Don Pasquale
It is the age-old story from the tradition of the Commedia dell'arte: An elderly miser wants to marry a young and rich girl. In Gaetano Donizetti's Dramma buffo the old man is called Don Pasquale. In addition to money and youth, the marriage should also give him the disinheritance of his nephew Ernesto. However, this project is thwarted by a plan by Doctor Malatesta. Malatesta mediates Don Pasquale, of all people, with Ernesto's lover, Norina, who appears under a false identity. No sooner has the marriage been concluded – in appearance – than the initially so enchanting bride turns out to be a veritable monster who completely turns Don Pasquale's life upside down.
Don Pasquale , first performed at the Théâtre-Italia in Paris in 1843 and composed shortly before Donizetti's tragic mental collapse, is considered one of the last masterpieces of comic opera. But Donizetti's characterization went far beyond the typicality of the Commedia dell'arte. His characters are made of flesh and blood, with all the ambivalence inherent in being human. So Don Pasquale is not only an egotistical old man, but also a lonely person who harbors deep longings and obsessions and whose environment coldly exploits his situation. From director Christof Loy, known for his sensitive character drawing, one can therefore count on a Don Pasqualebeyond the usual buffa clichés. In the title role, Johannes Martin Kränzle, one of the most versatile singer-actors of his generation, will appear for the first time at the Zurich Opera House, alternating with the Greek Dimitris Tiliakos, who has already introduced himself as Macbeth in Zurich. Audience favorite Julie Fuchs returns to the opera house as Norina, while tenor Mingjie Lei embodies Ernesto. Konstantin Shushakov performs the Malatesta. After his successful debut with Donizetti's Maria Stuarda and Rossini's Il turco in Italia , Enrique Mazzola is already conducting his third new production in Zurich.
