Gaetano Donizetti Essentials

As a 19th-century composer of bel canto opera, Donizetti had to be skilled in comedic writing. (And he was; just look to the showstopping tenor-and-soprano delights of La fille du régiment.) And while his tragic, dramatic pieces—Lucia di Lammermoor and several “Tudor Queen” operas—were not hits in their day, they have become staples in contemporary opera houses. Whether surveying classic arias or digging into full acts from the operas, it's easy to appreciate Donizetti's dramatic sense; every key gesture feels perfectly placed.