Why was Gaetano Donizetti’s Marino Faliero compared unfavourably with Vincenzo Bellini’s I puritani?

Gaetano Donizetti’s opera Marino Faliero was compared unfavourably with Vincenzo Bellini’s I puritani primarily because the two works were produced in Paris only a few weeks apart, placing them in direct competition for the attention of the Parisian public and critics.1

While Marino Faliero was not considered a failure, it suffered from the immediate proximity of the premiere of I puritani (1835), which was the final and highly ambitious work of Bellini. Bellini’s I puritani was widely celebrated for its beautiful vocal melodies, despite being hampered by an inept libretto. In contrast, Donizetti’s work faced the challenge of being measured against the high expectations and the specific reception of Bellini's latest triumph during a period when both composers were seeking to establish themselves in the Parisian operatic scene.21