Don Pasquale

Don PasqualeGaetano DonizettiPalais GarnierDuration: 2h45 with 1 intervalLanguage: Italian Surtitles: French / EnglishAn old and wealthy bachelor, Don Pasquale, takes it into his head to marry a young woman – something he forbids his nephew Ernesto, who is engaged to the charming (but penniless) Norina.

Fortunately, Doctor Malatesta devises a clever stratagem to force him to change his mind. A fake marriage, a sweet wife turned shrew, and a misunderstanding later, morality is restored, following the traditional commedia dell’arte framework.

Successfully premiered in Paris in 1843, Don Pasquale demonstrates Gaetano Donizetti’s undeniable talent for comedy.

In this dazzling score, the apotheosis of opera buffa, the composer leaves his trademark: a bittersweet tenderness for his characters, even when they are old curmudgeons.

Damiano Michieletto brings a sensitive and lively staging to this light work, where video cleverly reveals the gap between fantasy and reality.

Speranza Scappucci Musical directionDamiano Michieletto Stage directionOlga Kulchynska NorinaLawrence Brownlee ErnestoPietro Spagnoli Don PasqualeVito Priante Dottor MalatestaJian Hong Zhao Un notaro Orchestre et Chœurs de l’Opéra national de Paris Coproduction with the Royal Ballet and Opera, Covent Garden, London and the Teatro Massimo, Palermo