If opera reached a new level of lushness and harmonic adventurousness with Verdi, this trend arguably reached its peak with his follower, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/giacomo-puccini\/\">Giacomo Puccini<\/a><\/strong>. The Tuscan-born composer was, after all, inspired to write music after watching a performance of Verdi\u2019s Aida<\/em>.<\/p> Beautiful melodies, opulent orchestration and a wonderful sense of how to convey drama through music: these are all hallmarks of Puccini’s style. His operas can be unashamedly emotional. Think of the unmatched tenderness of the famous aria O Mio Babbino Caro<\/em> from his opera Gianni Schicchi<\/em>, memorably sung by Rowan Atkinson in the film Mr Bean’s Holiday.<\/em><\/p> Puccini’s operas are fantastic showpieces for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/best-singers-ever\">greatest opera singers<\/a><\/strong>, such as the inimitable <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/maria-callas-soprano\">Maria Callas<\/a><\/strong> in the clip below.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Maria Callas - Puccini - O mio babbino caro\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/l1C8NFDdFYg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> Puccini’s true masterpieces, however, are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/madam-butterfly-a-guide-to-puccinis-famous-opera-and-its-best-recordings\/\">Madam Butterfly<\/em><\/a><\/strong> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/la-boheme-best-recordings\/\">La boh\u00e8me<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, two of the most-performed operas in the world.<\/p> Key work:<\/strong> La boh\u00e8me <\/em>is a truly heart-wrenching work, telling a tale of love and death in bohemian 1840s Paris. As well as being one of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-puccini-operas\">Puccini’s best operas<\/strong><\/a>, we listed La boh\u00e8me <\/em>one of of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/20-greatest-operas-all-time\/\">greatest operas ever<\/a><\/strong>. Puccini himself made our list of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/the-greatest-opera-composers-of-all-time\/\">best opera composers of all time<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p> Key recording:<\/strong> When it comes to a best recording of La boh\u00e8me<\/em>, there are many options. If we had to pick one, though, it might be the 1987 Decca recording from the Berlin Philharmonic and Herbert von Karajan. As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/la-boheme-best-recordings\/\">our reviewer Christopher Cook<\/strong><\/a> states, ‘Karajan knew that the inner drama of the opera is played out in the orchestra in Puccini\u2019s deft manipulation of his themes and the masterly orchestration’. Featuring some scintillating soloists including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/luciano-pavarotti-best-recordings\/\">Pavarotti<\/strong><\/a>, this is as deserving as any other of the title of La boh\u00e8me<\/em> best recording.<\/em><\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ludovico-einaudi-1955\">Ludovico Einaudi (1955-)<\/strong><\/h3> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-landscape_thumbnail\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1747\" height=\"1309\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2021\/01\/Ludovico-Einaudi-best-albums-29b79a9-e1665853108905.jpg\" alt=\"Best Italian composers - Einaudi\" class=\"wp-image-140532\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Ludovico Einaudi best albums <\/figcaption> <\/figure> Composer and pianist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/ludovico-einaudi\/\">Ludovico Einaudi <\/a><\/strong>has dominated the classical music charts for the past 15 years. His music has featured in advertising, films and TV programmes. As BBC Music Magazine’s<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/author\/michael-beek\">Michael Beek<\/a><\/strong> explains, Einaudi ‘has cornered the market in post-classical ambient music, and while he may be most famous for his solo piano musings, some of his most popular works in recent years have been for small ensemble, and often feature electronics.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/best-ambient-classical\">You should hear these definitive ambient classical albums<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> ‘It\u2019s a very specific soundworld which Einaudi has crafted, one which is at once immersive, immediate and melodic.’<\/p> Key work \/ recording:<\/strong> Have a read of our piece <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/ludovico-einaudi-best-albums\/\">Ludovico Einaudi’s best albums<\/strong><\/a>, and see what grabs you. But if you want a failsafe place to start, we’d recommend the hugely successful 1996 album Le Onde (The Waves)<\/em>.<\/p> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Best Italian opera composers<\/h2> Italy has a very fine and proud opera tradition. It invented the form back in 1600, and has led the way ever since. In this feature, we\u2019ve pulled out some of the very best Italian opera composers: Monteverdi, Rossini, Verdi, Puccini.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-italian-operas\/\">Italian operas: 5 of the best to explore after Puccini’s Tosca<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> But there are other names you\u2019ll want to get to know on your journey through Italian opera. These include:<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Vincenzo Bellini (1801-35)<\/h3> This Sicilian-born composer won fame for his long-flowing musical lines. Indeed, he earned the nickname \u2018the swan of Catania\u2019. The best known works by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/vincenzo-bellini\">Bellini<\/a><\/strong> include Norma<\/em>, I Puritani<\/em> and La Sonnambula<\/em>. We nominated Norma<\/em> as one of the next pieces to try if you love <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/georges-bizet\">Bizet<\/a><\/strong>‘s Carmen<\/em> and want <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/bizet-carmen-what-listen-next\">more in the same vein<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Maria Callas sings "Casta Diva" (Bellini: Norma, Act 1)\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/s-TwMfgaDC8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pietro Mascagni (1863-1945)<\/h3> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/pietro-mascagni\">Mascagni<\/a><\/strong>‘s chief claim to fame is his 1890 work <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/cavalleria-rusticana-best-recordings\">Cavalleria rusticana<\/strong><\/a><\/em>, which had a profound effect on the opera landscape, ushering in the style known as verismo<\/em> (realism). Generally speaking, this style focused not on gods, monarchs or mythical figures. Instead, ordinary men and women and their troubles were the subject matter here.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ruggero Leoncavallo (1857-1919)<\/h3> A little like Mascagni above, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/leoncavallo-ruggero\">Leoncavallo<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s reputation rests chiefly on one hugely successful opera \u2013 in this case, 1892\u2019s Pagliacci<\/em>. In fact, the latter is often staged with Mascagni\u2019s Cavalleria rusticana<\/em>, in a double bill affectionately known as \u2018Cav and Pag\u2019. Leoncavallo\u2019s work centres on an actor and leader of a theatre company, who murders his wife and her lover on stage during a performance.<\/p> <div class=\"wp-block-group highlight-box is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"> <div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/scariest-operas\">The scariest operas: how the supernatural world has inspired opera composers<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/what-was-the-first-opera-ever-written\/\">What was the first opera ever written?<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <\/div> <\/div> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Published: Saturday, 23 November 2024 at 10:25 AM Italy has undoubtedly produced some of the greatest composers of all time. So who are the best Italian composers? Here is our pick of the ten best Italian composers to have put pen to paper. The 50 greatest composers of all time Musically speaking, Italy is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":50098,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"15"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/best-italian-composers-11-of-italys-most-legendary-musical-figures.jpg",1200,800,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/best-italian-composers-11-of-italys-most-legendary-musical-figures-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/best-italian-composers-11-of-italys-most-legendary-musical-figures-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/best-italian-composers-11-of-italys-most-legendary-musical-figures-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/best-italian-composers-11-of-italys-most-legendary-musical-figures-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/best-italian-composers-11-of-italys-most-legendary-musical-figures.jpg",1200,800,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/best-italian-composers-11-of-italys-most-legendary-musical-figures.jpg",1200,800,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Published: Saturday, 23 November 2024 at 10:25 AM Italy has undoubtedly produced some of the greatest composers of all time. So who are the best Italian composers? Here is our pick of the ten best Italian composers to have put pen to paper. The 50 greatest composers of all time Musically speaking, Italy is…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/50097"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}