Bachtrack top ten: Gaetano Donizetti

Gaetano Donizetti, portrait by Francesco Coghetti

By Mark Pullinger, 29 November 2025

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“Monsieur Donizetti seems to treat us like a conquered country... It is a veritable invasion”

Chanda VanderHart, 6th March

Chanda VanderHart talks to the American tenor about his Tristan debut at the Met, his love for Vienna and Otto Schenk, and the incredible scope of his repertoire.

Nadine Sierra reclaims her narrative

Kevin W Ng, 8th November

Fresh out of her triumphant appearance in La sonnambula at the Met, soprano Nadine Sierra talks about being on a turning point in her career.

Years of pilgrimage: Byron’s musical afterlives

Roy Westbrook, 22nd January

Lord Byron’s influence on musicians was immense – with Rossini, Verdi, Berlioz, Liszt, Tchaikovsky and Schoenberg among the many composers to create works inspired by his writings.

Pablo Larraín on directing his Callas biopic

Mark Pullinger, 3rd December

Pablo Larraín talks about his new film Maria, starring Angelina Jolie, which charts the final days of iconic diva Maria Callas.

Trials and tribulations: Donizetti’s Tudors Trilogy in Geneva

Laura Servidei, 3rd May

This June, Grand Théâtre de Genève offers a rare chance to hear three of Donizetti’s Tudor-themed operas, Anna Bolena, Maria Stuarda and Roberto Devereux, in back to back performances directed by Mariame Clément.

Bachtrack top ten: Maria Callas

Mark Pullinger, 2nd December

Maria Callas was the most iconic soprano of the 20th century. We mark her centenary by looking at ten of her most important roles.

Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.