Klaus Döring's Classical Music/Klaus Döring's Klassische Musik

  Puccini is one of the most beloved of all opera composers La Bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly and Turandot still play to packed opera houses the world over. Generally snubbed by the critics, Puccini was a serial adulterer whose greatest passions (apart from women) were massacring the local duck population and hurtling around in high-speed cars and boats. Yet behind the macho image, he was a creative artist of profound sensitivity and dramatic flair. This essential music companion provides a compelling overview of the constant tension between Puccini's indulgent personal life, his status as an international celebrity and his excruciatingly high standards as a composer. Italian composer Giacomo Puccini started the operatic trend toward realism with popular works such as 'La Bohème' and 'Madama Butterfly.' Who Was Giacomo Puccini? Italian composer Giacomo Puccini started the operatic trend toward realism with his popular works, which are among the most often performed...

 ... because he felt ‘humiliated and offended’ Andrea Bocelli has criticised Italy’s approach to COVID-19.  Picture: Getty By Maddy Shaw Roberts, ClassicFM The tenor encouraged people to reject social distancing, said children in schools shouldn’t wear masks and said he knows no one admitted to intensive care from COVID-19. Andrea Bocelli  says he voluntarily violated the ban on going out during Italy’s lock-down. Speaking as a guest at a  conference in the Senate , called Covid-19 in Italy: Between Information, Science and Rights, the Italian tenor said: “I looked at reality and I saw that things were not as we were being told. “When I started to express doubts about the seriousness of this so-called pandemic, the first to attack me were my children who told me to think about  Tosca , because you don’t understand viruses. “I know a lot of people but none of them ended up in intensive care. So, what was all this gravity for?” Read more: Andrea Bocelli criticise...

... Andrea Bocelli got married in a dream ceremony in Tuscany Picture: Getty By Maddy Shaw Roberts, ClassicFM London 0 On 21 March 2014, the legendary Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli married his long-term partner and manager, Veronica Berti, in an enviably stylish ceremony in Tuscany. Five years ago,  Bocelli  and Berti (detective show, anyone?) got married in the port of Livorno, Italy, which also happens to be the most beautiful place in the world. Here are all the gorgeous photos. Look. Just look at how stunning this is. Livorno, Italy.  Picture: Getty Andrea, arriving with the rest of his impeccably dressed family Andrea Bocelli arrives at the Sanctuary of Madonna di Montenero.  Picture:  Getty Veronica, waving to the crowds and looking impossibly chic Veronica Berti arrives at the Sanctuary of Madonna di Montenero.  Picture:  Getty Escaping the paps Veronica Berti at the Sanctuary of Madonna ...

... people thought he sold his soul to the devil By Maddy Shaw Roberts, Classic FM London Some thought he was a metaphorical musical God, others thought he literally got his virtuosity from a deal with the Devil. But what was the real story behind Niccolò Paganini’s genius? Born on 27 October 1782 in Genoa, Italy,  Niccolò Paganini  was an incredibly gifted musician, and is widely considered one of the greatest violinists of all time. He started playing the mandolin aged five, before taking up the  violin  aged seven and giving his first public performance aged 11 in Genoa. At the age of just 15, he started playing solo tours. The 19th century produced a number of extraordinary violinists – but none like Paganini. His talent was so beyond that of his peers that people started to believe he had made a pact with the devil. It was even rumoured that Paganini’s mother had sold his soul to the devil so he could become the greatest virtuoso in history. ...

Ennio Morricone is one of the most eclectic and prolific film composers in the entire history of the genre. He began composing scores for Italian westerns (often called “spaghetti westerns”) in the 1960s, and over the course of his career has created soundtracks for over 400 films and television productions released in English, Italian, German, and French. In addition to westerns, he has composed highly melodic scores for mystery thrillers, romantic dramas, comedies, and epics, including The Untouchables, La Cage aux Folles, The Mission, and Disclosure. Composer Ennio MorriconeIn an interview with Fred Karlin, author of Listening to Movies, Morricone discussed his humble beginnings, stating, “My first films were light comedies or costume movies that required simple musical scores that were easily created, a genre that I never completely abandoned even when I went on to much more important films with major directors.” Yet these “simple musical scores” were inherently ingenious, ...