Abstract
Gaetano Donizetti’s Don Pasquale uses one of the classic themes from opera buffa: A man of advanced age wants to have another go at life and courts a young woman. But he’s counted his chickens before they’ve hatched. The woman he’s picked for a bride is Norina, his nephew’s beloved. Don Pasquale's enthusiasm knows no bounds at first, but when he signs the marriage contract, he seals his fate: After the wedding, Norina turns out to be quite a fury…
In this dramma buffo, Donizetti once again evoked the spirit of the musical comedy of archetypes. But this time around, he gave the old, familiar commedia dell'arte characters individual traits. Despite the work’s quick pace, comedy, and light manner, its melancholy undertones are particularly striking. It’s those undertones that director Christof Loy uses as a starting point, as he traces the lines of «the last time» through life: loneliness and melancholy envelop both the title character and his introverted nephew Ernesto. They also engulf Gaetano Donizetti – Don Pasquale was his last comedic work, written before a syphilis infection left him to spend his last years wasting away in an armchair. This revival brings back our exquisite premiere cast. Two strong character actors will alternate as Don Pasquale: Johannes Martin Kränzle und Dimitris Tiliakos. Playing the lively Norina is Julie Fuchs, and at her side as Ernesto is the young tenor Mingjie Lei, who was the great discovery of the premiere run.