Donald Macleod explores how verismo first came about in the 1870s, a period when composers were keen to break away from the operatic conventions of the past. Show more

Donald Macleod considers whether the experience of flight to the cities during the post-unification years in Italy informed works like Puccini's La boheme. Show more

Verismo: 2/5. Donald Macleod explores the influence of Mascagni's opera Cavalleria rusticana, a work featuring rivalry and infidelity, that has been cited as a watershed of verismo. Show more

Donald Macleod explores stories of love, revolution and socialist realism in operas from Mascagni, Catalani, Giordano and Puccini. Show more

Donald Macleod on how composers like Puccini responded to the artistic currents prevailing at the beginning of the 20th century and how elements of verismo spread beyond Italy. Show more