Don Pasquale as Don Corleone – premiere at Opera Nova in Bydgoszcz
“Don Pasquale” – the last of Gaetano Donizetti’s opera buffa – will inaugurate the jubilee XXX Bydgoszcz Opera Festival. Director Paweł Szkotak sets the plot in New York at the turn of the 1940s and 1950s, making a number of references to the legendary “The Godfather” – also in the costumes (by Sylwester Krupiński) and set design (by Mariusz Napierała).
Musical Director of the show is Piotr Wajrak. As of now the cast has not been announced yet on the website of Opera Nova in Bydgoszcz. The show opens on April 20, 2024.
“Don Pasquale” was composed to the libretto by Giovanni Ruffini. The world premiere of the comic opera took place on January 3, 1843 at the Théâtre Italien in Paris. An elderly rich man has plans to marry a young widow Norina, who is in love with his nephew, Ernesto. This is only a part of the intrigue – the plot thickens as Don Pasquale’s confidant Doctor Malatesta gets involved.