Don Pasquale

Don Pasquale may be a shock to the system for one, I may have seen and heard my fair share of Italian opera in German but Don Pasquale getting that treatment was a first for me. So it was an unusual but very interesting experience. And thankfully, this production was wonderful, the sparkle, fun and charm that makes the opera one of Donizetti's best translates well in German and this production as it does in its mother tongue. My only real complaint was some fuzzy picture quality, especially in the latter part of the Act 3 Pasquale- Malatesta patter duet. The sound was good though and the photography unobtrusively sweeping. There is very little, if anything, to complain about really.

It looks gorgeous for starters. The sumptuous colours and elegant costumes and sets are worthy of Franco Zeffirelli, which as far as I'm concerned is very high praise. The way the opera is staged on film is done with class and wit, with the patter duet between Pasquale and Malatesta positively blistering as it should do. Musically it is also outstanding, the stylish zest and lush pathos that is always there in Donizetti's music is there in the orchestral playing, the chorus blend beautifully with plenty of involvement and the conducting is accommodating and never allows the production to rush or drag.

The performances are faultless, but if there was one person who stood out, it was the Malatesta of Hermann Prey. His hearty voice and sly vocal delivery combined with comic timing that clearly comes naturally to him and a highly engaging stage presence makes his performance a joy to watch. Oscar Czerwenka has a generously sized bass voice, not the resonant Verdian kind of sound- which is perhaps on the heavy side for Pasquale- but the Italo Tajo sort of timbre that is capable of the dramatic, comedic and nuanced aspects of any role. His acting is excellent, he makes you feel great amusement and pity for Pasquale without resorting to buffoonery.

Reri Grist makes for a Norina that is both shrewish and charming(as oxymoronic as that sounds those are sides you should show for the role). The camera clearly loves her, and I find her bright girlish timbre very appealing. Her colouratura, agility and embellishments are spot on as always. Luigi Alva is not quite up to the standard of the other three dramatically, then again Ernesto is not as interesting a character. He is still very earnest and likable, he is almost certainly not as stand-and-deliver as other Ernestos, and when it comes to vocally his style and diction are superb and he is still in remarkably good voice with the right amount of ring and nuances.

Overall, unusual to have an opera not in the mother tongue but very interesting. The production itself is wonderful, especially for the cast, four fine singers on top form. 10/10 Bethany Cox