Polish bass Dariusz Machej sings Don Pasquale with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra in Manila
Dariusz Machej will sing at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Manila on March 8. The Polish bass will play the titular Don Pasquale in Donizetti’s work, replacing the Brazilian bass Matheus França. Apart from Dariusz Machej, the concert version of the opera will feature Dorota Sobieska (Norina), Byeong-In Park (Malatesta), Zadkiel Yarcia (Notary) and Nomher Nival (Ernesto). The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra will be conducted by Grzegorz Nowak, the music director and chief conductor of the orchestra since 2023.
First premiered at the Théâtre Italien in Paris on January 3, 1843, the three-act Donizetti’s opera follows the story of a wealthy old bachelor named Don Pasquale who decides to take a wife and produce an heir to disinherit his nephew Ernesto for refusing to enter an arranged marriage. Dottore Malatesta, a friend of the Don, promises to help Ernesto and his widowed sweetheart Norina. Things take a humorous turn when his scheming plans are thwarted by a series of comical misunderstandings and mistaken identities.
Dariusz Machej made his debut as Don Magnifico in Rossini’s “Cinderella” at the Warsaw Chamber Opera in 1997. The singer has performed over 30 opera roles on stages in Poland, Germany, Austria, Lithuania, France and Italy.