Gaetano Donizetti: Don Pasquale

Did you enjoy the concert performance of Rossini's operatic fairy tale Cinderella in December 2023? We have another title for you! This time it will be the popular opera Don Pasquale by Gaetano Donizetti. And what can you look forward to? In addition to an absolutely stellar cast?

Don Pasquale is a pure, unadulterated farce with sparkling music and a geyser of humorous scenes that will make you cry - of course, tears of laughter! The wealthy old Don Pasquale wants to prevent his nephew Ernesto from marrying the young and poor widow Norina. He threatens to disinherit Ernesto, which is a problem for Ernesto because without the inheritance he cannot consider getting married. Moreover, Don Pasquale decides to get married himself and calls on Doctor Malatesta for help. However, this decision will cost him dearly! Doctor Malatesta devises a colossal deception, and in the end, Don Pasquale is glad to get rid of his young "wife", who is actually Norina.

The cunning Norina, who will really put Don Pasquale through his paces, will be played by the phenomenal Armenian soprano Kristina Mkhitaryan, whose most recent successes include the role of Liù in Puccini's Turandot at the Vienna State Opera alongside Jonas Kaufmann as Calaf. The pompous Don Pasquale will be thoroughly mocked by none other than the Italian baritone Nicola Alaimo, who in "our" Cinderella created an irresistible comic duo with the Italian baritone Vincenzo Taormina. Taormina will now take on the role of the crafty Doctor Malatesta, who will be assisted in weaving the deception by the lovestruck Ernesto, portrayed by the excellent tenor Petr Nekoranec.

But that's not the end of the stellar cast! The charismatic Italian conductor Marco Armiliato, one of the most acclaimed and busiest opera conductors of the past twenty years, will lead us through this wonderful opera romp with an unerring baton. Do you remember his first performance in Prague? On December 22, 1996, he accompanied the famous Luciano Pavarotti; thirteen thousand people came to the hockey arena at the Exhibition Grounds. Since then, Marco Armiliato has returned to Prague several times with great joy!

The concert is held under the auspices of the Ambassadors of Italy and Armenia.