Don Pasquale

Sunday, 8 December, 7.00 pm

Opernhaus Zurich

Dramma buffo by Gaetano Donizetti , Premiere

It’s an age-old story from the tradition of the commedia dell’arte: an elderly miser intends to marry a young girl, who is rich to boot. In Gaetano Donizetti’s dramma buffo, the old man’s name is Don Pasquale. Besides money and youth, the marriage is also intended to disinherit his nephew, Ernesto. However, this plan is thwarted by the scheming Doctor Malatesta, who of all people introduces to Don Pasquale Ernesto’s lover, Norina, under a false identity. Scarcely has the – fictitious – marriage taken place than the initially so delightful bride turns out to be a veritable monster who turns Don Pasquale’s life completely upside down.

Don Pasquale, premièred in 1843 at the Théâtre-Italien in Paris and written shortly before Donizetti’s tragic mental breakdown, is considered one of the last masterpieces of comic opera. However, in characterising his figures, Donizetti went far beyond the stock characters of the commedia dell’arte. His figures are of flesh and blood, with all the ambivalence inherent to being human. Thus Don Pasquale, for example, is not merely a selfish old man, but also a lonely human being who has profound longings and obsessions, and whose situation is coldly exploited by his entourage. Thanks to director Christof Loy, who is well known for his sensitive character development, we can therefore also look forward to a Don Pasquale that goes beyond the usual clichés of opera buffa. Johannes Martin Kränzle, one of the most versatile singer-actors of his generation, will introduce himself at Zurich Opera House for the first time in the title role. Audience favourite Julie Fuchs will be returning to Zurich Opera House as Norina, and Ernesto will be portrayed by tenor Edgardo Rocha, who is also a well-established figure in Zurich. The promising young Russian baritone Konstantin Shushakov will be débuting at Zurich Opera House as Malatesta. After his successful début with Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda and Rossini’s Il turco in Italia, Enrique Mazzola will already be conducting his third new production in Zurich.

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