Rome is the setting.
An elderly bachelor, Don Pasquale, wants to marry in order to produce an
heir. If he is successful, his nephew
Ernesto, who is infatuated with the young widow Norina, would be
disinherited. Humorous and amorous
adventures ensue.
Conducted by James Levine, the comic opera (opera buffa) Don
Pasquale will be the Metropolitan Opera encore performance in the Cinemark
Theatre at the Huntington Mall this Wednesday at 6:30pm. This performance was originally transmitted
live on November 13, 2010.
 |
Marty Sohl/Metropolitan Opera Madcap romantic comedy at the opera -- Mariusz Kwiecień and Anna Netrebko in Don Pasquale |
Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848) composed this, his
sixty-fourth opera, in about two weeks time in 1842 and it was premiered at Theatre Italian in Paris on January 3, 1843.
A singer himself, Donizetti knew how to bring out the beauty of the
human voice.
For those who have never seen an opera, Don Pasquale
would be a good start. The plot is easy
to follow, the circumstances are comic and the music is enjoyable. The opera will be sung in Italian with
English subtitles. An added treat is
that the singers are interviewed as they exit the stage during intermissions.
Larry Stickler
Professor of Music
Marshall University
The Metropolitan Opera encore series can been seen at the movies in
Barboursville (Huntington Mall), Morgantown, and Bridgeport on Wednesdays throughout the
summer. Find the full summer opera schedule here.