Don Pasquale: Nikolai Kamensky
Norina: Angelina Akhmedova
Dr Malatesta: Yaroslav Petryanik
Ernesto: Boris Stepanov
Carlotto: Nikolai Gassiev
World premiere: 3 January 1843, La Comédie-Italienne, Paris
Premiere at the Bolshoi (Kamenny) Theatre: 6 February 1845, Imperial Italian Opera Company
Premiere at the Kirov Theatre: 17 June 1980
Premiere of the revival of production: 19 July 2022
Running time: 2 hours 40 minutes
The performance has one interval
They say of such individuals, “Grey in the beard, devil in the rib.” Wealthy aristocrat Don Pasquale, in his twilight years, fancied the idea of marriage. The follies of love that afflicted the aged miser were cured by the youth with a potent remedy: making him experience firsthand all the "joys" of married life with a shrewish wife. The spectacle of elders playing the role of grooms has long been a subject for jest, but in the opera buffa Don Pasquale, Donizetti unveils this classic comedic theme with a touch of melancholy and empathy towards the protagonist—perhaps because the composer, who astonishingly penned this brilliant score in just eleven days, was himself no longer young and deeply solitary at the time. While remaining a typical comedy of character masks, rooted in the traditions of Italian street theatre, Don Pasquale is a work of the Romantic era and thus imbued with genuine emotion.
The highlighting of performances by age represents recommendations.
This highlighting is being used in accordance with Federal Law N436-FZ dated 29 December 2010 (edition dated 1 May 2019) "On the protection of children from information that may be harmful to their health"