Don Pasquale Study Guide

DON PASQUALE 2023–2024 Study Guide

FEB 10–18, 2024

OCNAV TA E D NOAIRETPOARECVUU

Dear Friends, Opera is an incredible unification of all the artistic disciplines and we hope that you have a wonderful time at our production of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale.

Producing opera is no easy task, and what you will see on the stage is the culmination of months of hard work from directors, conductors, designers, technicians, musicians, marketing staff, and of course, SINGERS. We hope you will share the details of this exciting experience with your friends and family, and share the passion for this incredible art form with them!

See you at the opera,

Ashley D Foot Ashley Daniel Foot Director of Engagement and Civic Practice STUDY GUIDE TEAM

DIRECTOR OF ENGAGEMENT, CIVIC PRACTICE | ASHLEY DANIEL FOOT EDITOR | JANE POTTER ILLUSTRATIONS | CHRISTOPHER SOUZA GRAPHIC DESIGN | ROBYN MARTIN Study Guide - Don Pasquale

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ABOUT

DON PASQUALE Given a mid-20th century Technicolour makeover by the acclaimed creative duo of costume/set designer André Barbe and stage director/choreographer Renaud Doucet, Don Pasquale’s world bustles with a ramshackle vibrancy.

The aging bachelor’s scheme to marry and disinherit his rebellious nephew Ernesto is countered by a hilarious bait-and-switch caper hatched by Dr. Malatesta and Ernesto’s love, Norina, going undercover as Pasquale’s new and decidedly not-asadvertised bride.

With an all-star cast and music calibrated for virtuosity, Donizetti’s comic masterpiece of intergenerational jealousy and reconciliation, young love, and madcap machinations bursts with vivid colour and endlessly engaging melodies.

DISCOVER MORE

The Inside Vancouver Opera Podcast is a unique backstage glimpse into the world of Vancouver Opera.

Join us as we chat with opera experts, artists, Vancouver Opera staff and others to explore the world of opera on and off the stage.

This podcast offers an insider’s glimpse into the artistry, experiences, and perspectives of the talent involved in taking breathtaking opera productions from the page to the stage.

Who are Barbe & Doucet?

And what on earth is dramaturgy? barbedoucet.com

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WHAT IS

BEL CANTO? Italian for ‘beautiful singing’, the bel canto style was first showcased in well-known and much-loved operas such as The Barber of Seville, and La Cenerentola by composer Giachino Rossini.

Featuring vocal ornamentation and appealing melodies and ensembles, Rossini’s operas charmed and delighted their audiences. Where the previous classical period called for more carefully structured operas such as Mozart’s The Magic Flute and Salieri’s Armida, bel canto composers chose dramatic expression over traditional arrangements, and allowed their singers luxurious vocal ornamentation that strayed from the original composition.

Not to be outdone by his contemporaries, Donizetti adopted many of the methods and styles that made Rossini’s and Bellini’s work so popular, while developing his own comedic and dramatic style featuring soaring arias, vocal embellishments, intricate ensemble work, plenty of drama and emotion displayed in expressive vocal work, and orchestration designed to mirror and enhance the emotional expression of the singers.

Vincenzo Bellini, a master of dramatic flair, premiered his first bel canto opera, Bianca e Fernando, in 1826, which was attended by Donizetti himself. Bellini also wrote two of the most beautiful operas of the bel canto era, Norma and I Capuletti.

With an emphasis on lyrical flow and beauty, performers of Bel Canto era operas were given full reign to unleash their abilities and talents, conveying a full spectrum of emotion with expressive dramatic flair.

Study Guide - Don Pasquale

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FASCINATING FACTS

GAETANO DONIZETTI On November 29, 1797, Gaetano Donizetti was born in a windowless basement apartment in Bergamo, Italy, the second son of the owner of the local pawnshop.

1797 also saw the birth of Austrian composer Franz Shubert, English novelist Mary Shelley, and AfricanAmerican abolitionist and activist for women’s rights, Sojourner Truth.

In 1842 after a move to Vienna, which was part of the Austrian Empire, Donizetti was appointed kapellmeister to the royal court of the Habsburgs, a position held by Mozart from 1797 to his death in 1791.

In what is considered to be perhaps the best example of his bel canto style, Donizetti drew from the history of the British Isles, adapting Scottish novelist and historian Sir Walter Scott’s novel Bride of Lammermoor, into his opera Lucia di Lammermoor.

Study Guide - Don Pasquale

A master of the Bel Canto tradition of opera, Donizetti adopted many of the methods and styles that made fellow bel canto composers Rossini’s and Bellini’s work so popular, while developing his own comedic and dramatic style. Donizetti’s first opera to appear on the main stage, Anna Bolena, opened in 1830 to great critical acclaim, and box office success.

