Donizetti: Don Pasquale (Teatro Donizetti, Bergamo 2024, Directed by: Niermeyer)

Donizetti's "Don Pasquale" is part of a trio of 19th-century Italian comic operas – alongside "L'elisir d'amore" and Gioachino Rossini's "Il barbiere di Siviglia" –, which continue to captivate audiences around the world. "Don Pasquale" represents the pinnacle of the opera buffa tradition and draws on characters from the Commedia dell'arte – there is the boastful old man, his lovesick nephew, the cunning widow and the scheming doctor. They breathe new life into the genre in this beautifully constructed comic opera full of cabalettas, cadenzas and coloratura, imbued with a gentle melancholy. This production is based on a new critical edition of the work. The title role is sung and played by the experienced baritone Roberto de Candia. Giulia Mazzola as Norina was praised for her clear lyric soprano. The opera was staged by the renowned Mexican conductor Iván López-Reynoso, who has conducted more than 50 operas during his career. The recordings took place during the Donizetti Opera Festival 2024 in Bergamo.