The 2012 Operas: DON PASQUALE
We here at the Aria Serious tower are big fans of Don Pasquale. It was one of the first operas we ever saw, and as far as we can recall our first comic opera we ever saw; up until Pasquale opera was jilted lovers and dying of consumption or being buried alive in tombs - this one opened up a whole new world for us - we could laugh and smile through our operas now.
When this production first came around in 2002 we were wary at first - it's a Wild West update, and back then we were young and naive and full of principals and believed one should never update opera. And yet it worked so perfectly that we've since eaten crow and now take the stance that if the production remains true to the libretto and music, and the update serves to enhance the opera and not distract from it, then have it.
Now to clarify- this production is not an update. It's a geographic relocation - the opera still take place in the mid-19th Century, but no longer in Rome but in the American West.
Below you will find a clip to one of our favorite pieces in the opera - the famed Patter Duet in Act 3 being performed by John Del Carlo and Mariusz Kwiecien. This was filmed last year at the Met. If you like what you hear, you don't need to travel far to hear it live - John Del Carlo will bring his Don Pasquale to San Diego for our performances in March along with Danielle de Niese and Charles Castronovo.
When this production first came around in 2002 we were wary at first - it's a Wild West update, and back then we were young and naive and full of principals and believed one should never update opera. And yet it worked so perfectly that we've since eaten crow and now take the stance that if the production remains true to the libretto and music, and the update serves to enhance the opera and not distract from it, then have it.
Now to clarify- this production is not an update. It's a geographic relocation - the opera still take place in the mid-19th Century, but no longer in Rome but in the American West.
Below you will find a clip to one of our favorite pieces in the opera - the famed Patter Duet in Act 3 being performed by John Del Carlo and Mariusz Kwiecien. This was filmed last year at the Met. If you like what you hear, you don't need to travel far to hear it live - John Del Carlo will bring his Don Pasquale to San Diego for our performances in March along with Danielle de Niese and Charles Castronovo.
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