Donizetti suffered tragedy in 1837 when his beloved wife Virginia died during childbirth, having already lost three babies in infancy. Donizetti did not remarry and died childless.

Donizetti was a prolific composer, penning nearly 75 operas during his lifetime.

Donizetti died in 1848 after suffering years from the effects of syphilis, and losing his mind in the process. vancouveropera.ca

DON PASQUALE

WHO’S WHO Norina

Ernesto

Don Pasquale

Elizabeth Polese

Josh Lovell

Gregory Dahl

Dr. Malatesta

Notary

Cook

Philip Addis

Willy Miles-Grenzberg

Stephano Giuilianetti

Study Guide - Don Pasquale

Porter

Maid

Thomas Jones

Colleen Winton vancouveropera.ca

DON PASQUALE

SYNOPSIS LONGER VERSION

1960s Rome ACT I

Don Pasquale, a reclusive old man with a penchant for cats, runs a crumbling pensione with a chainsmoking chambermaid, a prehistorical porter, and a greasy cook for company. Worried that his wealth will be squandered, he has chosen a bride for his nephew Ernesto. Ernesto, who is in love with the young widow Norina, asserts that he won’t marry a woman of his uncle’s choice. So Pasquale determines to find himself a wife. Dr. Malatesta suggests his beautiful younger sister as Pasquale’s prospective bride; an enlivened Pasquale asks his friend to arrange a meeting at once. Pasquale tells Ernesto to move out of the pensione and announces his own marriage plans. Astonished, and with prospects of an inheritance slipping away, Ernesto sees his dreams evaporating.A further hurt: he learns that his confidant Malatesta has arranged Pasquale’s marriage.

Norina laughs at a romantic story that she’s reading and confidently reflects on her ability to charm a man. Dr. Malatesta arrives and explains the plan he’s concocted on behalf of her and Ernesto: Norina will pose as Maletesta’s sister and marry Pasquale in a mock ceremony. Norina is keen to play the role of “Sofronia” if it will result in her and Ernesto being together.

Study Guide - Don Pasquale

Opera plots explained in an instant.

SHORT VERSION The aging bachelor’s scheme to marry and disinherit his rebellious nephew Ernesto is countered by a hilarious bait-andswitch caper hatched by Dr. Malatesta and Ernesto’s love, Norina, going undercover as Pasquale’s new and decidedly not-asadvertised bride.

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ACT II Ernesto, unaware of Malatesta’s scheme, is despondent at being separated from Norina, and dreads a future in exile. Don Pasquale is impatient to meet his prospective bride. When Sofronia, the distinctly feline young lady turns up, he is instantly smitten.

Pasquale decides that they should marry immediately. Ernesto bursts in on the ceremony and accuses Norina of being unfaithful. Malatesta takes Ernesto aside and explains the secret plan to him, and Ernesto then acts as a witness to the wedding contract. Once the document is sealed, Norina-as-Sofronia moves into the second stage of the caper: setting aside the role of timid kitten, she leans heavily into the role of the tigress. Pasquale is shocked. Having a wife is not quite as straightforward as he expected…

ACT III In addition to her new shift in attitude, “Sofronia” has started living extravagantly, blowing through Pasquale’s money. Servants arrive carrying more of her purchases, and Pasquale, at wit’s end, angrily resolves to assert his rights as husband.

In the garden, Ernesto serenades Norina, and they declare their love for one another.

Pasquale and Malatesta arrive—too late to recognize Ernesto as the mysterious young suitor. Ernesto slips into the house while “Sofronia” plays the innocent wife.

Malatesta announces that Ernesto is about to bring his own new bride, Norina, into the house. “Sofronia” says she will never live under the same roof with another woman and threatens to leave. Pasquale, relieved to have a way to get out of his unhappy situation, grants permission for Ernesto to marry Norina. Once Sofronia’s true identity is revealed, Pasquale accepts the situation with good humour, gives the couple his blessing, and admits that perhaps marriage isn’t suited to an old bachelor like himself.

Study Guide - Don Pasquale

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DON PASQUALE

COSTUMES For Don Pasquale all the costumes are already designed and built from the Scottish Opera’s production, but sometimes they don’t fit, so it’s up to Roberta and her team of cutters and stitchers to tailor them so they do fit. If they can’t do that, they build them from scratch!

Study Guide - Don Pasquale

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DON PASQUALE

COMIC STRIP

illustrated by Christopher Souza

Study Guide - Don Pasquale

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Study Guide - Don Pasquale

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Study Guide - Don Pasquale

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Study Guide - Don Pasquale

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Q&A

WHAT IS OPERA?

WHERE DID OPERA COME FROM?

Opera came from Italy, just like gelato! The word opera means ‘work’ in Italian, as in work of art, not homework.

