DON PASQUALE

(pronounced pahs-KWAH-leh)

The last of Donizetti’s comic operas, written in 1842, Don Pasquale tells the story of an ornery old fool cured of his desire to marry a much younger woman.

While the original libretto is set in 19th century Rome, Italy, Piedmont Opera's production is set around 1920's in America. The music and libretto are unchanged from the original production.

Donizetti’s 64th of some 66 operas, Don Pasquale is a staple of standard operatic repertoire, and is considered his comic masterpiece, as well as one of the three most popular Italian comic operas, the other two being Rossini’s The Barber of Seville and Donizetti’s own The Elixir of Love.

The world premiere took place on January 3, 1843, at the Théâtre-Italien in Paris The production was an immediate success and was soon produced all over Europe and the Western Hemisphere.

Donizetti’s best-known works are the operas L’elisir d’amore, Lucia di Lammermoor, and Don Pasquale, all in Italian, and the French operas La favorite and La fille du régiment (The Daughter of the Regiment).

Along with Vincenzo Bellini and Gioachino Rossini, Donizetti was a leading composer of bel canto opera, a traditional Italian style of singing emphasizing tone, phrasing, coloratura passages, and technique.

The last time Piedmont Opera staged Don Pasquale was in 1986.

Fast Facts

Don Pasquale was one of 68 operas written by Donizetti over a period of 29 years, including previous Piedmont Opera productions like Mary Queen of Scots, L'elisir d'amore, and La Fille du Régiment. He averaged more than two and a third operas a year!