Don Pasquale
Opera Buffa di Gaetano Donizetti
Director's note
The dynamic of italian Opera Buffa is usually a breath taking race between characters continuously surprising each other and anybody else, based on the stereotype characters of the commedia dell’arte and my comittment is to allow the audience to an insight to all the aspects of this crazy run.
Don Pasquale being stubborn and stuck in old fashion convention threatens the unconventional but true love between Ernesto and Norina and has to be healed from his ‚illness’ in order to give future and life a chance.
Don Pasquale learns to forgive and give future a chance. If the others are happy, he can be happy too. A real humanistic message!
Set designer Giulio Bernardi and I decided to give that wonderful story a very concrete location: Naples – Italy, full of people, full oft the love for life, always in danger of natural desaster, full of music, city at the sea, harbour of immigration and nostalgic memories.
Credits
Director Claudia Blersch
Conductor Daniel Montané
Set designer Giulio Bernardi
Costume designer Maritha Visagie
Don Pasquale Bongani Kubheka
Malatesta Luvuyo Mbundu
Ernesto Lunga Hallam
Norina Britany Smith
Carlino Haydn Henning
CTO/UCT, Baxter Main Theatre, Capetown 2018
Opernhaus Zürich 2018
Italian comedies are not known for their dramatic love stories and Don Pasquale is no exception. But this raw and refreshing theatrical work will just let you enjoy italian life: surprising, full of pictures, intrigues and love for life.
Classical Italian tunes combined with the superb upbeat opera singing is a sight and sound to behold, with props and projected backdrops adding a unique sense of dimension to each scene – in a most memorable way.
Time spent enjoying Don Pasquale will not be time wasted. The songs performed by the exceptional cast are breathtaking and are sure to leave you pleasantly surprised. The look and feel of the characters compliments each stage setting perfectly and the guidance of German director, Claudia Blersch, can be felt in every scene.
Especially the sociological view on Norina as a teacher of a girls class turns out most charming!
Don Pasquale is a must-see – and a fabulous opera experience from start to finish!
Capetown – etc