WHO MAKES OPERA HAPPEN? Opera is a group effort by conductors, musicians, singers, dancers, set designers, costume creators, lighting experts, directors, theatre staff, make-up artists, wig makers, carpenters, prop designers, and more, to tell a story, sing, dance, and entertain the audience all the same time.

NO MICROPHONES? Unlike Drake or Taylor Swift, opera singers don’t use microphones. Instead, they learn to project their voices. They may go from projecting over the sound of the live orchestra in one moment, to dropping to a near whisper in the next moment(just like your school principal during assemblies).

To protect each other’s hearing, opera singers cannot face directly towards each other while singing. Ear plugs are not allowed.

HOW LONG DO YOU HAVE TO TRAIN? Opera singers often have as many years of education as physicians, and must continue training throughout their career.

Study Guide - Don Pasquale

HOW LONG ARE OPERAS?

Operas can be up to four hours long, which may be how long French class feels, but at least you don’t have to wear a costume, make-up, possibly a wig, sing and dance under hot lights, and memorize an entire opera, like the performers do.

NO SKIPPING FRENCH CLASS! Composers write in their language, and sometimes in second or third languages too, so opera singers must often learn English, French, German, Italian, and even Russian and Czech if they want to perform worldwide. And in case you’re wondering, ‘ice cream’ in Czech is ‘zmizlina’.

DOES IT PAY THE BILLS? If you were a top opera singer, you could make as much as $20,000 per performance.

WHAT OTHER SKILLS DO OPERA SINGERS NEED? Singers must learn to brush off negative reviews in time to perform the same show the following night.

FUN FACT Opera has been around for as long as gelato, which is just over four hundred years. vancouveropera.ca

GLOSSARY

OPERA TERMS ACTS / SCENE

Acts and scenes are ways of categorizing sections of operas. An act is a large-scale division of an opera, and each opera will typically include from two to five acts. Acts can be subdivided into scenes, which are often differentiated by a change in setting or characters.

ADAGIO Literally “at ease,” adagio is a tempo marking that indicates a slow speed. An adagio tempo marking indicates that the performer should play in a slow and leisurely style.

ALLEGRO

Italian for “cheerful” or “joyful,” Allegro is the most common tempo marking in Western music, indicating a moderately fast to quick speed.

ARIA

A song for solo voice accompanied by orchestra.

BRAVO / BRAVA / BRAVI

Italian for “nicely done”; shouted by audience members after a performance. “Bravo” for men, “Brava” for women, and “Bravi” for all.

CHORUS

A section of an opera in which a large group of singers performs together, typically with orchestral accompaniment.

CRESCENDO

A gradual raising of volume in music achieved by increasing the dynamic level. When music crescendos, the performers begin at a softer dynamic level and become incrementally louder.

Study Guide - Don Pasquale

ENSEMBLE

A musical piece for two or more soloists, accompanied by orchestra. Types of ensembles include duets (for two soloists), trios (for three soloists), and quartets (for four soloists).

FORTE

Meaning “loud” or “strong” in Italian, forte is a dynamic level in music that indicates a loud volume. Adding the suffix “-issimo” to a word serves as an intensifier—since forte means “loud,” fortissimo means “very loud.”

LIBRETTO

The text of an opera, including all the words that are said or sung by performers.

OVERTURE

An instrumental piece that occurs before the first act as an introduction to an opera.

RECITATIVE

Speech-like singing in-between musical numbers that advances the plot.

SCORE

The complete musical notation for a piece, the score includes notated lines for all of the different instrumental and vocal parts that unite to constitute a musical composition.

TEMPO

Literally “time” in Italian, tempo refers to the speed of a piece of music.

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ACTIVITY

MATCH THE OPERA TERMS

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ACTIVITY

DM A CHARACTER HEY PASQUALE, WHAT’S UP WITH ALL THE CATS? Times and values have changed since Donizetti composed Don Pasquale in1843, and some today may find it hard to relate to the behaviours and decisions of the characters.

ACTIVITY After you have watched the performance, work in pairs and choose a character whose decisions or behaviours intrigued you, and engage them in a discussion. Ask them questions about their choices, and then respond on their behalf.

YOU COULD

Use a DM or texting generator.

Compose a series of emails.

Go Old School and write a letter.

For example, you may wonder: Why is Don Pasquale opposed to Ernesto marrying Norina in the first place?

Why does Dr Malatesta become involved?

What role do the supporting characters play?

Why the green cats?

Resources: Generate a chat transcript Study Guide - Don Pasquale

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TICKETS

CONTACT US

VO Ticket Centre Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm 604 683 0222

Vancouver Opera 1945 McLean Drive Vancouver, BC V5N 3J7 604 682 2871

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